Panetta is the right choice for the right job. Just don't ask what the job is.
Barack Obama has picked yet another Clinton Administration alumnus to head yet another Federal government agency — this time Leon Panetta and the CIA.
Why? Is it just another example of Obama enamored with being president, rather than actually Being President? Perhaps. The heavy lifting during the next four years will be done by Hillary Clinton on foreign affairs, and Rahm Emanuel and his fellow Clinton-cohorts on domestic affairs, leaving the O-man free to ride around on Air Force One making speeches and sneaking smokes behind Michelle's back. In this view, Panetta is as good a choice as any. He'll simply be one of the New Collective reporting to the Borg Queen Hillary and her Chief Drone Rahm, who will actually be running the show.
Granted, there is a ring of truth to the fact that real power will be exercised in Washington by others than Obama. When you get right down to it, what Obama was most concerned about when running for president was running for president. Actual policies mattered little. We can be out of Iraq in 6 months, 12 months, 18 months, or some distant point when conditions permit. We can redistribute the wealth of people making over $250,000, $200,000, $150,000, $100,000, or [insert figure here].
The specifics were not as important as the votes each shifting position generated. So why should the specifics really matter now that the vote is over? This is when the fun part of being the Supreme Leader of the Known Universe actually begins. Policies are just boring details that more often than not piss people off, and that, well, makes the job of being President much less fun. Let the wonks run government, leaving Obama plenty of time for extended workout sessions and fatuous photo opportunities where he can stutter his way through another, endless series of platitudes when asked direct questions about policy matters and other important issues.
As tempting as it is to conclude that nominating Leon Panetta as the new Director of the Central Intelligence Agency is simply another manifestation of Obama's charismatic superficiality, I think there's a bit more at work here.
Consider how the CIA operated during the Bush Administration. If The New York Times needed a leak to embarrass the twice elected Illegitimate President, the CIA was more than happy to oblige. Oh sure, there was still a focus on national intelligence collection and evaluation under the Bush Administration, but exactly how important will that be under an Obama Administration. Remember all those statements about repealing the Patriot Act, stopping "warrantless" wiretaps on suspected overseas terrorists whose conversations were routed through US phone lines, and the all-but-certain reconciliation with our enemies that would surely come about once Obama took office and began direct talks with Iran, Cuba, North Korea and the like?
"So I axe you," to quote My Cousin Vinny Gambini, just why do we need a freakin' CIA with Obama in charge? We certainly can't get rid of it, though — not when Obama has pledged to create (or save if he can't actually create) 3 million, or 2.5 million, or 2 million new jobs. Think of all the unemployed spies who would be trolling the streets of Washington, DC telling stories about clandestine operations in areas of the world where they were not supposed to be. That kind of stuff can get to be embarrassing. And potentially expensive, if they join together and launch a class-action suit for overtime and back wages.
No, the CIA cannot be shut down, even if it is less relevant in an Obamatopia. Even more to the point, in the absence of any real intelligence work to perform, it will accelerate the only other real job many of these career bureaucrats had; leaking embarrassing information on the present Administration.
Put a career intelligence officer in charge of what is now to-an-extent, and will certainly become to-an-even-greater-degree, a partisan political institution, and the politicos will run rings around him. But, put a partisan hack in charge to oversee and control the political shenanigans of the CIA, and well, you just might plug those leaks before The Times has a chance to print them.
This is the main reason Obama wants Panetta. Unfriendly voices in the CIA can do a lot of damage to his Administration — particularly if we're attacked again during his presidency and someone, somewhere, at some time, wrote Obama a memo telling him to be very careful about some undisclosed, unidentified, non-impending, non-specific, but very real threat to the United States. Only a man skilled in the ways of partisan politics can ride herd over the politics of a bureaucracy the size and complexity of the CIA. And that man is Leon Panetta.
Besides, with the DIA over the head of the CIA, blame for any intelligence failures resulting from such an appointment can be effectively shifted higher, particularly with the willing help of the mainstream press who won't push the matter too hard. Like Fitzgerald pulling the plug on the Blagojevich investigation before Emanuel got too deep in the wiretapped conversations and said something potentially embarrassing for Obama, the press will make sure that any attack — even one in 2012 — won't touch Obama. It will still be Bush's fault.
So all those opposed to Leon Panetta taking control of the CIA — from disgruntled Intelligence Committee chairmen (or chairwomen), to the average Joe just worried about keeping his family safe — forgeddaboutit. Leon will protect Obama's back in the one agency that can really hurt him.
And protecting Obama is what the next 4 years is all about.
Very good Phil
The line "This is when the fun part of being the Supreme Leader of the Known Universe" got me to thinking. In the 222 year history of this nation, I wonder just how many of our Presidents had fun on the "job". We all know about Washington as a General, but what did he do as president? Tom Jefferson, Abe Lincoln, and Harry Truman took action. But what I remember most about Ike was his golf game. Maybe a good time Barry is just what we need. :>)
Terrific piece. I'm loving how the O-man is handling the situation in Gaza at the moment–he's "concerned." Nothing more! No doubt the NYT will insist this reflects his "nuanced" opinion–which, they will claim, is so much sophisticated than that of the "one sided" Bush! –ask a Palestinian what he/she thinks of "nuance" as a way of stopping bullets!
From his scattered comments on the situation in the Middle East, it's clear our community oraganizer hasn't given it much thought. –however, his economic advisors certainly have, and as most have distinguished themselves as ardent supporters of Israel, it's doubtful the O-man will offend this handful–to run the risk of saving hundreds of Palestinian lives. –and why the hell wasnt' the O-man ever forced to clarify his opinions on Isreal *before* taking office?
The problem w/ the O-man is that he is simply silly. I mean, how many more of these mellowdramatic pics of the O-man looking into the horizon as if deep in thought–how many of these shots is the media willing to accept in place of asking the O-man to simply define his position? –oops, that's called "the New POlitics."
Phil:
Re: "And protecting Obama is what the next 4 years is all about."
Perhaps he can resurrect Janet Reno as well. Remember when the ATF turned a bunch of kids into crispies in Waco, and Reno said, "I was responsible" thus insulating Golden Boy from criticism? Contrast Big Leftist Media's reaction to the burning to death of a lot of innocent children with the embarrassing of a few terrorists in Abu Ghraib, the blame for which, but of course, had to go all the way to the top.
It will be interesting to see how many different ways Obama can vote "present" after January 20th. He lacks a true world view (other than what's in his immediate interest) and he's easily rolled by criticism. He will raise speaking out of both sides of his mouth to a new art form.
Hillary will force a coherent foreign policy, and Emanuel and the others will put forward competing visions for Domestic policy. Meanwhile, Obama will invoke new platitudes and look concerned between golf outings.