LEON PANETTA IS NOT FIT TO LEAD CIA~ANOTHER CROOK AS WELL

ANOTHER TAX CHEAT ??? NOT ONLY THAT...THIS MAN HAS NO EXPERIENCE IN HEADING AN AGENCY THAT IS TO PROTECT OUR COUNTRY. HE IS NOT CIA MATERIAL. SUGGESTED THAT OUR SOLDIERS SHOULD OFFER THE ENEMY OF THE BATTLE FIELD WHEN THEY ARE CAUGHT A "CUP OF TEA", A HOT SHOWER AND A SOFT BED. LAMO.....WHAT AN IDIOT !! MAYBE WE WILL GIVE THEM A REACH AROUND AS WELL. THEY WOULD REALLY THAT. !! ROTF..
Obama is a failure. He has no clue. We are in danger...This is scarry.
















The media, let’s face it, want Barack Obama to succeed. They’ll want him to succeed until the moment Americans start getting slaughtered again in American streets by terrorists. And then they’ll want him to succeed even more.

But we must be prepared to set the record straight.

I am deeply concerned that Leon Panetta, a man with no prior intelligence experience, is Obama’s pick for CIA. Obama was scared to make a legitimate pick because the anti-American left opposed John O. Brennan.

And it is crucial to understand this point. Whatever else the CIA may be, it’s not simple. And because the American people entrusted the presidency to someone who needs to learn on the job, we cannot afford for critical advisers to also be learning on the job.

Central Intelligence Agency director designate Leon E. Panetta flew "on one or two occasions" on the airplane of EduCap Inc. founder Catherine B. Reynolds, according to responses Mr. Panetta provided to Congress before his confirmation hearing Thursday afternoon.

Leon Panetta
Mr. Panetta flew with Mrs. Reynolds, who is under investigation by the Senate Finance Committee and the Internal Revenue Service for possible improper use of EduCap's $28 million corporate jet, from Washington to Sarasota, Fla., for a directors' meeting of Zenith National Insurance Corp. Both Mr. Panetta and Mrs. Reynolds serve on Zenith's board.

Stanley Zax, chairman of Zenith, said Mr. Panetta and Ms. Reynolds joined Zenith's board at separate times and there was no connection between the two appointments. He said he is aware that the two traveled to at least one Zenith board meeting aboard the EduCap plane but that he had no involvement in the matter. He said he has no knowledge of the IRS inquiry and hasn't been contacted by the agency.

Other Washington major players who traveled on EduCap's jet include former Alaska Republican Sen. Ted Stevens, three people with knowledge of the matter said. Mr. Stevens was convicted last year in U.S. District Court in Washington of failing to disclose gifts. Brendan Sullivan, a lawyer for Mr. Stevens, did not respond to a request for comment.

Requests for comment from EduCap and a lawyer for the firm, Kenneth Gideon of Skadden, Arps, Slate Meagher & Flom, weren't immediately returned.

Panetta Earned $700,000 in FeesDisclosure formsMissouri Sen. Christopher S. "Kit" Bond, the top Republican on the Senate intelligence panel who asked Mr. Panetta about the travel, was satisfied with Mr. Panetta's response, an aide said.

EduCap and Mrs. Reynolds's other nonprofit, the Academy of Achievement, have donated at least $50,000 to the Leon & Sylvia Panetta Institute for Public Policy at California State University, Monterey Bay, public IRS filings show. Mr. Panetta provided Congress with a list of donors to the institute, which showed $70,000 in donations over three years from the Catherine B. Reynolds Foundation, but the list showed no donations from Mrs. Reynolds's two nonprofit companies. According to Mr. Panetta's statement, he "does not recall any donations from EduCap or Academy of Achievement." The institute received no donations from Reynolds-affiliated organizations in 2008.

EduCap markets student loans to families who make too much money to qualify for most federally subsidized loans. It grew rapidly in the past decade amid the broader boom in credit. Catherine and Wayne Reynolds received millions of dollars in compensation from EduCap and related entities, according to public tax filings.

Mrs. Reynolds invited a number of prominent Washington figures on to travel with her on the EduCap jet, including former Sen. Tom Daschle, who withdrew from consideration as secretary of health and human services Tuesday. Mr. Daschle's flights to the Bahamas and the Middle East on the jet figured into the criticism that prompted his withdrawal, which was based largely on his failure to pay $140,000 of taxes on time. A representative for Mr. Daschle has said that he did not incur any tax liability from those flights

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The White House's nominee for Director of the Central Intelligence Agency, Leon Panetta, has earned more than $700,000 in speaking and consulting fees since the beginning of 2008, with some of the payments coming from troubled financial firms and from a firm that invests in contractors for federal national security agencies, according to financial disclosures released Wednesday.

Mr. Panetta received $56,000 from Merrill Lynch & Co. for two speeches and $28,000 for a speech for Wachovia Corp., according to disclosures released ahead of Thursday's scheduled Senate hearing on Mr. Panetta's nomination.

Both Merrill and Wachovia reported big losses last year and were acquired by larger firms. The Wachovia honorarium was dated Oct. 30, and the last Merrill Lynch honorarium was dated Oct. 11, according to disclosure forms filed by Mr. Panetta in connection with his nomination. At the time, Bank of America had agreed to a rescue of Merrill Lynch; Wachovia had agreed to be acquired by Wells Fargo & Co.

The Senate confirmation hearing for Leon Panetta, nominated to be director of the CIA, is scheduled for Thursday.
Mr. Panetta's disclosure form illustrates how retired politicians commonly make money giving speeches and consulting for prominent companies with significant interests before the government. That was one element in the controversy over the cabinet nomination of former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle, who withdrew Tuesday.

The former White House chief of staff's disclosure form also shows the delicate balance President Barack Obama is trying to strike -- trying to curb the influence of lobbyists, while relying on Washington veterans who often help clients navigate the halls of power. Mr. Panetta's forms show that he performed government affairs consulting last year and also sat on the board of a public affairs firm that lobbies Congress. Like Mr. Daschle, who also worked for a firm with lobbying clients, Mr. Panetta doesn't violate Mr. Obama's ban on hiring registered lobbyists.

"We anticipate that [Thursday's] hearing will focus on the substance of Mr. Panetta's views about how to strengthen our intelligence gathering and keep our nation safe, as all of Mr. Panetta's income and investments have been thoroughly reviewed by the Office of Government Ethics," White House spokesman Tommy Vietor said.

Mr. Panetta also received a $28,000 honorarium from the Carlyle Group, a private-equity firm that owns companies doing business with national-security agencies of the U.S. government. Carlyle holds a majority stake in the government consulting arm of Booz Allen Hamilton Inc., which works for the CIA and other agencies. A Carlyle spokesman said Mr. Panetta was paid to speak at an investor conference and that the matter was unrelated to Booz Allen or any other defense contractors.

Mr. Panetta also reported receiving a $60,000 "Governmental Advisor Fee" from the Pacific Maritime Association, which represents the shipping industry. The group lobbies the federal government regarding terrorism laws that affect shipping. A spokesman for the association didn't respond to a request for comment.

Mr. Panetta is a former Congressman from central California who served as White House chief of staff under President Bill Clinton. A White House spokesman said Mr. Panetta "provided consulting services on port security issues and some labor issues" to the Pacific Maritime Association. The spokesman said Mr. Panetta was "unaware" if his work was related to lobbying efforts by PMA in Washington that were described in public disclosure forms. Regarding potential conflicts of interest involving his speaking fees from Carlyle and other firms, the spokesman said, "All of his income and investments have been thoroughly reviewed by the Office of Government Ethics, and he will abide by whatever they require."

Fleishman Hillard, a large public affairs and lobbying firm, also paid Mr. Panetta $130,000 in director's fees. Fleishman Vice Chairman Paul Johnson said Mr. Panetta advises firm clients on policy and economic issues but performs "absolutely no lobbying or government relations work."
Another source of income for Mr. Panetta was California State University, which hosts the Leon & Sylvia Panetta Institute for Public Policy, a nonprofit foundation. Last night, members of the Senate Intelligence Committee posed a series of new questions to Mr. Panetta about his finances, according to a Senate aide. The panel is seeking information on his relationship to a nonprofit firm called EduCap Inc. that is under investigation by the Internal Revenue Service. EduCap and a sister firm donated $50,000 to Mr. Panetta's institute and provided flights on its corporate jet to Mr. Daschle and other Washington figures.