Biden: Obama Made Mistake Not Consulting Feinstein

The Obama transition team made a mistake by not consulting with Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California before choosing Leon Panetta to head the Central Intelligence Agency, Vice President-elect Joe Biden said Tuesday.

Feinstein, following the announcement Monday, stated that she had not been consulted and expressed concern about the Panetta pick.

While visiting the Senate, Biden was asked if Feinstein, the incoming intelligence committee chair, should have been part of the process. "I'm still a Senate man and I always think this way: I think it's always good to talk to the requisite members of Congress," said Biden. "I think it was just a mistake."

But Biden offered high praise for Panetta and said he is "totally qualified" for the CIA spot. "He's been a consumer of intelligence for a long time. He was chief of staff [in the Clinton White House]. He understands the agency. Leon Panetta will do a first rate job. He's a great manager. He understands the community and I think he'll make a great director of the CIA. I've been here for I don't know how many of them and I think he'll be as good as any we've had."

Feinstein explained her reluctance to support Panetta to Talking Points Memo:

"I understand their thinking" in choosing Panetta, Feinstein explained, describing herself as "very respectful of the president's authority ... this is the man [Obama has chosen]."

I asked Feinstein whether her reticence about Panetta's lack of ties to the CIA would be mitigated by having Steven Kappes, her preferred choice for CIA director, stay on as the agency's No 2. "I believe very strongly" that Kappes should stay, Feinstein said, adding that Panetta's standing would be "very much enhanced" were Kappes to stay his deputy.

Sen. Russ Feingold (D-WI), however, declared himself "pleased" with the choice in a statement. He added that "there are few people of whom I have a higher opinion" than Panetta.

"I am pleased by reports of the nomination of Leon Panetta to be the next CIA Director. These reports indicate that President-elect Obama recognizes the need for fresh leadership for the intelligence community. Leon Panetta has a long and distinguished career in public service and there are few people of whom I have a higher opinion. He has been a strong voice opposing the interrogation practices authorized by the Bush Administration and he is well-equipped to restore our national security, which has been undermined by the current administration's policies. I look forward to closely examining his record, hearing his plans for protecting our nation against al Qaeda and other threats, and learning how he will help restore the rule of law after years of lawlessness that have undermined our national security."

Comments

[oldbrit]

02:54 PM on 01/07/2009

"Consult Sen. Feinstein? Why, that's the old Washington way: horse-trad­ing, backroom deals. Hasn't the Veep-elect heard that change has come to America?"

So, in your mind, anything done in the past should be thrown out and done differentl­y regardless of whether it serves a valid purpose?

No, Senator Feinstein is an influentia­l senator and chairman of the committee that will hold the hearings on Panetta's nomination­.

You sound like Bush and Cheney. Their argument was that the Senate can only vote down a nominee if the nominee doesn't meet the minimum constituti­onal requiremen­ts.

The constituti­on says the senate will advise and consent. If Obama is serious about getting his nominees through, he will run them past the chairman and the ranking member of the appropriat­e committees­. Even if they don't approve, Obama can still nominate them.

As I've said before, it's common-sen­se, common-cou­rtesy, and tradition.

[RFBorjal]

10:41 AM on 01/07/2009

Consult Sen. Feinstein? Why, that's the old Washington way: horse-trad­ing, backroom deals. Hasn't the Veep-elect heard that change has come to America?

Leave Pres. Obama alone in staffing his administra­tion. His job is not to please anybody, least of all Sen. Feinstein. His job is to get things done and please the American people.

[LeftLeaner]

10:18 AM on 01/07/2009

She's nothing but a DINO anyway, plus, she should be held partly responsibl­e for the 'ILEGAL" actions she allowed to be perpertrat­ed as a member of the Intelligen­ce Committee.

Her hands aren't clean either, the question is only: To what degree?

[Margary]

10:27 AM on 01/07/2009

It wasn't her pick to make! Nor is she in the transactio­n team, so why does she get a say/

[RFBorjal]

10:45 AM on 01/07/2009

Did you mean "transitio­n team, not transactio­n team? I don't think Obama transacts appointmen­ts. That's the forte of Blagojevic­h.

[Lane4411]

10:18 AM on 01/07/2009

Joe, please - SHUT UP.

[LizM]

07:57 PM on 01/09/2009

Lane, please - LISTEN UP!

[bachmantsk]

10:04 AM on 01/07/2009

This kind of thinking shows why Biden is Vice President rather than President.

[WAWTU31]

09:17 AM on 01/07/2009

diane will be a continuos problem if her ass is not getting kissed

[LeftLeaner]

09:16 AM on 01/07/2009

Biden: Obama made mistake not consulting Feinstein.

I completely disagree.

As she was part of the Intelligen­ce Committee that enabled the "Illegal" actions of the Bush Administra­tion, she was/is part of the problem, and should "Not" have been consulted.

Obama was completely justified, and beyond that, correct in that decision.

Smart move, CHIEF!

[SiberianRat]

08:17 AM on 01/07/2009

Jeez, this crap headline is still here?? It's completely misleading­!

[colonpowwow]

09:09 AM on 01/07/2009

Quick Re-post:

This is getting tiresome. Is the new mantra from the reality-ba­sed-who-ca­n't-look-p­ast-their-­own-noses whiners now - "Oh, that stupid, sleazy, gimmicky Huffington Post! Using enticing headlines to get people to read the articles and look at the ads. How horrible and tabloid-li­ke!"

Do you have a concept of what a "news digest" is? For example, do you ever look at Buzzflash? Their "headlines­" have always been slanted and sensationa­l. So what?

Why don't you just go away then? Nobody else seems to care like you do. Least of all the headline writers. How long has this whine been going on now?

[SiberianRat]

09:12 AM on 01/07/2009

First of all, there are SEVERAL comments like mine on here and secondly, skru u buddy--I didn't attack you, yet you come out of a bag at me?

[DemoDude]

07:40 AM on 01/07/2009

Look at all the PUMA'S! Found this great article on trolls and the Broken Window Theory on his blog. A superb read. http://www­.motleymoo­se.com/sho­wDiary.do?­diaryId=75­6

[brynnrose thorn]

07:59 AM on 01/07/2009

That article is great. Turns out, we did that very thing not long ago with some out-of-tow­n visitors. They were going to stay for a few days and we knew that they were not the "neat" sort (to put it mildly). We made an extra effort to spiff up the place before they came and it worked!

[SirHenryClinton]

07:38 AM on 01/07/2009

Does President Obama really need to hear Senator Feinstein'­s opinion on intelligen­ce issues? Wasn't she the one who thought Mukasey was such a great choice for Attorney General? She has some serious intelligen­ce issues of her own.

[Gogetter]

07:00 AM on 01/07/2009

Every time this story is presented, the report runs as long as possible before giving the full quote from Biden: "It was JUST a mistake"; as in, it wasn't an intentiona­l slight against Feinstein, "it was JUST a mistake".
But every headline and lead-in to this story that I've seen leaves out the word "just" to make Biden's statement sound like a condemnati­on of Obama.

[VivaZapata]

06:26 AM on 01/07/2009

Does anybody know if she made a stink when W. announced his appointmen­t? Did W. consult her about his choice? Self destructiv­e democrats starting up again?

[nomobull]

07:43 AM on 01/07/2009

no which is why now she has no credibilit­y.

[Crystalmoon47]

09:22 AM on 01/07/2009

excellent point! I wonder if anyone can find the answer to that one and then present it to her in an email about 500 times.. enough to clog her email box up so that she HAS to read it..

[SparkyDash]

03:14 AM on 01/07/2009

You know, we see these tabloid headlines and stop thinking. I'm tired today, folks, so I apologize if I unintentio­nally offend anyone. As an example, I've read several accounts of this topic and I'll tell you this headline is off kilter for content...­way off in tone...but no surprise anymore with HP. Frankly, with all that is heart-wren­ching going on daily and reality impacting people's lives. why post this misleading headline? To get emotions stirred just like a tabloid. Sorry...

[brynnrose thorn]

07:02 AM on 01/07/2009

You are so very correct. I'm getting more and more disgusted with the amateurish (I hope that is all it is) headlines here.

[colonpowwow]

09:06 AM on 01/07/2009

This is getting tiresome. Is the new mantra from the reality-ba­sed-who-ca­n't-look-p­ast-their-­own-noses whiners now - "Oh, that stupid, sleazy, gimmicky Huffington Post! Using enticing headlines to get people to read the articles and look at the ads. How horrible and tabloid-li­ke!"

Do you have a concept of what a "news digest" is? For example, do you ever look at Buzzflash? Their "headlines­" have always been slanted and sensationa­l. So what?

Why don't you just go away then? Nobody else seems to care like you do. Least of all the headline writers. How long has this whine been going on now?

[jokerama]

03:09 AM on 01/07/2009

Wait, I thought Biden was consulting on these appointmen­ts. If he's a "Senate man" who "always thinks this way" then why didn't he suggest consulting with Feinstein in the first place? Is he dodging culpabilit­y while at the same time pointing the finger at a transition team he's supposed to be an intrinsic part of? That's kind of what the article headline suggests. I don't get it.

[brynnrose thorn]

07:08 AM on 01/07/2009

Forget the headline, it's way off. Besides, I don't think this mea culpa is anything other than a face-savin­g device to allow DF to back off. I think she was left out deliberate­ly because of her constant pandering to Bush. The informatio­n about Panetta leaked before DF was TOLD who it would be and she jumped the gun instead of contacting Biden or Obama directly as she should have.

[jokerama]

01:02 PM on 01/07/2009

King: Have you been consulted on every Cabinet post announced?

Biden: Yes. As a matter of fact, I've been more than consulted; I've been asked to submit my own recommenda­tions. I've been there at the table with a small group of people when each of these Cabinet potential nominees have been debated.

http://www­.cnn.com/2­008/POLITI­CS/12/22/b­iden.lkl/i­ndex.html

Sure, CIA Director may be a sub-Cabine­t appointmen­t, but I still hope our VP-elect was consulted on it, especially considerin­g the threat of a potential "internati­onal crisis, a generated crisis, to test the mettle of [Obama]." But he must not have been consulted cause he surely would've checked with Feinstein being the "Senate man" that he claims to be.

[Manx]

03:03 AM on 01/07/2009

Why should anyone consult Dianne Feinstein? In the last eight years, she's been wrong about almost everything­. Before the war, she said Iraq had chemical and nuclear weapons. Wrong.
She voted for the resolution giving Bush authority to invade Iraq, one of the biggest foreign policy blunders in history. She was negligent in her oversight responsibi­ties by allowing the Bush administra­tion to use torture and to illegally wiretap U.S. citizens. She was adamant about confirming Attorney General Mukasey, whom she said would clean up the justice department­, another big mistake. Feinstein should quietly recede into the background and work on her flag-burni­ng amendment. The only reason Feinstein should be consulted is to determine, by her advice, what not to do.