Leon Panetta Approved By Senate As Next Pentagon Chief

WASHINGTON -- The Senate on Tuesday unanimously approved the nomination of Leon Panetta to be the next Pentagon chief, handing him a crowded agenda of overseeing the drawdown of U.S. troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, tamping down congressional unrest over the Libyan conflict and cutting the budget.

Panetta will replace Defense Secretary Robert Gates, who is retiring June 30 after 4 1/2 years on the job through the administrations of Republican George W. Bush and Democrat Barack Obama.

Panetta, the CIA director during the successful operation to kill terrorist leader Osama bin Laden, received strong bipartisan praise as well as a 100-0 vote.

"Just a home-run choice. The president made a very wise decision," said Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C.

In a statement, Panetta thanked the Senate for its strong vote of confidence and promised to ensure that the U.S. maintains the strongest military in the world.

Panetta, 72, a former congressman, chairman of the House Budget Committee, one-time director of the Office of Management and Budget and Bill Clinton's White House chief of staff, faces several high-stakes assignments, starting with Obama's initial withdrawal of U.S. forces from Afghanistan this summer.

American troops also are slated to leave Iraq by year's end. And Gates has indicated that he's likely to certify that gays can serve openly in the military, implementing the new policy.

Obama has called for some $400 billion in cuts over the next 12 years amid intense budget pressures, a certain test of Panetta's skills.

"He is the most qualified individual to tackle the huge budgetary issues," said Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I.

Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Carl Levin, D-Mich., said the defense budget should not be exempt from cuts. The Pentagon chief, Levin said, will need to look at every military program and expense and "make the tough choices and trade-offs between our warfighters' requirements today and preparations for the threats of tomorrow."

Said Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev.: "In this time of tight budgets, he knows how to do more with less."

Panetta also faces frustrated lawmakers, upset with Obama's decision not to get congressional consent for the 3-month-old military operation against Libya. Several lawmakers in the House are pushing to cut off funds for the mission.

Comments

[duxguts]

12:29 AM on 06/23/2011

That's his "I've got a job" look.

[Patricia1111]

08:05 PM on 06/22/2011

He really kind of scared me last week when he said we could possibly be a victim of a cyber attack that could bring our country totally down. Perhaps he knows something and felt that he was giving a warning on what may be coming. Scary times.

[Tails]

06:44 PM on 06/22/2011

He looks like nearly every Tom Clancy character ever.

[factsnotfeelings]

05:35 PM on 06/22/2011

Reagan ran against all the Insiders in Carter's administration. He later had Bush, the key Insider, along with more CFR and Trilateral members than Carter ever did. I heard a funny quote that he made that pertains to Panetta's appointment. Reagan asked why every time there was an appointment to be made, he is always handed the same list of names to choose from. The pond is going anaerobic and we will not survive if we don't circulate some fresh water in here now. If you like war, then circulate the war machine into different positions and call it progress. We can't afford more war financially or morally even if we call it peacekeeping.

[NotMyTube]

03:21 PM on 06/22/2011

100:0 vote just doesn't look right in a democracy.

[banker67]

02:35 PM on 06/22/2011

It is, to put it mildly, worrisome that the same men just trade jobs around Washington, not to mention back and forth between regulatory agencies and the industries they regulate.

Maybe it's time the incestuous relationship between the spooks and the generals is ended. How many wars have started because the spooks promised -- cross our hearts and hope to die -- that the bad guys attacked us first? I mean, just since the Gulf of Tonkin 'incident.'

[John Doucette]

01:51 PM on 06/22/2011

Why was Panetta approved so quickly when other Obama nominations have been waiting for months, particularly judicial nominees? And just what "threats of tomorrow" are we facing?

[poster1122]

05:31 PM on 06/22/2011

"Why was Panetta approved so quickly?"

Killing Bin Laden might have had a little to do with it.

[Tails]

06:44 PM on 06/22/2011

That, and he has a pretty cool glare.

[Thumbody]

01:05 PM on 06/22/2011

Merry go round!

[corte33]

12:12 PM on 06/22/2011

Mr. Panetta seems to be a versatile guy. Maybe he ought to run against Obama, otherwise the Democrats will get creamed. I don't see Mr. Panetta being weak, promising one thing and doing something else. He can beat any GOP candidate.

[Captain Kyrie Val Kyrie]

11:32 AM on 06/22/2011

This could be a very smart, or very dumb move.

[Gadgetman]

11:09 AM on 06/22/2011

In a Washington DC system that has become totally corrupted by $, Leon Panetta is one shining light exception. He's one of our finest public servants. The military is in good hands.

[love4life]

10:56 AM on 06/22/2011

Careful Mr. Panetta. I think Nancy left a target on your back.

[den1953]

09:56 AM on 06/22/2011

The real problem is what can be done about Pakistan there is a huge disconnect between the US and Pakistan? There plan for Afghanistan is much different especially when they have India in their sites!

[Weimer]

09:26 AM on 06/22/2011

We are never going to see a change in poor policies if we keep recycling the same tired old bureaucrats into government positions. How many young people does it take to be killed before the admission that bad policy and decision making put us into a war of no strategic value or realistic outcome? Our national security is not at stake in Afghanistan, our leaders just can't admit to having made a mistake.

[martiniandabotoxchaser]

09:25 AM on 06/22/2011

How can Gore criticize Obama on his stance on climate change; Obama is clearly into recycling.

[mswyers]

12:19 PM on 06/22/2011

ouch!