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

[Grunty1]

Feingold is absolutely correct of course, but people need to stop ignoring all these speculative articles when they have NO CLUE what Obama is planning!

[Grunty1]

That was supposed to say "START ignoring" of course...

[darthdarcy]

I'm with Russel Feingold..­!

[PartyPartyParty]

Thank you, Senator Feingold!

[JackND]

I like Russ Feingold. I would have liked to see him become President.

[babyboomerorig]

I'm proud to have Sen. Feingold as my Senator.

He's always ready to help any of his constituants get through a lot of the governmental red tape.

[Scoppertop]

Lucky you... I've got Suxby Chambliss.

[happycat]

.....and I'm stuck with Schumer and Clinton, both of whom voted for the war. Yuck!

[dkan71]

Thanks God for Russ Feingold. We need to make sure that Obama isn't tempted to go back on his word as it relates to either torture or FISA. I don't trust any American President, no matter how fabulous with that kind of power over the citizenry.

[HoraceOvidson]

Got to be wary of the spooks. Some of the spooks who got fired by Kennedy after the Bay of Pigs were none too pleased.

[polaris12]

He's absolutely right!

[condieshoes]

Gates should only be in his position until he gets to the bottom of the Nuclear warheads that went missing from the Minot base earlier this year. Cheney has been running a shadow military and shadow CIA operation out of his office. Gates is aware of this, and is not pleased as we say.

Then he should replace him.

[aplegrand]

Agreed!!!

[Georgia1992]

Yes, we need new leadership. This current administration is totally corrupt. Keep pushing it Feingold. Get every Bushie out of office!

[dailyintel]

Kennedy kept Hoover in the FBI, and Dulles in the CIA.

Did not work out to well for him.

New blood you can trust.

[brynn6]

Hoover was another species of beast altogether. He had sh*t on EVERYBODY, what he didn't have he made up, and used it as a bludgeon. JFK and RFK hated him to the bone, but still couldn't get rid of him. Sometime during this first term Hoover's name must be taken off the FBI building.

My choice would be the Mulder and Skully building, but that's just me. (grin)

[army193]

Can anybody tell me when Sen. Russ Feingold has been wrong on the most important issues that faced us since 2000?

[GeorgeP922]

Its hard to find one.

His only fault is he doesn't dive into the pool of electoral politics, he sticks to issues.

hehe, strength weakness whats the difference?

[DJ23]

He's wrong to release a public statement like this on a President Elect of his own party 9 days after the election. There were other ways to let his position be know to Obama.

[faith]

I disagree. He has provided a statement reflective of the duties of Congress. Good for Feingold.

[rollingdivision]

Feingold, I rarely agree with him on policy, but he is an honest, consistent liberal. I share his concerns about domestic spying without a warrant or judicial over sight.

His only bad mark is his abandoning campaign finance reform when Obama reneged on his commitment to accept public financing. But, it would have been political suicide for any Democrat to have stood on principle on that one.

[Agnim]

Totally agree with Feinegold.

CLEAN HOUSE OF ROTTEN BUSH!

Every last one of the supporters of the INCOMPETENT and bad luck wild bush should be cast aside!