April 27th, 2011
02:42 PM ET
12 years ago
Obama selects Panetta for defense secretary, Petraeus for CIA
WASHINGTON (CNN) - In the most extensive reshaping of the Obama administration's national security team to date, the president will name CIA director Leon Panetta as his nominee to succeed Robert Gates as defense secretary, a senior defense official and another U.S. official said Wednesday.
It took a meeting with President Obama to convince Panetta to accept the job, a source familiar with the discussions told CNN. Panetta has been happy serving at the CIA, but "believes strongly in public service and answering the call from the commander-in-chief," the source said.
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This shift may be indicative of a need for someone who can cut budgets, and get the troops out on a schedule to be determined in the field.
CIA Director Leon Panetta, selected as defense chief, has experience with a GOP Congress, an analyst says...Panetta has been happy serving at the CIA, but "believes strongly in public service and answering the call from the commander-in-chief,"
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Thank you Mr. Panetta for showing your Commander-In-Chief the respect that the man and the office he holds commands.
To my crazy Birthers: please bear in mind that the more you strive to disrespect this President the more you motivate us to vindicate him through re-election.
If this 'birther' thingy is the best you've got against him, I strongly suggest you STFU and stop digging yourselves a deeper grave.
In light of all of the criticism the GOP has taken for criticizing President Obama's every move and not having a plan of their own, I shall now outline the detailed plan formed by the GOP to answer all of the issues that America is facing today, including high unemployment:
Insert cricket sounds here.
Thank you... Would you like me to go over it again?
Now if we could just get Obama and Holder to hit the road, we'd be all set! I guess that will have to wait until 2013.
It seems to me it would make more sense to make GENERAL Petraeus the Secretary of Defense.
Sorry Airdoc, Secretary of Defense is a CIVILIAN position. Don't tell me, you're a Republican that knows everything about the Military.
I agree 100% with Airdoc. Then again, what is it exactly that Petraeus did so brilliantly in Afghanistan??
We are in a deeper, more deadly, expensive and embarrassing mess than ever before. And we have no idea how to get
out of it without being even more the laughing stock of the world.
Then again, Mr. Petraeus is much more a very smart politician. He gets out of this supposedly smelling of roses into a new
higher level job, where he can start with a clean slate, Brilliant! (Bill Clinton could not have done it better)