(2009-01-06) — Concerns about the readiness of President-elect Barack Obama’s choice for director of Central Intelligence were put to rest today when former President Bill Clinton called his old Chief of Staff Leon Panetta “the perfect pick to head the CIA.”
Mr. Panetta has no previous experience in the intelligence community and served 16 years as a U.S. Congressman, raising questions at CIA headquarters in Langley, VA, about his ability to guard the nation’s secrets.
However, President Clinton, called him “a trustworthy public servant who knows how to keep his mouth shut.”
“Leon was by my side for two and half years,” said Mr. Clinton. “About 14 months of his service came during the time that I was not having sexual relations with that woman, Miss Lewinsky, in the White House. During all those months, no one ever knew what my chief of staff knew or didn’t know, nor do they know it now.”
Mr. Panetta has also been a vocal opponent of the use of torture, but Mr. Clinton said “that’s likely just a lasting effect of his close contact with the former First Lady.”
“Hillary made an impact on a lot of people that way,” he said. “Personally, I still can’t stand the thought that another human would have to endure loud, harsh noises and or the continual drip, drip, drip of Chinese water torture. She’s made Leon and me much more merciful toward even our enemies.”
18 responses so far ↓
1 Instapundit » Blog Archive » HEH: Bill Clinton: CIA Pick Panetta Can Keep a Secret…. // Jan 6, 2009 at 8:14 am
[...] HEH: Bill Clinton: CIA Pick Panetta Can Keep a Secret. [...]
2 Beerme // Jan 6, 2009 at 8:18 am
And he has experience closing down the White House after the Clinton years. Now he can close down the Guantanamo Bay prison. There will be similar ghouls roaming the earth after that closing…
3 camojack // Jan 6, 2009 at 8:34 am
“Mr. Panetta has no… intelligence”.
More like animal cunning, methinks…
4 Fred Sinclair // Jan 6, 2009 at 9:07 am
And 2108-2109 will be……….?
THE YEAR 1908
This will boggle your mind, I know it did mine!
The year is 1908.
One hundred years ago.
What a difference a century makes!
Here are some statistics for the Year 1908 :
************ ********* ********* ******
The average life expectancy was 47 years.
Only 14 percent of the homes had a bathtub.
Only 8 percent of the homes had a telephone.
There were only 8,000 cars and only 144 miles
Of paved roads.
The maximum speed limit in most cities was 10 mph.
The tallest structure in the world was the Eiffel Tower!
The average wage in 1908 was 22 cents per hour.
The average worker made between $200 and $400 per year .
A competent accountant could expect to earn $2000 per year,
A dentist $2,500 per year, a veterinarian between $1,500 and $4,000 per year, and a mechanical engineer about $5,000 per year.
More than 95 percent of all births took place at HOME .
Ninety percent of all doctors had NO COLLEGE EDUCATION!
Instead, they attended so-called medical schools, many of which
Were condemned in the press AND the government as ’substandard. ‘
Sugar cost four cents a pound.
Eggs were fourteen cents a dozen.
Coffee was fifteen cents a pound.
Most women only washed their hair once a month, and used
Borax or egg yolks for shampoo
Canada passed a law that prohibited poor people from
Entering into their country for any reason.
Five leading causes of death were:
1. Pneumonia and influenza
2. Tuberculosis
3. Diarrhea
4. Heart disease
5. Stroke
The American flag had 45 stars.
The population of Las Vegas , Nevada, was only 30!!!!
Crossword puzzles, canned beer, and ice tea
Hadn’t been invented yet.
There was no Mother’s Day or Father’s Day.
Two out of every 10 adults couldn’t read or write.
Only 6 percent of all Americans had graduated from high school.
Marijuana, heroin, and morphine were all available over the counter at the local corner drugstores. Back then pharmacists said, ‘Heroin clears the complexion, gives buoyancy to the mind, regulates the stomach and bowels, and is, in fact, a perfect guardian of health.’ ( Shocking? DUH! )
Eighteen percent of households had at least
One full-time servant or domestic help.
There were about 230 reported murders in the ENTIRE ! U.S.A. !
5 RedPepper // Jan 6, 2009 at 9:25 am
Marty : Okay, relax, Doc, it’s me! It’s me! It’s Marty!
Doc : No, it can’t be! I just sent you back to the future!
6 gafisher // Jan 6, 2009 at 9:32 am
Clinton’s friendship confirms Panetta’s dissociation from intelligence.
Obama voters must be relieved; if Hillary had won she’d have appointed a bunch of old Clinton cronies …
7 He Would Know - Transterrestrial Musings // Jan 6, 2009 at 10:22 am
[...] Panetta gets a critical endorsement for taking over the CIA: President Clinton called him “a trustworthy public servant who knows how [...]
8 conserve-a-tip // Jan 6, 2009 at 10:33 am
Now, this is change you can believe in!
I looked up the word “change” and the first definition out of the box was “to make different”. Can anyone tell me what is “different” about Panetta’s appointment, except that it is 2009 rather than the 1990’s?
9 sojourner // Jan 6, 2009 at 11:24 am
Didn’t get rusty during your time off, Scott. Particularly enjoyed the asides about torture and Hillary.
10 Ms RightWing, Ink // Jan 6, 2009 at 11:56 am
““Personally, I still can’t stand the thought that another human would have to endure loud, harsh noises and or the continual drip, drip, drip of Chinese water torture.”"
Scott, you may have taken an extended vacation, but you sure came back punching.
Great line.
11 conserve-a-tip // Jan 6, 2009 at 1:30 pm
This whole administration is turning into a disaster. A black man is refused entrance into the senate by the Democrat leader??? The Democrat leader tells the governor not to name a black man??? What is that old saying about a rope and allowing self-hanging?
12 Tinman // Jan 6, 2009 at 1:43 pm
” and served 16 years as a U.S. Congressman, raising questions at CIA headquarters in Langley, VA, about his ability to guard the nation’s secrets”
Excellent.
13 Beerme // Jan 6, 2009 at 4:27 pm
c-a-t,
Don’t you know, as a conservative, you are prohibited from any jokes that involve references to hangings, ropes, trees or the like?
14 baragirl // Jan 6, 2009 at 11:06 pm
Were Lester Maddox and George Wallace Conservatives? They said all those words
Oh that’s right they were Liberal Democrats and they can say anything they want to and even shoot people of other colors,or hang them.
15 Left Coast-Right Mind // Jan 7, 2009 at 3:17 am
I suppose we should all take pity on President-elect Barack H-word Obama that he’s stuck with all these Clinton second-stringers to choose from since a great deal of the “inner circle” met an untimely demise.
Anybody know what Jocelyn Elders is up to these days?
I’d make a “sloppy seconds” reference, but the NHL might suspend me.
16 RepublicanAttackMachine // Jan 7, 2009 at 6:21 am
I will have to agree with beerme, cat. Conservatives are held to a higher standard with “minority speak”.
Also, I know the libs called GWB “a smirking chimp” for the last 8 years, but believe we should refrain from using that too!
17 Possumtrot // Jan 8, 2009 at 9:45 am
Panetta to run CIA? I am going out in the rain to dig a shallow grave, and roll in it.
18 Twitter Tweets about Hillary Clinton OR Clinton as of January 10, 2009 | Bay Area REO // Jan 10, 2009 at 5:09 pm
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