Obama to pick chief intelligence officials
U.S. President-elect Barack Obama will name former White House Chief of Staff Leon Panetta to head the Central Investigation Agency (CIA), said media reports on Monday.
According to reports from CNN, MSNBC and the New York Times, the 70-year-old White House veteran is to be named as the CIA director, a key player in the country's anti-terrorism and intelligence efforts.
Citing Democratic officials, the media reported that Obama is also to pick retired Adm. Dennis Blair for National Intelligence Director.
Born in an Italian family in California, Panetta was an activist of student politics. With a bachelor's degree in political science and Juris doctor, he joined the army in 1964.
He was elected as the congressman for California in 1976 and maintained his seat in the House till 1993. Starting 1994, he served as the chief of staff to President Bill Clinton.
However, Obama's choice for the CIA is considered a surprise since Panetta had no experience in the intelligence community, except that he was a member of the Iraq Study Group in 2006, a bipartisan panel that made recommendations to President George W. Bush's administration on the Iraq war.
In contrast with Panetta, Blair, the former head of U.S. Pacific Command, would be named to the post with little surprise.
Blair served in the Navy for 34 years and served as chief of the U.S. Pacific Command during the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. He was also an expert on China, and worked on cooperation between the military and the CIA.
It is the latest move of Obama's transitional office to complete the new government that is set to take office on Jan. 20.
美國民主黨消息人士5日說,當(dāng)選總統(tǒng)奧巴馬已確定提名前美軍太平洋司令部司令丹尼斯·布萊爾為新任國家情報總監(jiān)人選,并將提名前白宮辦公廳主任里昂·帕內(nèi)塔為新任中央情報局局長人選。
如果這兩項提名獲得參議院批準(zhǔn),布萊爾和帕內(nèi)塔將分別接替現(xiàn)任國家情報總監(jiān)麥康奈爾和中央情報局局長海登。
美國政界人士對這兩項提名表示歡迎。前眾議院情報委員會主席漢密爾頓說,這兩個人都具有豐富的管理經(jīng)驗,將能幫助改善美國情報機構(gòu)的聲譽,提高情報機構(gòu)的辦事效率。
布萊爾現(xiàn)年62歲,曾在美國海軍服役34年,2002年退役。他曾任中央情報局助理局長和美軍太平洋司令部司令。帕內(nèi)塔現(xiàn)年70歲,父母是意大利移民。1976年至1992年任國會眾議員,1994年至1996年任克林頓政府白宮辦公廳主任。