CIA Director Leon Panetta?

Much is being made in some circles of President-elect Obama’s choice of Leon Panetta as CIA director. The big beef with Panetta is that he supposedly lacks relevant experience. A minor objection you hear from some is that he used to work for Bill Clinton, but I don’t take that as a serious objection. So, if we just look at the question of experience, here’s what I think:

Panetta has plenty of experience in my book. The Director of Central Intelligence -is- a political appointee. Others have served in the office without having direct experience in intelligence work (George H.W. Bush coming immediately to mind as at least one example). More to the point, Panetta’s experience as a President’s Chief Of Staff actually gives him tremendous experience. People don’t realize this, but the President’s Chief of Staff has long been viewed by many as the second most powerful position in Washington D.C. A Chief of Staff is almost certainly going to know almost everything the President does, or he won’t be able to do his job. It’s very relevant experience, in my view.