AFP January 09, 2009
Obama names nation's new spymasters, vows no torture
WASHINGTON (AFP) — US president-elect Barack Obama on Friday nominated two Washington heavyweights to key intelligence positions, vowing to break with controversial "war on terror" practices.
Obama picked retired admiral Dennis Blair as his director of national intelligence and former White House chief of staff Leon Panetta to head the Central Intelligence Agency.
"Good intelligence is not a luxury. It is a necessity," Obama said as he unveiled his choices for the key posts, vowing to abide by the Geneva Convention pledging the United States would not use torture.
"To keep our people safe, we must seamlessly collect, analyze, share and act on information with a sense of urgency," said Obama, who takes over from President George W. Bush on January 20.
"The men and women of the intelligence community have been on the front lines in this world of new and evolving dangers. They have served in the shadows, saved American lives, advanced our interests, and earned the respect of a grateful nation."
As Obama's chosen intelligence czar, Blair will have to juggle a number of ticking time bombs while riding herd over 16 often fractious intelligence agencies.
He inherits an intelligence community still in the throes of reform following monumental intelligence fiascos during Bush's first term.
No shortage of situations will demand his attention, from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, to Iran's nuclear program to questions about who is in charge in North Korea.
And then there will be the clean-up from the Bush era's warrantless wiretapping, secret prisons and harsh interrogation programs.
"He's got a plate full of problems it seems to me," said John Pike, who heads GlobalSecurity.Org, a non-partisan research group, who says Blair is also likely to be confronted with surprises like the September 11, 2001 attacks.
Panetta, who will work under Blair, was former president Bill Clinton's chief of staff from 1994 to 1997, following a 16-year career as a lawmaker from California.
But his nomination has raised eyebrows as he has little experience in the complex world of spying.
He takes over from Michael Hayden at the head of an agency which has been sharply criticized for practices such as harsh interrogations, telephone tapping without warrants and secret renditions of "war on terror" suspects.
Obama pledged his new team would mark a change with the past.
"I was clear throughout this campaign, and have been clear throughout this transition that under my administration, the United States does not torture, we will abide by the Geneva conventions, that we will uphold our highest values and ideals," he said.
He added he had instructed both Blair and Panetta that this was to be the policy under his administration.
"I think it is important for us to do that not only because that's who we are, but also ultimately will make us safer. And will help in changing hearts and minds in our struggle against extremists," the president-elect said.
In turning to Panetta, Obama appears to be opting for someone who would bring fresh eyes and credibility to the battered CIA.
"Here is a guy who will be very credible with the Democrats in Congress and here's someone who brings not only an outsider's perspective but knows how the White House works," James Lewis, an intelligence expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, told AFP recently.
"He knows what presidents want and need. That's a plus," he said.
A former commander of US forces in the Pacific from 1999 to 2002, Blair will be only the third director of national intelligence (DNI).
The position was created by Congress in 2004 after investigations revealed that turf-sensitive intelligence agencies failed to share information that might have averted the September 11 attacks. That failure was followed by US intelligence's fateful error on Iraq's weapons of mass destruction.
"It'll be interesting to see how that relationship between Blair and Panetta develops," said Lewis, noting that Panetta's political clout as a former White House chief of staff outweighs that of his nominal boss.
"Panetta is a heavyweight, and he will be reporting to Blair," he said. "What does it say about the DNI position? In some ways Panetta would have been good for that job as well."
© Copyright 2009, AFP
