Stephen R. Kappes, deputy director of the C.I.A.; Dennis Blair, director of national intelligence; Leon E. Panetta, C.I.A. director; Sylvia Panetta; and Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. at C.I.A. headquarters in Langley, Va. Stephen Crowley/The New York Times From FOX News:
Most of the media attention is certain to remain on Leon Panetta's repudiation of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's explosive accusation that the CIA lied to Congress about Bush-era interrogation tactics.
CIA Director Leon Panetta on Monday will deliver his first public speech since taking office.
The speech will occur at a California luncheon about global challenges, but he may have a tough time avoiding media's scrutiny of his reaction to domestic politics -- specifically, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's accusation that the CIA misled.
On Thursday, Pelosi said the clandestine agency lied about what Bush-era interrogation methods were used on high-profile terror detainees in the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.
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My Comment: It is unfortunate that this speech is occurring after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi had just accused the CIA of lying to Congress. His focus should be on threats and emerging threats to us and our allies, and where possible .... to explain the thinking on how to stop them.
Fortunately, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi made the decision to not appear on the Sunday morning talk shows to discuss her battle with the CIA citing "family" reasons. I guess she figured that one distraction was more than enough.