WASHINGTON — President-elect Barack Obama had to do a little fence-mending Tuesday with the new Congress controlled by his own party — apologizing to a key Senate Democrat for failing to consult on his decision to name veteran Washington hand Leon Panetta CIA director.
Vice President-elect Joe Biden also branded it a mistake for Obama not to discuss the decision in advance with the incoming Senate Intelligence Committee chair, Sen. Dianne Feinstein.
But despite rumblings of criticism about Panetta's lack of intelligence experience, his confirmation is not expected to draw strong opposition.
After complaining Monday about the president-elect's lapse, Feinstein, who will oversee Panetta's confirmation hearing, said Tuesday that both Obama and Biden had called to reassure her. Feinstein had also questioned Panetta's lack of grounding in intelligence matters.
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"I have been contacted by both President-elect Obama and Vice President-elect Biden, and they have explained to me the reasons why they believe Leon Panetta is the best candidate for CIA director," Feinstein said in a coolly worded statement. She added that she looked forward to "speaking with Mr. Panetta about the critical issues facing the intelligence community and his plans to address them."
The California senator was miffed not only because of the breach in normal protocol but also because Intelligence Committee Democrats were still smarting from having been largely dismissed by the Bush administration for the last eight years.
