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"Some college administrators seem so distracted with fund raising, academic infighting, and community initiatives that they set up their emergency communications departments very poorly. Training is poor to nonexistent, secretaries are pressed into service with tremendous responsibilities for running 'notification systems' 24/7 and on weekends because no one else knows how to do it and the administration won’t pay for additional staff. Procedures are seat-of-the-pants and dependent on HIPPO (highest paid person’s opinion), except when something like Virginia Tech happens and there is some sort of scramble to do something different." --Donna
Most Colleges Avoid Risk Management, Report Says
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The 35 guarantee agencies that work with lenders, borrowers, and the Education Department to administer bank-based loans are said to waste taxpayer money.
Student-Aid Administrators' Conference Opens, Acknowledging Leadership Change
The group’s national chairman took a few moments at its annual meeting today to explain how Nasfaa was handling its president’s leave of absence.
American Scholar Arrested in Iran
An academic who holds dual American and Iranian citizenship has become the first American to be detained since the upsurge of unrest in Iran following last month’s disputed presidential election.
Chairman of House Education Committee Backs Obama's Loan Plan
The decision by Rep. George Miller of California to push for the end of the guaranteed-student-loan program does not come as much of a surprise.
Nevada Regents Vote Out UNLV President After 6-Hour Public Grilling
David B. Ashley contended that the regents had focused on issues irrelevant to his performance as president.
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January 5, 2009
Leon Panetta Is Tapped to Lead the CIA
Leon E. Panetta, a Washington insider turned academic, has been chosen to lead the Central Intelligence Agency under President-elect Barack Obama, Democratic officials told The New York Times and other news organizations today.
Mr. Panetta, a lawyer who served eight terms as a congressman from California, was White House chief of staff under President Bill Clinton. He and his wife now direct the Leon & Sylvia Panetta Institute for Public Policy at California State University-Monterey Bay. The institute offers a master’s degree in public policy, holds a lecture series, and sponsors a Congressional internship program, among other activities. —Kelly Field
Posted on Monday January 5, 2009 | Permalink |Comments
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Mr. Panetta has zero experience and may now be opposed by Diane Feinstein (according to her). Does anyone else wonder what deal was struck with the Clintons to get Obama elected?
— fg Jan 6, 08:20 AM #
What Panetta lacks in experience, he more than makes up for in sound judgment.
George (“Finding Iraqi WMDs are a slam dunk”) Tenant, in contrast, had ample amounts of spook experience. Unfortunately, he also had absolutely terrible judgment.
After 50 years and billions of dollars spent getting our national intelligence so wrong, I would like to see someone run the CIA who had a modicum of good judgment.
Packard
— Packard Jan 6, 10:04 AM #
Even a quick and superficial glance at Leon Panetta’s bio falsifies the assertion that he has “zero experience.” He served in Army intelligence before working on Senator Kuchel’s staff (R-CA) and before serving in the Nixon administration. He was elected to the U.S. Congress and was re-elected nine times. He was Cheif-of-Staff for President Clinton. More recently, he served on the Iraq Study Group (with nine other distinguished and experienced members). He is no light weight. He has a wide range of experience, some of which would probably help him avoid some of the problems that have occurred when the CIA has been led by people with what might have been too much experience inside the “intelligence” community, and too little dealing with a wider range of issues. While I am usually quite supportive of Senator Feinstein, she may well have some other reason(s) for opposing his nomination. They are both from California’s central coast. Who knows how they may have clashed in the past?
— Joe Erwin Jan 6, 10:26 AM #
I like to see a pro-CIA faculty? Anyone know someone? Beside the military service academies, VMI, Citadel, Norwich, some southern universities, who is pro-CIA? And how are you gonna fight terrorism without being discriminatory?
— Michael Jan 6, 10:27 AM #
A continuation of A Legacy of Ashes.
— EJG Jan 6, 10:46 AM #
While we are on the subject of CIA, I wonder if someone out there knows of sources of information on the extent of CIA involvement in Indonesia’s regime change during the 1960s. I apologize for this tangent….
— Joe Erwin Jan 6, 12:12 PM #
Unbelievable. I am simply stunned at Obama’s incompetence. Mr. Panetta is no more qualified to lead the CIA than any of us are.
Obama does not take the security of the United States seriously. This will have grave consequences.
— TRB Jan 6, 01:07 PM #
Me thinks Leon better watch his back and make sure he has an independent analysis done regarding the maintenance of any aircraft he may choose to fly on.
— steve Jan 6, 02:19 PM #
I agree with #3, he actually has a great deal of experience. He could also be used to gain intelligence on the CIA operations and give honest feedback to Obama. He is 70 years old and is probably not a long term appointment.
— Angel Jan 6, 02:57 PM #
Reading these comments makes me wonder if anyone thinks before typing.
Panetta has a tremendous range of experience. He is honest, capable, intelligent, and humane.
He is far from a Clinton clone. In fact, he was dragged into the Clinton admin in order to provide some order and discipline there.
Obama’s choice is brilliant. Panetta combines tremendous experience and yet independence at the same time. No one else would have been as good or wise a choice.
I think the ideologues need to put their obsessions on hold for a while. if appointees screw up, well, call them on it, but I’m tired of a bunch of no-nothing blowhards expressing certitude when they don’t know what they are talking about.
— ed Jan 6, 04:53 PM #
PLEASE — Panetta is not qualified to run the CIA. Period. He has other talents and experiences but not in the intelligence community. It is too important a post to be filled by Panetta who will need all the on the job training possible. And he will still be years behind his counterparts in other countries. Our friends shake their heads in disbelief — our qualified enemies are licking their lips in gleerful anticipation. A ridiculous appointment.
— Gustavo A. Mellander Jan 6, 08:44 PM #
ed (comment 11) — So after eight years of pre-judging every Bush appointee as incompetent and corrupt we are suddenly supposed to give all of Obama’s people the benefit of the doubt? Just because he comes from a party preferred by most of academia? The CIA clearly has some deep-seated problems, and it is hard to see how a go-along-to-get-along old Washington hand like Panetta will be the guy to solve them.
— J. Ward Jan 6, 10:44 PM #