Panetta for CIA post

Panetta Open to Tougher Methods in Some C.I.A. Interrogation NY Times — Leon E. Panetta, the White House pick to lead the Central Intelligence Agency, on Thursday left open the possibilitythat the agency could seek permission to use interrogation methods more aggressive than the limited menu that President Obama authorized under new rules issued last month. Under insistent questioning from a Senate panel, Mr. Panetta said that in extreme cases, if interrogators were unable to extract critical information from a terrorism suspect, he would seek White House approval for the C.I.A. to use methods that would go beyond those permitted under the new rules.click to read complete article

Panetta: Waterboarding is torture LA Times -- Leon E. Panetta, President Obama's pick to head the CIA, testified today that he believes the harsh interrogation technique known as waterboarding is torture and vowed to end an era in which the CIA's conduct became source of controversy in the United States and drew condemnation around the world. "I believe that waterboarding is torture and it's wrong," Panetta said during his confirmation hearing before the Senate Intelligence Committee. Asked whether the president could authorize the agency to resume using such harsh methods, even in the midst of a crisis, Panetta replied: "Nobody is above the law." click to read complete article

Panetta Styles Himself A CIA Company Man San Francisco Chronicle --- Leon Panetta, President Obama's choice for CIA chief, pledged to lawmakers that he would end some of the most controversial intelligence-gathering practices of the last eight years, including waterboarding and renditions of suspects overseas. But the former Monterey congressman and Clinton White House chief of staff also endeared himself to the CIA rank-and-file by saying he does not believe U.S. interrogators should be prosecuted for past use of harsh methods approved by the Bush administration. click to read complete article