Obama nominates Panetta as CIA chief
WASHINGTON, Jan. 9 (UPI) -- U.S. President-elect Barack Obama introduced Washington veteran Leon Panetta as his nominee to head the CIA Friday.
Panetta "has unparalleled experience in making institutions of government work better for the American people," Obama said during a news conference.
The choice of Panetta has been met with skepticism on Capital Hill and in intelligence circles by some who believe a more effective spy leader should come from the intelligence community. Panetta, a former U.S. congressman and member of the Bill Clinton administration, is known as an astute manager but seen as lacking hands-on intelligence experience.
"Let me be clear, in Leon Panetta the agency will have a director who has my complete trust and substantial clout. He will be a strong manager and a strong advocate for the CIA," Obama said.
Obama also named retired Adm. Dennis Blair as his national intelligence director, a position that oversees the nation's 16 intelligence-gathering entities, including the CIA.
Obama said current national intelligence director Mick McConnell will serve on his foreign intelligence advisory board, Michael Leiter would remain as head of the National Counterterrorism Center and CIA veteran John Brennan would be his homeland security adviser.
"It is hard to overstate the importance of good intelligence in the 21st century," Obama said, adding later, "Good intelligence is not a luxury; it is a necessity."
Panetta said he would work "tirelessly" to defend the country and was "committed to consulting closely with my former colleagues in Congress to form the kind of partnership we need if we are to win the war on terror."
U.S. won't tolerate torture, Obama says
WASHINGTON, Jan. 9 (UPI) -- The United States will not tolerate torture and will abide by the Geneva Conventions, President-elect Barack Obama said Friday.
Obama was responding to a question about how the international community may view his appointments of Washington veteran Leon Panetta and retired Adm. Dennis Blair as CIA director and national security director, respectively, and whether they signal a reassessment of harsh interrogation techniques.
Of renouncing torture and abiding by the Geneva Conventions regarding detainees, Obama said, "I think it is important for us to do that not only because that's who we are, but also, ultimately, it will make us safer and will help in changing hearts and minds in our struggle against extremists."
He said he would speak about his policy toward Iran after he is sworn in Jan. 20, after he discusses it with his security team.
"I have said in the past during the course of the campaign that Iran is a genuine threat to U.S. national security," Obama said. "But I have also said that we should be willing to initiate diplomacy as a mechanism to achieve our national security goals."
Blagojevich: House vote 'not a surprise'
CHICAGO, Jan. 9 (UPI) -- The Illinois House vote to impeach Gov. Rod Blagojevich didn't' surprise the embattled governor who said Friday's action has been percolating for a while.
"The House's action today was not a surprise," a defiant Blagojevich said in Chicago, reacting to the 114-1 vote and reiterating his innocence. "It happened kind of fast. But, again, (it was) kind of expected."
The House Special Investigative Committee voted 21-0 Thursday to accuse Blagojevich of a series of alleged efforts to secure personal gain or campaign contributions in exchange for official acts. Among the acts were his alleged effort to sell the U.S. Senate seat vacated by President-elect Barack Obama to the highest bidder and alleged demands that the Chicago Tribune fire members of its editorial board in exchange for state assistance in the sale of the Chicago Cubs. The committee also cited his multimillion-dollar purchase of flu vaccine that federal officials would not allow into the country and his expansion of a state health insurance program despite the Legislature's opposition.
Blagojevich addressed some of the articles of impeachment, healthcare-related causes from his to efforts to expand a prescription drug program for senior citizens, and a breast- and cervical-cancer exam efforts for uninsured women.
"So the House's action today and the causes of the impeachment are because I've done things to fight for families" some of whom were on state with him, he said. The governor vowed to "fight this every step of the way," saying, "I am not guilty of any criminal wrongdoing."
He nudged the House for its inaction on a foreclosure relief bill already passed by the state Senate.
"I would suggest that while they're busy trying to throw me out of office, they may actually want to stop families from being thrown out of their homes," he said.
Former aide brands Blagojevich incapable
SPRINGFIELD, Ill., Jan. 9 (UPI) -- A former senior adviser to Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich has branded him unable or unwilling to serve properly as governor, officials said Friday.
The state House of Representatives voted 114-1 to impeach Blagojevich Friday.
In a 9-page letter to the House special committee that unanimously recommended his impeachment, Bob Arya, who resigned from the administration in October, urged "an independent psychological evaluation" of the governor. He said it was "clear to anyone who has been around him that there is ample cause for such an extraordinary request."
The panel declined to agree to his request, the Springfield State Journal-Register said.
Arya painted a dismal portrait of his former boss, saying the governor rarely showed up at his Chicago office, was "violently unpredictable" and often used foul language on the phone from home.
He said Blagojevich had presidential aspirations but little interest in governing duties such as acting on clemency petitions.
"Rod dislikes Barack Obama because Barack is living the life Rod envisioned for himself," Arya said.
Arya, 40, was a longtime Chicago television reporter who joined the administration in November 2006 as an adviser to the governor. He left that post a little more than a year later because "the situation became so bad."
Ill. high court rejects, helps Burris
SPRINGFIELD, Ill., Jan. 9 (UPI) -- Illinois' high court ruled Friday Roland Burris did not need the signature of the state secretary of state to take his U.S. Senate seat.
At the same time, the court said the secretary of state had no obligation to certify Burris' appointment to the Senate.
Burris was appointed to the empty Senate seat of President-elect Barack Obama by Gov. Rod Blagojevich. But Blagojevich has been charged in federal court with, among other counts, trying to sell the vacant seat for personal gain. Burris has not been implicated in the charges.
However, U.S. Senate leaders have been reluctant to seat Burris because of the Blagojevich charges, citing among other things the refusal of the state Secretary of State Jesse White to sign the appointment document.
Burris had asked the Illinois Supreme Court to issue a writ forcing White to sign the document.
But in the opinion issued Friday, the state high court said, "Because the secretary of state had no duty under (state law) to sign and affix the state seal to the document issued by the governor appointing Roland Burris to the United States Senate, (Burris and fellow petitioners) are not entitled to an order from this court requiring the secretary to perform those acts."
The court pointed out that under "the (state) Secretary of State Act, the secretary's sole responsibility was to register the appointment ... which he did. No further action is required by the secretary of state or any other official to make the governor's appointment of Roland Burris to the United States Senate valid under Illinois law."
However, "Where the issuance of a (secretary of state) commission is not made by law a necessary part of the appointment, the appointment is complete when the appointing officer makes his choice."
The opinion added that "no provision of law makes issuance of a commission necessary for the validity of a gubernatorial appointee to a United States Senate vacancy, no commission was required by law to effectuate the appointment of Mr. Burris to the United States Senate."
Petreaus says more Iraq withdrawals soon
WASHINGTON, Jan. 9 (UPI) -- Gen. David Petreaus, head of the Central Command of the U.S. Army, says there soon could be further reduction of American troops in Iraq.
Petreaus told reporters in Washington that progress made in Iraq may be less fragile and more durable than he had estimated six months ago, further indicating a speed-up in troop withdrawals, The Voice of America reported.
"In so many respects this coming year is a year of transition," he said, "not just with the security agreement but also our forces will transform into a support, advisory, assistance role over the course of the year ahead, as we are also reducing the numbers of our forces."
Petreaus declined to answer directly when asked if he thinks he can meet President-elect Barrack Obama's 16-month timeline for a U.S. troop withdrawal from Iraq. He said only that more reductions are on the way soon.
"We have gone from 20 ground maneuver brigade combat teams down to 14," he said. "There are additional recommendations that we're examining right now that in the weeks ahead will probably surface. And we'll see where we go from there."
