Obama names Panetta, Blair to top spy posts
09 Jan 2009 18:00:59 GMT
Source: Reuters
By Randall Mikkelsen
WASHINGTON, Jan 9 (Reuters) - President-elect Barack Obama named two intelligence outsiders on Friday to head the top U.S. spy agencies and play a leading role in restoring what he has called a tarnished U.S. image abroad.
Obama nominated Leon Panetta, White House chief of staff to former Democratic President Bill Clinton, as CIA director, and retired Adm. Dennis Blair to oversee all U.S. spy agencies as director of national intelligence.
Panetta and Blair did not come up through the ranks of intelligence agencies. Their nominations, which must be confirmed by the Senate, reflect Obama's determination to restore a U.S. reputation battered by accusations of torturing suspected terrorists and secret wiretapping of Americans' overseas phone calls.
"To be truly secure we must adhere to our values as vigilantly as we protect our safety, with no exceptions," Obama said in announcing his picks.
"Under my administration the United States does not torture. We will abide by the Geneva Conventions. We will uphold our highest ideals," he said.
He pledged to ensure that U.S. intelligence is accurate and untainted by politics, after intelligence failures before the Sept. 11 attacks and the Iraq war.
Obama rounded out the team with current or former intelligence professionals. He saluted the rank-and-file of the spy agencies, and stressed a need to defend the country against terrorism and other threats.
"There is no margin for error," he said.
Blair, 61, a U.S. Naval Academy graduate who earned a master's degree from Oxford while on a Rhodes scholarship, has served as commander of U.S. military forces in the Pacific, as well as stints on the White House National Security Council and as a CIA military liaison.
Panetta, 70, a former U.S. congressman, was White House budget director under Clinton before becoming his chief of staff, where he had access to presidential intelligence briefings.
CRITICISM, BUT NOT THREAT
The selections of Panetta and Blair have faced criticism, but there has been little sign yet that either would face a serious threat to his nomination.
Senate Intelligence Committee Chairwoman Diane Feinstein of California, whose panel will consider the choices, said this week the CIA would be better led by an intelligence professional.
After lobbying by Obama, Feinstein said she would listen to Panetta's plans. She said separately she intended to quickly confirm Blair.
Some human rights advocates say Blair was too close to Indonesia's military during his years as Pacific commander, when the country was accused of violating human rights in East Timor. A government watchdog, the Project on Government Oversight, has accused him of financial conflicts of interest.
Obama named a 25-year CIA veteran, John Brennan, as his White House counterterrorism and homeland security adviser.
He said the current national intelligence director, Michael McConnell, would serve on his Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board. He also would keep in place National Counterterrorism Center head Michael Leiter, whose agency oversees strategic planning of counterterrorism operations.
By putting Brennan in the White House in a job not needing Senate confirmation, Obama will have at his side a veteran spy who earlier withdrew from consideration to be CIA director amid public criticism that he was too closely tied to CIA policies on prisoner treatment. He denied the accusations.
Brennan was interim director of the counterterrorism center, formed after the Sept. 11 attacks. He founded an intelligence consulting firm in 2005.
(Editing by Eric Beech)
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05 Nov 2008 21:20:23 GMT
Source: Reuters
(Recasts with Obama offering job to Emanuel)
By Caren Bohan
CHICAGO, Nov 5 (Reuters) - U.S. President-elect Barack Obama has asked Illinois congressman Rahm Emanuel to head his White House staff as he moves quickly to fill government jobs in his incoming administration.
Sources said that the chief of staff job was offered to Emanuel, 48, a senior Democratic lawmaker known for a hard-charging style, just hours after Obama was elected on Tuesday.
Emanuel, who has close ties to Obama's inner circle and is a fellow Chicagoan, was expected to accept the offer, which would make him the main gatekeeper to the Oval Office.
Obama could announce that decision and possibly other key posts, such as Treasury secretary, on Thursday. He has already launched a transition team and aides were "working fast to fill Obama's economic and homeland security teams," according to one of the Democratic sources.
Obama has little time to relax after he triumphed over Republican John McCain and made history as the first African American elected U.S. president.
He has just 11 weeks to prepare to grapple with two wars and a deepening financial crisis.
Former government officials and public policy experts say such early preparations are both prudent and necessary given the challenges the United States faces amid the Iraq and Afghanistan wars and economic turmoil.
"The need for a seamless transition is greater than it has been in our adult political lifetime," said William Galston, a former domestic policy adviser to President Bill Clinton who is now a professor at the University of Maryland.
"With two wars abroad and an international financial crisis going on, there cannot be a period in which the new administration is just getting up to speed," Galston added.
Speculation is already rife about several names for Treasury secretary, one of the hottest seats in Washington.
Whoever gets that job will be faced both with guiding the $700 billion economic bailout package and the regulatory reform needed to prevent a repeat of the current crisis.
The short list includes former Treasury Secretary Lawrence Summers, former Federal Reserve Chairman Paul Volcker and Timothy Geithner, president of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.
New Jersey Democratic Gov. Jon Corzine, whose name has also been floated for the Treasury post, told CNBC on Wednesday he had not discussed joining the Obama administration with anybody, though he added he would never rule anything out.
Obama could soon announce other economic posts as well. Likely to end up in top advisory roles are University of Chicago economist Austan Goolsbee and Jason Furman, a former economic adviser to President Clinton.
FOREIGN POLICY ADVISERS
For secretary of state, Massachusetts Democratic Sen. John Kerry, former diplomat Richard Holbrooke, outgoing Republican Sen. Chuck Hagel and former Georgia Democratic Sen. Sam Nunn are among the names in the mix.
James Steinberg, a former Clinton adviser, is a top contender for national security adviser. Susan Rice, another former Clinton aide, could be considered for that job or another senior post.
Obama also relies heavily on three foreign policy experts on his campaign staff who are likely to end up in the White House or State Department. Those three aides are Mark Lippert and Denis McDonough, both former Senate aides, and Ben Rhodes, Obama's foreign policy speechwriter.
With wars under way in Iraq and Afghanistan, Obama might consider keeping Robert Gates on as secretary of Defense. He might also consider tapping former Navy Secretary Richard Danzig, a close adviser.
Obama's campaign is maintaining the utmost secrecy on planning for the transition, which will occur in the 11 weeks between Nov. 4 and Jan. 20, when he will be sworn in as successor to President George W. Bush.
Obama has said he had "some pretty good ideas" about people he might tap for senior jobs and that he would "absolutely" include Republicans in his Cabinet. (Additional reporting by Thomas Ferraro, Richard Cowan and Donna Smith in Washington and Deborah Charles in Chicago; Editing by Eric Beech)
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President-elect Obama has appointed a 150% Zionist, Rahm Manuel, as his chief of staff. Mr Emanuel is the son of an Israeli who served as member of the Irgun terrorist gang that killed 50 British officers at King David Hotel in Jerusalem. In 1991, Emanuel left America to join the Israeli army. In all his actions, Emanuel put Israeli interests first. While a political and policy aide to President Clinton he helped to appoint Clinton Jewish cabinet: Albright, Cohen, Rubins, Berger, Reich, Cohen and spokesman Reubens. He is also credited with the nomination of Jewish Monika Lewinsky as a Whitehouse internist.
For this reason, the Arab Israeli conflict was put on the back burner While Clinton and Albright were busy tightening the economic sanctions on Iraq and savagely bombarding Baghdad in 1998. According to Albright, Clinton was unable to force the Israelis to implement one single UN resolution out of 39 they are in breach off because of Monika affair.
So here we go again in 2008. Another Clinton-style Jewish cabinet will be formed with the aim of serving Israeli interest first. During the 2000 elections the Arabs voted against Gore for having Jewish Lieberman as his running mate and supported George Bush. What a disappointment; as G.W. permitted the Zio-cons to infest the Whitehouse, to give unlimited support for Israel and to declare war on Islam.
Enlightened Arabs and Muslims are not fooled by Obama and know the extent of the Jewish stranglehold on American politics. So it is back to square one. Obama will continue renedering strong US financial, military and political support for Israeli atrocities; which were cited by Bin Laden as the reason for the 9/11attacks on the Jewish mafia HQ at WTC that financed Israel and on the Pentagon that arms it.
While Al-Qaeda wanted McCain to win the 2008 presidential election in order to continue G.W. Bush bankrupt policies, nevertheless, it seems that President- elect Obama will not deprive them of pretexts to continue attacking USraeli targets.
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FACTBOX - Possible cabinet choices for Obama
07 Nov 2008 23:25:54 GMT
Source: Reuters
Nov 7 (Reuters) - U.S. President-elect Barack Obama is expected to move quickly to announce members of his Cabinet to start tackling the economic crisis as well as other pressing issues including the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Obama has announced that Illinois congressman and fellow Chicagoan Rahm Emanuel will head his White House staff, and said at his first news conference on Friday that he expects to make other announcements within weeks.
Here are some of the possible choices for key Cabinet positions.
SECRETARY OF DEFENSE
- Defense Secretary Robert Gates was sworn in by outgoing President George W. Bush on Dec. 18, 2006. Obama voted to confirm him. Gates served as CIA director from 1991 until 1993.
- Richard Danzig is a close adviser to Obama. He served as Navy secretary under President Bill Clinton. He also served as Navy undersecretary from 1993 to 1997.
TREASURY SECRETARY
- Lawrence Summers served as Treasury secretary under Clinton. The former president of Harvard University has been a top adviser to Obama.
- Timothy Geithner is president of the New York Federal Reserve Bank. He served as Treasury undersecretary for international affairs during the Clinton administration.
SECRETARY OF STATE
- Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts was the Democratic candidate in the 2004 presidential election. A Vietnam War veteran, he was first elected to the U.S. Senate in 1984.
- Sam Nunn is a former senator from Georgia who chaired the Senate Armed Services Committee. Nunn has long been viewed as a leading Democratic voice on foreign policy.
- Sen. Chuck Hagel of Nebraska, an outspoken member of the Committee on Foreign Relations, has been a leading Republican critic of the Bush administration's Iraq invasion. He is retiring from the Senate, having served two terms.
DIRECTOR OF THE OFFICE OF MANAGEMENT AND BUDGET
- Peter Orszag has headed the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office since January 2007. He previously served as an economic adviser to President Clinton.
U.S. TRADE REPRESENTATIVE
- Dan Tarullo is a professor at Georgetown University law school. He is a specialist on trade and international economics. As a senior White House aide to Clinton, he helped prepare for meetings of the Group of Seven industrialized economies.
ATTORNEY GENERAL
- Eric Holder served as deputy Attorney General under Clinton. He has been a senior legal advisor to Obama's campaign and helped vet Obama's vice presidential candidates.
- Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano, first elected in 2002 and re-elected in 2006, is a former U.S. Attorney. She has been called a pro-business centrist Democrat.
AGRICULTURE SECRETARY
- Tom Vilsack is a former governor of Iowa, an agriculture state carried by Obama. In 2006 he became the first Democrat to announce his candidacy for president. He quickly withdrew and later endorsed Sen. Hillary Clinton. Vilsack is an attorney who specializes in energy conservation, renewable energy and agribusiness development.
- Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius, re-elected to a second term in 2006, had been considered a potential running mate for Obama.
- Charles Stenholm, a former Democratic congressman from Texas, was a cotton producer before running for Congress. He followed agricultural issues closely until he lost his seat in the 2004 election. (Compiled by Donna Smith; Editing by Xavier Briand)
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Rahm's gone: New day, new tone for the White House
By BEN FELLER, AP White House Correspondent Ben Feller, Ap White House Correspondent – 16 mins ago
WASHINGTON – Reshaping the tone and tenor of the White House, President Barack Obama on Friday replaced the colorful and caustic Rahm Emanuel with the private Pete Rouse as his chief of staff, shifting to a new phase of his presidency with a drastically different aide as trusted gatekeeper.
Emanuel's decision to quit the White House and run for Chicago mayor had been so well known that even Obama mocked the lack of suspense. But it still felt like the most important transition to date for the Obama operation, which has been fueled for nearly two years by Emanuel's demands, drive and discipline.
At an emotional farewell, Obama said, "We are all very excited for Rahm, but we're also losing an incomparable leader of our staff." Emanuel choked up as he said his goodbye.
Into the breech steps Rouse, an Obama senior adviser known around the White House as a problem-fixing, media-shy strategist and organizer. Rouse is expected to serve as interim chief for several months and may eventually get the permanent job, as the White House is in the midst of reviewing a broader shake-up.
Considered the most consuming and influential staff job in American politics, the chief of staff shapes nearly everything at the White House — how the president spends his time, how he pursues his strategies on foreign and domestic policy, how he deals with a politically deadlocked Congress and a skeptical electorate.
Distinctive, profane and combative in his approach, Emanuel was a bruising but successful manager often known simply as "Rahm." The jarring contrast between the outgoing and incoming chiefs of staff was on full display as Obama spoke of both men in the grand East Room, which was packed with staff members.
Emanuel waved to colleagues, whispered to his children in the first row and stood familiarly with his hands on hips, as if ready to get going. Rouse was quiet and stoic except for the occasional smile. He almost seemed to shy away into the background even as Obama lauded his skills and his results.
"It's fair to say that we could not have accomplished what we've accomplished without Rahm's leadership," Obama said. The president singled out Emanuel's work on signature health care and financial reform legislation, hugged him more than once and told his audience: "I will miss him dearly."
Emanuel choked up when his turn came. He spoke of his family's immigrant background, the opportunities he's been afforded, his pride in Obama.
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Michael Moore advices to Barak Obama!
Subject: 5 Things Dems Can Do to Turn It Around by November 2nd
1. Immediate Wall-to-Wall TV Ads, Internet Videos, and Appearances Hammering Who the Hell Put Us in the Misery We're In.
We Americans have very short attention spans (Quick: Who Won the Oscar for Best Picture last year? The World Series? Exactly.). People need to be reminded over and over that it was the REPUBLICANS who concocted and led the unnecessary invasion of two countries, putting us in our longest war ever, wars that will eventually cost us over $3 trillion. Bush and Co. also caused the biggest collapse of our economy since the Great Depression. I don't know a single person in Hollywood who wouldn't shoot and produce those spots for you for FREE. Dems: Do not pull a single punch on this. Quit being a bunch of wusses and let the bastards have it! The public will be astonished that you've found your courage and your spine. We expect you to be Muhammad Ali, not Ally McBeal.
wuss (wʊs)
n. Slang
A person regarded as weak or timid and especially as unmanly: "Cats are for wusses, dog men say" (Laura Blumenfeld).
2. Indict the Criminals.
Announce that the Justice Department will seek indictments against both those who caused the economic collapse and those who became war profiteers. Call it for what it is: organized crime. Use the RICO statutes. Use the basic laws that make fraud of any kind a crime. Get in the face of those who stole the billions, make them pay for it -- and the people will love you. We want Dirty Harry, not Dirty Dancing.
3. Announce a Moratorium on All Family Home Foreclosures.
Last month (August) there were more home foreclosures than in any month in U.S. history. Worse than any month in the worst year ever, 2009. The bleeding hasn't stopped -- it's only gotten worse. And now, this week, two of the largest crime organizations who are throwing hundreds of thousands of people out of their homes (GMAC and JPMorgan Chase) have been forced to momentarily stop doing this. It turns out, they don't really have the paperwork to prove they actually own these houses! It's madness. So if you do one thing for the middle class this week, do this. It will take an hour of your time to draw up the decree and issue it. We'd rather watch "It's a Wonderful Life" than "Poltergeist." (A ghost that manifests itself by noises, rappings, and the creation of disorder.)
4. Announce a New 21st Century WPA.
"Who's hiring? THE GOVERNMENT IS HIRING!" Put together a simple plan to hire enough people to repair our roads, fix up our aging schools, and rebuild our infrastructure. Fund this by taxing the richest 1% who have more financial wealth than 95% of Americans combined! Unemployment will drop to 5%. Can you pass it? Well, you sure can't unless you try! And as you're trying, announce that you will force the Republican senators (who until now simply have had to say they "intended" to filibuster in order to kill a bill) to have to actually filibuster! Make them stand on the floor of the Senate and read from the phone book 24/7. They won't last a day. And America will see them for who they really are. (The use of obstructionist tactics, especially prolonged speechmaking, for the purpose of delaying legislative action.
An instance of the use of this delaying tactic.
An adventurer who engages in a private military action in a foreign country.)
5. Declare That No Democrat Will Accept ANY Wall Street Money in the Next Election Cycle.
Pick a day in the coming week. Have all your fellow Democrats in Congress stand in front of the Capitol (with President Obama) and pledge that if America allows you to retain control of Congress, none of you will take a penny from Wall Street for the 2012 election. Instead, promise to accept donations of only $2, $5 and $10. You will also pledge not to take a job as a lobbyist or lawyer for ANY corporation for ten years after you leave Congress. The message will be a powerful one to the average American fed up with corrupt political hacks. Act like Honest Abe, not Fast Freddie -- and see what happens.
And here are two bonus suggestions: Use what sense of humor you have and go after these candidates and their agenda with all the hilarious ridicule they deserve. And quit complaining about "the base" not doing enough to help you. You want help? Do something this week to earn it. I've offered five suggestions. I'm sure the rest of "the base" has a few more.
Yours,
Michael Moore
MMFlint@aol.com
MichaelMoore.com
Commnts: Excellent advice. I like his indirect attacks on the Jewish financial mafia and on the war profiteers. But can a hapless and weak president challenge the Jewish mafia controlling Washington D.C.
Adnan Darwash, Iraq Occupation Times
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