[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 30 (Friday, February 13, 2009)]
[Senate]
[Page S2316]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          PANETTA CONFIRMATION

  Mr. FEINGOLD. Mr. President, I support the confirmation of Leon 
Panetta to be Director of the CIA. His integrity and independence, his 
managerial skills, his broad experience in both the executive and 
legislative branches, and his testimony during his confirmation hearing 
suggest he is exactly the kind of CIA Director our country needs right 
now.
  First, his statements, in his meeting with me and at his confirmation 
hearing, provide assurances that he will put CIA activities squarely 
within the law and refocus the brave and dedicated professionals of the 
Agency on what they do best, and on what we need them for the most. Not 
only did he express his commitment to ending an illegal and ineffective 
interrogation and detention program, but he clearly indicated that the 
CIA would not conduct extraordinary renditions to secret detentions. 
Congressman Panetta also committed to ending the Bush administration's 
practice of using ``Gang of Eight'' briefings to evade its legal 
responsibility to brief the full congressional intelligence committees, 
thereby thwarting oversight. And he assured me that the CIA would 
cooperate with the Department of Justice as the Department reviews 
interrogation, detention, rendition and other matters that raise legal 
questions. These statements, along with his previous condemnations of 
torture and of warrantless surveillance of Americans, suggest a 
personal commitment to the law and to our Constitution that will be 
needed as the CIA faces the challenges ahead.
  I have long been concerned that intelligence resources have not been 
sufficiently allocated toward long-term and emerging threats in places 
like Africa, and was pleased that Congressman Panetta testified that he 
shares these concerns. More importantly, he has committed to conducting 
a review of CIA operations and resources in light of these concerns and 
to working closely with the committee in the course of that review. 
Finally, he testified that he agrees with the goal of developing 
strategies that integrate clandestine collection with the information 
obtained openly by our government, particularly through diplomatic 
collection. Last year, the Senate Intelligence Committee passed 
legislation creating an independent Commission to make-recommendations 
on how to achieve this integration and Congressman Panetta has 
committed to working with me on that legislation. These commitments 
give me confidence that Congressman Panetta will work to refocus the 
CIA on its central mission of protecting our national security.

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