President Obama with CIA Director PanettaPanetta Nomination Could Signal Deeper Cuts For Pentagon -- The Hill
The Obama administration is portraying CIA Director Leon Panetta, the president’s pick to replace Robert Gates as Defense secretary, as a veteran Washington hand with a mix of operational expertise and management savvy.
If he wins confirmation from the Senate and becomes the first Democrat to lead the Pentagon since 1997, Panetta will need to rely on those skills.
Panetta, whom President Obama will announce as his nominee on Thursday, will inherit a Pentagon that has completed a round of belt-tightening under Gates and is now getting ready for further cuts.
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My Comment: CIA Director Panetta .... soon to be U.S. Secretary of Defense .... is (from President Obama's point of view) the perfect man to have in the Pentagon. After a decade of huge increases in the U.S. Defense budget, President Obama has made it very clear that he wants a further $400 billion in cuts. Leon Panetta is going to make that possible.
Expect political fireworks and intense media coverage when these cuts are proposed and implemented.