" I don't see where there is a conflict. The Constitution is not a suicide pact. In times of war it allows for expanded authority and limits on Rights.

It's not as if Constitutional Rights apply to foreigners anyway... "

" Well said Kevin. What we will see from Panetta is the same thing we saw under Clinton. Intelligence agencies unable to work together to share information and being kept blind.

The CIA will go through a dumbing down period along with a decrease in size. Our ability to gather intelligence will be marginalized. FISA instituted under the Carter administration will be negated, easedropping on telephone between individuals in terrorist supporting counties and the U.S. will end. We will be attacked again. The agressors will go to civillian courts , be defended by the ACLU and go free to commit further acts of terror. All because they had a bad childhood under Islam. "

" God help the Democrat Party if America gets hit with another 9/11 just because B.O. puts someone unqualified in charge... "

" " God help the Democrat Party WHEN America gets hit with another 9/11 just because B.O. puts someone unqualified in charge... "

Kevin, I took the liberty to fix your post. "

" Leon likes his money and he's in more than a little trouble right now because of it....

Leon was also the 'one' Clinton blamed for not sending armor to Somalia...which of course directly led to Blackhawk down.....but Leon does like his money...

I suspect if any interned around him they'd think otherwise.... "

" I see the pro-torture anti-democrat feeding frenzy has started. I don't think you guys would believe it if a Democrat said the sun rose in the east. "

" It's the Democratic party.
Too bad Bush wasn't listening well when God was trying to help him. He did say that God talked to him, didn't he? Wonder if God told him to outfit our soldiers' Hummers with armor? Wonder if God told him that waterboarding was just good clean interrogation? Basic fact is that torture doesn't elicit honest information. It's sadism...
Time now for intelligence to take over. We've had eight long years of American policies being dumbed down by the dumbest president we've ever had.
Read those two quoted paragraphs again. They are inspirational. "Govern by the rule of law." Imagine...

13 days to go. "

" There was a time when the Director of the CIA was the top dog in American intelligence.

That's not true any more, there is now an intelligence 'czar' who is fed information from all 16 intelligence organizations.

Leon Panetta will be working for a former general with the real authority.

And... Republican-enabler huff and puff aside...

You have to have 'tips' to find out who to question about threats in the first place.

Republicans try to throw sand in everybody's eyes but fail to ask OR answer this CENTRAL QUESTION:

What good does it do to torture a bunch of people after the president ignores the warnings before the initial attack?

The intelligence people were warning Dubya and Condi loud and long before the attacks (with intelligence gathered before torture was authorized) and it was ignored.

Authorizing torture AFTER leaving the barn door open is as bad a strategy as invading a country that had nothing to do with 9-11, while escorting planeloads of Saudi Arabians, including members of the Bin Laden family, out of the country without allowing FBI questioning.

Nothing the Republicans say has been directed at answering real questions about 9-11, it's only been a smokescreen to cover incompetence and the refusal to obey American law.

I trust that decent Americans when given a little time to think about WHAT WORKS and WHAT DIDN'T WORK will ignore all the rightwingnutz bellowing and bleating and come to the right conclusion.

We are in no danger because Obama is putting law abiding competent people in charge where law-breaking and torture FAILED to get the job done.

~Ruff "

" This is CIA, Panetta, DiFi, Rockefeller thingie is changing real fast.

DiFi is already making nice about the Panetta pick.

I hope DiFi announces her retirement soon!

~Ruff "

" "What good does it do to torture a bunch of people after the president ignores the warnings before the initial attack? "

The answer to this question, and many others about the Bush jr Administration is that all those choices were political, made by people selected for their ideology and loyalty to the cause. The cause is establishing a permanent conservative majority.

The use of torture is not about finding information, it's about looking tough and intimidation. If you look tough, you look like you're doing something and you can use that to intimidate the other side (democrats) when they question you on legalities, morality or effectiveness.

This country has now seen what it looks like to be governed by the conservatives. This past November we passed judgement on them. "

" It seems the left on this page know very little about intellegence gathering and the amount of threats this country receives daily. I think it was eleven times were attacked under Clintoon and all he did was blow up an aspirin factory.

As for passing judgement, on january 20 you may be witnessing a foreign national assume the Presidency! "

" What's up with Feinstein anyway? For 8 years we haven't heard a peep out of her and now she is in the news everyday bashing B.O., Reid and Pancetta.

Is she trying to establish conservative "creds" for her run for Governor? "

" glad we have folks like you then freeport, that know all about intelligence gathering....

As for DiFi, her objection was about not being notified before it leaked, she has said she can support Panetta ... and she is right about seating Burris -no legal reason not to seat him- but objecting or having a different opinion from someone doesn't constitute bashing. Wishful thinking, kevin. "

" Since I have eight cousins in navel intellegence, I know a little than the average person.

Difi, one of the most low key and most crooked politicians ever! "

" so, if the eight cousins, all in naval intelligence, are telling you classified information, information not available to the general public, then aren't they guilty of any number of violations of naval regulations and federal law? "

" Is navel intelligence a cousin to Fuzzy Navel? "

" Totally off topic but what is the matter with DiFi? I kind of like her, there is the matter of her husband's investments in China, etc. Schectman regularly trashes her on the radio and he is a Democrat.

Compared to Boxer she seems fairly sane. "

" She is the more conservative of the two senators we have and has been for a while ... I know some have a problem with her efforts to get the federal ban on assault weapons extended, personally I think she gave away the store with her support of the patriot act. "