Feingold Nudges Obama To Select "New Leadership" For Intelligence Agencies

In a gentle yet clear nudge to President-elect Barack Obama, Sen. Russ Feingold released a statement on Thursday calling for "new leadership" in the nation's various intelligence services.

"I am confident President-elect Obama understands the need for new leadership of the intelligence community and will appoint competent, capable people who will work aggressively to ensure the safety and security of Americans without undermining our laws and Constitution," Feingold said in the statement.

"For eight years, the current Administration has shown contempt for the rule of law, including in intelligence-related matters, while repeatedly refusing to work cooperatively with Congress. At the same time, the Administration has failed to develop comprehensive strategies to protect our nation against our most immediate threat, al Qaeda and its affiliates. New leadership is needed to move our intelligence policies in the right direction," Feingold's statement concludes.

Feingold -- perhaps the Senate's most indefatigable civil libertarian -- has been a stalwart opponent of the Bush administration's warrantless wiretapping program, as well as extensive searches of Americans' laptops and other property at airports by the TSA. It would be practically impossible to read his statement as anything but a reaction to a Wall Street Journal report earlier this week that claimed Obama is "unlikely to radically overhaul controversial Bush administration intelligence policies."

Comments

[Liberty2008]

As a Wisconsinite, and an American, I support my senator, Russ Feingold's, efforts to restore the rule of law. In a statement on the occasion of the 221st anniversary of the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia, Sen. Feingold said, "I want the next president – whoever that may be – to pledge his commitment to restoring the rule of law. It is a sad fact that for the past seven and a half years the Bush Administration has treated the Constitution and the rule of law with a disrespect never before seen in the history of our country. The years that follow this president’s shameful legacy will be the true test of the strength of our democracy. I want to help the next president undertake this critical task by providing a blueprint of what must be done to restore the rule of law." You can read more about the blueprint that Sen. Feingold is pulling together here: http://feingold.senate.gov/ruleoflaw/
and you're also invited to join our facebook Restore the Rule of Law group, dedicated to these efforts, here:
http://www.facebook.com/home.php?ref=home#/group.php?gid=35731313294

[JFB]

Hey Obama transition team – how about Valerie Plame.

And while you’re at it, find a particularly good position for her husband Joe Wilson.

[Frenbar]

Feingold better not get on any small planes. You saw what they did to Wellstone.

[blueskybigstar]

Clean out the closets from the last twenty eight years. Let us pass an amendment changing pardoning law for crimes so grievous that they cannot be pardoned by the whim of the president. If not, we will continue to be robbed.

[ohyes]

Obama get new people you can trust in the FBI & CIA, it would be a BIG mistake not to.

[emcd]

Russ Feingold: My senator and my (constitutional protector) hero!

This is a moral and patriotic crusade. Thank you, thank you, thank you for protecting and defending our constitution and our rights!

[sixx]

Feingold is gold again.

[jmpurser]

While you have that new broom out Senator Obama you should indeed clean up some of the trash in our intelligence services. And don't forget the pentagon while you're at it.

[DakotaMinnesota]

This is the aspect of Obama's transition that really makes me bite my nails....

Are the real deep, sinful parts of our government going to feel any heat from the change doctrine?

National healtcare is great; a new green industry is awesome; economic intervention is dramatic and pressing....

But what about our CIA presence around the world? Are the black ops going to experience even a hiccup in the transfer from Bush to Obama? Are we going to see a fully military withdrawl from Iraq or just "combat troop reduction"?

It'll take some real courage to make changes in these areas, to take on the very powerful people behind these activities.

[kentuck]

This would do more to restore faith in our government than just about anything the new President could do. Our Constitution is the foundation of everything we believe about our country. If it is ignored or abused, as it has been by the last Administration, it is not good for our country.

[mom2sons]

I agree, get rid of them, you can't trust them at all. So what if you have to start fresh. The spooks who sat by the door have to go, now!

[MadOzbo]

While I can well understand the desire to "sweep out all vestiges of the past," in order to make way for a new beginning, some people REALLY need to get a grip on reality.

Obama will be walking into a virtual rat's nest of 8 years of a neglected nation. NOT all parts are trashed, but large areas are. WHY complicate the situation by immediately tossing the heads of national agencies, just because they were part of the prior administration?

Do ANY of these "thoughtful advisors" even stop to consider the amount of TIME AND ENERGY to allow applications, investigate, and vette all the applicants? Not to mention the interviews and background checks?

C'mon, people! We have MUCH bigger, MUCH MORE important things to address right out of the gate in January. We do not need to throw everyone out the door and hire fresh new faces. Obama will have 4 to 8 years to shake things out.

Let's just get him into office, and address THE ECONOMY and THE WAR, first, okay? Obama does not need everyone presuming to tell him how to run the country, especially when he isn't even in office yet!

[DakotaMinnesota]

You vastly underestimate the power our intelligence agencies have over our country and over the world at large. Start with "Operation 40" and do your homework from there.

[DinkSinger]

Operation 40, the CIA covert operation that sponsored the Bay of Pigs invasion, was an awfully long time ago and it is a bad example of "the power our intelligence agencies have ... over the world at large". Seems Cuba is still a Socialist Republic 47 years later.

[TheIndependenceParty]

In short, nothing can be accomplished while ideologues and rogues remain in key positions. The "Heads of Nation Agencies" you reference have in every case been contributing to the mayhem that brought our nation to its knees. From FDA, to CDC, to CPSC, to DOD, to CIA and the FBI, ... on and on, all have abused their authority for ideological and sociological purposes. From the diregard of proven science to the abuse of intelligence gathering authority, ... the men and women in these key roles have consistently and concurrently attacked the function of their agency to safeguard and assist this Nation.

The actions in many cases, as with FEMA and the CIA and NSA were not simply "incompetent" but blatantly illegal or immoral.

Sorry, they all have to go before we can even begin to begin our work.

[krocklin]

The reactionary establishment has to go. Feingold, Nader and Kucinich - and others - deserve prominent positions.

[vedder110]

I could not agree more, it's time to turn to the politicians who have represented real change over the past 8 years, and Feingold and Kucinich are the two most prominent Democratic congressmen who have faithfully represented that change. Russ Feingold was the ONLY senator to vote against the Patriot Act. Ron Paul and Dennis Kucinich are the ONLY representatives not willing to bow to political pressure from their respective parties to support building the unproven case to invade Iran.

[westreal]

Fiengold is spot on.

Plus how can you effectively investigate Bush crimes when you still have some of the conspirators heading the CIA and Pentagon. These people have to be replaced with new blood in order to get anything accomplished.

[cyndeewi]

Obama will not be able to investigate Bush's crimes. Bush will do a blanket pardon to everyone in his administrationt that had anything to do telling secrets of his adminstration. It is legal and there is nothing anyone can do about it.

[DakotaMinnesota]

Yup, and I have my notepad ready to take down every single name the day he makes that blanket pardon...

[Okieborn]

I just pray that Sen. Russ Feingold is part of the New Hope Administration !!
Keep up the good work Sen. Feingold !!!