Barack Obama selects Panetta to head C.I.A.

January 5, 3:07 PMProgressive Politics ExaminerKaren Harper

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Leon E Panetta, AP Photo by Kevin Wolf

Former Congressman and White House Chief of Staff, Leon E Panetta has been tapped by President-elect Barack Obama to head the C.I.A. according to the New York Times.

Panetta has spoken out against torturing prisoners. 

Our Constitution defines the rules that guide our nation. It was drafted by those who looked around the world of the eighteenth century and saw persecution, torture, and other crimes against humanity and believed that America could be better than that. This new nation would recognize that every individual has an inherent right to personal dignity, to justice, to freedom from cruel and unusual punishment.

President-elect Obama was critical of the C.I.A.'s torture techniques during his campaign and his selection of Panetta to head the C.I.A. shows he means business.

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