Leon Panetta Cia

The Discreet Charms of CIA Morale

Frank Naif | Posted 11.14.2009 | Politics


Frank Naif

Before Eric Holder announced his preliminary probe, and even before Barack Obama promised an end to torture and detention, morale at CIA was sagging.

CIA Director Panetta: Reform Suffers for Bush Apparatchiks and Spy Chiefs

Frank Naif | Posted 09.10.2009 | Politics


Frank Naif

Panetta's -- and Obama's -- instincts are correct when they promise to protect the CIA's rank and file from prosecution. But protecting the troops from prosecution is not the same as resisting accountability.

Did the CIA Assassinate? What We Need to Know

Michael Brenner | Posted 08.24.2009 | Politics


Michael Brenner

A serious examination of the CIA/assassination story should begin by sweeping aside the rubbish cluttering the electronic ether on this issue.

Torture, Wiretaps, Lies to Congress: Old Spy Cronies a Drag on Obama's "Look to the Future"

Frank Naif | Posted 08.16.2009 | Politics


Frank Naif

Over the past week, a triple-whammy of developing national security stories reminded Americans and the Obama administration that the past is a stubborn thing.

The Democrats' Selective Amnesia on Assassination: Clinton Did It and Obama Does It Too

Jeremy Scahill | Posted 08.15.2009 | Politics


Jeremy Scahill

The "secret" CIA assassination program that Dick Cheney allegedly concealed from Congress sounds a lot like the assassination policy implemented by President Bill Clinton.

Congress Demands Full Account of Intelligence Outsourcing Mess - and It's a Mess

Frank Naif | Posted 08.14.2009 | Politics


Frank Naif

The outsourcing of intelligence has impacted nearly every aspect of intelligence operations, and Congress wants to know how and why.

Shirley and the CIA

Norman Horowitz | Posted 08.09.2009 | Home


Norman Horowitz

Where are all of the documentaries about the CIA on FOX, CBS, NBC and ABC?

CIA Ex-Chief Hayden Blames Bloggers, Congressional Aides for Damage Caused by His Policies

Frank Naif | Posted 07.26.2009 | Politics


Frank Naif

Senior intelligence community hacks like Michael Hayden and his peers are responsible for scuttling senior CIA analyst Phil Mudd's nomination to the senior DHS intelligence post.

Despite Reform Pledges, Panetta Enables CIA's Bad Old Habits

Frank Naif | Posted 07.25.2009 | Politics


Frank Naif

The Obama team portrayed Leon Panetta as a no-nonsense Beltway veteran who would 'fix' the CIA. Over the past few weeks, however, he has emerged as an obstacle to real reform and accountability at the CIA.

Al Qaeda in Afghanistan and Pakistan: Happy Campers?

Keith Thomson | Posted 10.29.2009 | World


Keith Thomson

A former CIA operations officer told me that Al Qaeda members are "happy" with the new U.S. policy that essentially has opened our interrogation playbook to them.

Will Obama Block Release of Key Bush-era Torture Memos?

Jeremy Scahill | Posted 05.16.2009 | Politics


Jeremy Scahill

As has been pointed out by journalists, human rights lawyers and critics, President Obama has continued -- and continues to defend -- some of the Bush administration's most repressive "War on Terror" policies.

CIA Black Sites No Longer Being Used, Panetta Says

AP | PAMELA HESS | Posted 05.10.2009 | Politics


WASHINGTON — The CIA has stopped using contractors to interrogate prisoners and fired private security guards at the CIA's now-shuttered secret ...

Biden: Bush Gave Al Qaeda "A Powerful Recruiting Tool"

New York Times | Posted 03.22.2009 | Politics


Visiting the Central Intelligence Agency to swear in Leon E. Panetta as the agency's 19th director, Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. said the Bush a...

Jason Linkins

Panetta Shoots Down "24 Myth" In Testimony

HuffingtonPost.com | Jason Linkins | Posted 03.09.2009 | Media


Earlier this week, Kiefer Sutherland, star of the television series 24, attempted to impose some sanity in an interview with the London Guardian. The...

Panetta Takes Back Remarks On Detainee Rendition

AP | PAMELA HESS | Posted 03.09.2009 | Politics


WASHINGTON — CIA Director-nominee Leon Panetta formally retracted a statement he made Thursday that the Bush administration transferred prisoner...

Panetta Confirmation Hearing: Obama's CIA Pick Says No More "Extraordinary Rendition"

AP | PAMELA HESS | Posted 03.08.2009 | Politics


WASHINGTON — CIA Director nominee Leon Panetta assured senators Thursday that the Obama administration will not send prisoners to countries for ...

CIA Nominee Panetta Received Over $700,000 In Fees, Some From Troubled Banks

Wall Street Journal | Glenn Simpson | Posted 03.07.2009 | Politics


The White House's nominee for Director of the Central Intelligence Agency, Leon Panetta, has earned more than $700,000 in speaking and consulting fees...

Obama Raises the Bar for Future Presidents

Linda Bergthold | Posted 03.02.2009 | Politics


Linda Bergthold

Obama's success in these first two weeks has forever changed our expectations of a new President and how he or she should behave.

Senate Republicans: Did Panetta's Oversee Clinton-Era Extraordinary Rendition?

Washington Times | Posted 02.15.2009 | Politics


President-elect Barack Obama's choice for CIA director, Leon Panetta, served as White House chief of staff during the time the Clinton administration ...

CIA: The Panetta Pick and the Feinstein Factor

William Bradley | Posted 02.12.2009 | Politics


William Bradley

Feinstein's call for the appointment of a CIA director who can be linked to the practices Obama has made clear must end demonstrates how out of touch she is on intelligence.

Obama Adviser Brennan Now A Lesser Intelligence God: That Contractor Thing Bit Him

Frank Naif | Posted 02.12.2009 | Politics


Frank Naif

John Brennan has been a valuable asset to the Obama team and will continue to be a loyal servant in his new role. He will provide valuable insight into Bush's intelligence policy formulation, such as it was.

Whining CIA Officials, Leon Panetta, and Einstein's Definition of Insanity

Frank Naif | Posted 02.09.2009 | Politics


Frank Naif

The CIA's spokesman came down out of his tree to let us know the CIA is not happy that everyone thinks it's an agency that could use some fixing by the likes of Leon Panetta.

What Spies Think of Panetta

Keith Thomson | Posted 02.09.2009 | Politics


Keith Thomson

I conducted a poll about what spies thought of the Panetta choice. The results: "Obama was wise" to choose someone out of the torture loop to run the CIA. But there's a problem.

Is Leon Panetta the Right Choice for CIA Director?

Gloria Duffy | Posted 02.09.2009 | Politics


Gloria Duffy

It is perhaps not widely known that there has been a major change in the intelligence agencies' personnel since 9/11. Some 50% of intel community staffers have joined since 9/11.

Speaking Truth to Intelligence

Joe Cirincione | Posted 02.09.2009 | Politics


Joe Cirincione

Cleaning out our stable of intelligence officials is a Herculean task. We are lucky to have men like Dennis Blair and Leon Panetta willing to sacrifice for the good of the nation.