In keeping with the Democrat Party trend of appointing party sycophants to key leadership positions in Washington, D.C., President Barack Obama today nominated CIA Director Leon Panetta as the next defense secretary.
If confirmed by the U.S. Senate, he’ll replace Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates who will leave the Pentagon on June 30.
Gates was sworn in on December 18, 2006 replacing Secretary Donald Rumsfeld in the George W. Bush Administration. As the 22nd Secretary of Defense, Gates is the only U.S. Secretary of Defense in history to be asked to remain in that office by a newly elected president.
While many wondered what Obama was thinking when he placed Bill Clinton-retread Panetta in charge of the most powerful intelligence agency in the world, even more are wondering what Obama has in mind for the U.S. military with his nomination of an inside-the-Beltway elitist whose biggest military achievement was working for the draft-dodging President Bill Clinton.
During the Clinton scandals, Human Events said this about Panetta: “The media has lost count of all the shills the Clintons have sent out to do their dirty work with the press and the talk shows, from Leon Panetta and Lanny Davis to David Kendall and Jim Carville. There is no end to the line of opportunists prepared to face the public in defense of a rogue President and a corrupt administration.”
"When the Egyptian people rose up to oust their President, CIA Director Leon Panetta testified before Congress that there was a ‘strong likelihood’ that Mubarak would step down by the end of the day. When proved wrong, Panetta explained he was getting his information from the media. The top official at the top intelligence agency admitted he got his information from the likes of the New York Times," said former intelligence officer and police commander Michael Snopes.
International Security Assistance Force Commander Army General David H. Petraeus, who commands the Afghanistan military operation, is expected retire from the military and Obama nominated him to replace Panetta at the Central Intelligence Agency, according to Jim Garamone of the American Forces Press Service.
The president also intends to nominate U.S. diplomat Ryan Crocker as the next U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan. He will also nominate Marine Lt. Gen. John Allen, the current deputy at U.S. Central Command, to the ISAF command, Garamone said.
The president officially made the announcements at the White today.
The president believes these choices put in place the "strongest possible team" to execute U.S.strategies and policies, the official said. This was important to Obama, the official said, as the president looked at the way the individuals will interact and work together as a team.
The transition is being done in a way to provide a seamless transition, the official said. "There will be no gaps, no disruption in execution of policy," he said.
Crocker is one of the nation’s most respected diplomats, the official said. He served as ambassador to Pakistan, Iraq, Syria, Kuwait and Lebanon. He is currently the dean of the Bush School of Government and Public Service at Texas A&M University.
Petraeus is one of the pre-eminent military leaders in the world, the official said. He graduated from West Point in 1974 and served as the commander of the 101st Airborne Division during the initial phases of Operation Iraqi Freedom. He served as commander of the Multinational Forces Iraq, then as commander of U.S. Central Command until he took his current job.
Allen is expected to take command in Afghanistan in September, Garamone said. He is a 1976 graduate of the Naval Academy and served as the Marine commander in Iraq in 2006 and 2007.
Jim Kouri, CPP, formerly Fifth Vice-President, is currently a Board Member of the National Association of Chiefs of Police, an editor for ConservativeBase.com, and he’s a columnist for Examiner.com. In addition, he’s a blogger for the Cheyenne, Wyoming Fox News Radio affiliate KGAB (www.kgab.com). Kouri also serves as political advisor for Emmy and Golden Globe winning actor Michael Moriarty.
He’s former chief at a New York City housing project in Washington Heights nicknamed "Crack City" by reporters covering the drug war in the 1980s. In addition, he served as director of public safety at a New Jersey university and director of security for several major organizations. He’s also served on the National Drug Task Force and trained police and security officers throughout the country. Kouri writes for many police and security magazines including Chief of Police, Police Times, The Narc Officer and others. He’s a news writer and columnist for AmericanDaily.Com, MensNewsDaily.Com, MichNews.Com, and he’s syndicated by AXcessNews.Com. Kouri appears regularly as on-air commentator for over 100 TV and radio news and talk shows including Fox News Channel, Oprah, McLaughlin Report, CNN Headline News, MTV, etc.
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