George Gerber: Critics pan Panetta: Understandable but Misguided

A BUZZFLASH READER CONTRIBUTION
by George Gerber

President-elect Obama's choice of Leon Panetta to be CIA Director is both surprising and brilliant at the same time. Critics cite Panetta's lack of intelligence experience and, in so doing, miss the very point of Obama's latest choice.

The CIA has been in turmoil for years and to date, all the king's horses and all the king's men failed to put it together again. Our astute, soon to be President recognizes that the status quo appointment of another "intelligence wiz" has no greater chance of succeeding than the prior appointments of intelligence savvy directors. And so, he has chosen to take a different fork in the road; he has chosen someone who knows the ropes of government and is a strong manager. He has chosen someone who is well known and capable of gaining the trust of the CIA professionals both here and abroad. In short, someone who just may listen to those in the CIA who are low on morale; the inner working grunts who are the unheralded heroes of an agency destroyed by poor administrators, poor administrative decisions, and failed expectations.

President-elect Obama is fulfilling another campaign promise to try new things when old methods have been unsuccessful. It is another promise kept to the electorate who took him at his word to change the way Washington works.

President Obama will be trying new approaches to solve old problems. This is a good thing not a bad thing. Critics would be wise to savor the fact that every one of Obama's appointees has resulted in a management team of shrewd and intelligent professionals. Unlike Bush who appointed people based on their willingness to agree with him regardless of motive or intellect, Obama is clearly determined to set a new agenda; management by competence.

Like any appointee, Leon Panetta may or may not succeed in this experiment. But many of his predecessors have failed despite all their intelligence community familiarity. New roads lead more often to success than failure. Perhaps, before we pass judgment, we should let this President and all of his horses and all of his men saddle up and ride the new path that we have entrusted to them. The electorate gave George W. Bush eight years to fail this nation. Fairness and common sense dictate that we should give President Obama equal time to succeed.

A BUZZFLASH READER CONTRIBUTION