Retired Admiral Will Be Next Spy Chief

Former Clinton adviser has little intelligence experience

(NEWSER) - Barack Obama will name Leon Panetta, a former congressman and chief of staff to Bill Clinton, director of the CIA, the New York Times reports. Observers were split on the choice of Panetta, who is well-respected for his Beltway savvy but has no specific intelligence experience. Panetta will report to Dennis Blair, the new head of national intelligence, though neither nomination has been officially announced. More»

Dennis Blair replacement experienced, seen as combative

(AP) - President Barack Obama has settled on James Clapper, the Pentagon's top intelligence official, as his pick to oversee the nation's 16 spy agencies. Obama planned to announce the nomination of Clapper, a retired Air Force three-star general, as national intelligence director in a White House Rose Garden ceremony today. He would replace retired Adm. Dennis Blair, who resigned last month after frequent clashes with the White House. More»

Move comes after criticism of Christmas Day bomb plot

(AP) - President Obama's national intelligence director, Dennis Blair, says he is resigning after 16 months in the job. In a message to his work force, Blair says his last day will be May 28. Blair's tenure was marked by intelligence failures—he took criticism over the Christmas Day bomb plot, in particular—and turf wars among the country's spy agencies. Blair, a retired Navy admiral, is the third director of national intelligence, a position created in response public outrage after 9/11. More»

US remains focus for bin Laden, top deputy, intelligence chief says

(NEWSER) - An attempt by al-Qaeda or one of its affiliates to attack the US is “certain” within the next six months, the director of national intelligence told a Senate committee today. As long as Osama bin Laden and his top deputy are on the loose, Dennis Blair says, US targets will be the terror group’s top objective—and al-Qaeda’s ties to Pakistani groups are worrisome, as are its ever-more-active affiliates in Yemen and elsewhere. More»

How tough will the president be on himself and his staff?

(NEWSER) - President Obama meets with his security chiefs today to dissect the failed Christmas terror plot—and deflect criticism over his initial, tepid response. Politico breaks down the burning questions:

• Do heads roll? Janet Napolitano and Michael Leiter have both been mentioned as possible sacrifices, but insiders increasingly doubt that Obama’s handing out pink slips.
• Will Obama cooperate with Congressional investigations? Obama doesn’t disdain Congressional oversight to the degree Bush did, but the White House has had its share of run-ins with the Hill and hasn’t been clear on which advisers might testify.