Intelligence Overhaul
Looks like Team Obama is giving the intelligence apparatus a little overhaul:
President-elect Barack Obama is preparing to scrap the way President Bush oversaw domestic security in the White House and name a former Central Intelligence Agency official to coordinate counterterrorism, people close to the transition said Wednesday.The plan being discussed would eliminate the independent homeland security adviser’s office and assign those duties to the National Security Council to streamline sometimes overlapping functions. A deputy national security adviser would be charged with overseeing the effort to guard against terrorism and to respond to natural disasters.
Democrats close to the transition said Mr. Obama’s choice for that job was John O. Brennan, a longtime C.I.A. veteran who was the front-runner to head the spy agency until withdrawing in November amid criticism of his views on interrogation and detention policies. His appointment would not require Senate confirmation.
There was quite a storm over Brennan as the possible head of the CIA, so I wonder how this will play out.
srv
Oh, he wasn’t good enough to manage torturous language with foreigners, but he’s good enough to manage it with citizens.
Rather than all these domestic agencies being in a black hole in some byzantine department where they can’t do too much damage, now the serious people at the NSC get to have more playthings.
Punchy
But who is Obama going to appoint as the War Czar? Remember him?
I dont.
Bootlegger
Does he favor the rendition of low income people away from natural disasters? I mean, that’s one way to get them out of there and teach them the moral hazard of living in dangerous places.
Shawn in ShowMe
If this new position is in charge of guarding against terrorism and responding to natural disasters, then what does that leave Homeland Security?
demimondian
@Bootlegger: Not exactly. His view is that low income people serve as excellent sandbag replacements.
His slogan? "Water-logged, not water-boarded."
4tehlulz
Joe Lieberman just got trolled hard. His Homeland Security Committee chairmanship doesn’t mean shit now.
Zifnab
@Shawn in ShowMe:
God willing we can just shitcan the whole thing and be done with it.
yet another jeff
@4tehlulz: Brilliant!
demimondian
4tehlulz 4tehwin…
Reverend Dennis
This looks like an attempt to straighten out the cobbled-together mess that is the Department of Homeland Security. As it stands, the department has so many agencies and its responsibilities are so varied that it’s hard to imagine that any DHS Secretary would be able to both make coherent policy and effectively administer all of them. Breaking up DHS, or taking the sensible step of reinstating FEMA as a stand alone agency would evoke howls of "Now the terrorists are gonna’ kill all of us!" so this step by Obama is a less provocative way of separating the counter-terrorism piece from DHS’ bulging portfolio. It will be interesting to see whom Obama nominates to be Secretary of DHS. Hopefully, it will be someone whose area of expertise is disaster relief rather than ideological ass-kissing.
liberal
More news on some bad Obama picks:
Dennis Ross might be dealing with Middle East issues.
Krugman on some stupidity from Summers.
bedlam UK
Just have your FBI / CIA & Jack Bauer.. erm CTU.
(oh, and the x-files dept in the basement please )
Job done, Clear departments, all nicely communicating with eachother and lovingly helping eachother.
It will be a wonderous rainbow filled joy to behold.
Plus that ‘Homeland Security’ thing honestly sounds ridiculously Nazi-fied. Get rid of that dodgy business.
TheHatOnMyCat
Especially since it was announced a month ago.
( rolls eyes )
Reverend Dennis
@TheHatOnMyCat:
Janet Napolitano, I knew that. No, really.
TheHatOnMyCat
Janet (I call her Janet) just called and asked if you could send back those inaugural ball tickets …....
Media Browski
Ah, to hear the talking heads’ heads explode when (OK, if) they realize that all the "capitulation" to Lieberman came about in order to make him Chairman of Nothing!
As usual Mr. Obama, well-played.
Lavocat
Or at least the appearance of an overhaul.
Fwiffo
I’m not sure how Brennan can perform this job from jail, so I doubt he’s the pick. Oh wait, I was lost in my fantasy just universe where he shares a cell with Ahmed Chalabi. How silly of me.
Since Richard Clarke got passed over for the CIA job, can’t we give this post to him?
Gravenstone
@Fwiffo:
As I understand it, Clarke wasn’t "passed over" for DCI, he turned it down. But hey, don’t let reality stop ya.
Tymannosourus
BREAKING:
Obama is giving a speech on the economy. It’s on the networks.
Shawn in ShowMe
According to the LA times, Clarke was one of several candidates who turned down the CIA job. Morale at Spy Inc. must be at an all-time low.
Neue Internetprasenz
So long as we can continue to devote tens of billions of dollars (I’m guessing) per year to off-the-books projects, then it’s ALL GOOD. Something tells me that, per Ike’s warnings, these institutions have been more than a little self-perpetuating.
Delia
I’m really worried. What happens the next time there’s a ticking nukular football aimed at Los Angeles? How is CTU going to find and disarm it now that all the wackos are gone?
Is Jack Bauer going to have to find a new plot?
DonnaInMichigan
Come January 20, 2009, it is an end of a Error…..
Can’t get her quick enough!