Tuesday, January 6, 2009

President Obama's New CIA Director -- A Commentary


From The WNU Editor:

Why Leon Panetta .... a man with no experience in the intelligence and military communities? He has no qualifications, no background, nothing ... nada. A far left bureaucrat with nothing in his CV except being a part of the Iraq Study Group that recommended a quick departure out of Iraq during the height of the civil war. I would usually ignore such appointments, but we are at a time of war, and the men who are fighting this war must be the best. Is Leon Panetta the best .... nope.

The sad fact is that the men who were originally approached for the job (men with the extensive experience in intelligence and security affairs that would be required to be Director) .... all refused to accept this job. Reason .... they could not in good faith accept President Obama's conditions for accepting the job.

What are President Obama's conditions? His entire approach towards the intelligence community has not wavered once in his public career. He is deeply suspicious of them. He disapproves of the tactics that they use in obtaining intelligence. He disapproves of their ops in fighting against U.S. enemies. He disapproves of the culture, and most important of them all .... he wants to scale back the budget priorities that have been rubber stamped for the CIA, NSA, and Homeland Security since 9/11. The man that he wants in the CIA must be a man who will protect the President's back and agenda .... a pure political appointment if there ever was one.

If an organization was ever dissed .... this is it. Promotions, appointments, and plum assignments will now be given to those who believe in and support the new President's agenda on National Security. For the men who have sacrificed and worked hard for the past seven years to keep America safe .... they can forget about future advancements .... their time is now past. From my point of view, this is a telling indictment of where the U.S. is now going.

The U.S. is entering a new era in foreign, military, and intelligence affairs. The priority will now be the State Department, diplomacy, and soft power. The purpose for this shift is a belief that we will be better protected by pursuing this specific agenda.

So .... will this keep us safe?

From my point of view .... I will have to answer no. We are repeating history again. We believe that the better angels of man will protect us from the evil and genocidal goals of those who hate us for who we are .... but hope and change is not an effective strategy. Evil men like Osama Bin Laden and/or organizations like the Taliban do not listen to diplomats, and are immune to the pressures that normal governments are sensitive to. Their goals are very specific .... and they want to win. On our side, we are always looking for accommodation and compromise. Two completely incompatible groups if there ever was one.

President Obama and his Congressional allies have a mandate to change the dynamics of the U.S. military and its intelligence communities .... and they will. But are they prepared to accept the consequences if the worse case scenario of their policies should develop during their watch .... I can assure you that they never will.

Will the worse scenario happen .... I will have to say yes. I guess that is why I live in the Far North of Canada .... it may be cold, but I am safe. When I visit California and the Southern United States during the winter months .... I never feel safe, especially when I stay over in the big cities.

Hmmm ... I feel even less safe knowing what I know now.

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