Boo Hoo

by digby

Dianne Feinstein is having a little public fit because she wasn't consulted about Panetta and had instructed the president-elect that he had to choose an "intelligence professional." Well, excuse me. When did Difi get a veto on cabinet appointments?

The fact is that DiFi is actually implicated in the torture regime and should just shut up on this. Panetta is a royal pain in the ass in many ways, but he's not a torture apologist, he's not implicated in it and he's reputed to be a good manager. I see no reason why the position has to be chosen from among the CIA ranks just because Porter Goss was a miserable failure or the CIA rank and file are having a hissy.

Welcome to Washington, Barack. First your good friend Bill Richardson forgets to be forthcoming about his little problems and now DiFi goes public in a fit of pique. Wrangling the egomaniacal Democrats and the defensive bureaucracy is always one of the biggest challenges for any poor Dem who actually wins the presidency. Good luck.


Update: Mojoblog has more on Panetta


.