Senate confirms Panetta as CIA chief

WASHINGTON, Feb. 12 (UPI) -- The U.S. Senate voted unanimously Thursday night to confirm former Rep. Leon Panetta, D-Calif., as head of the Central Intelligence Agency.

Panetta is the oldest director in the CIA's history, CNN reported. While he has extensive Washington experience from eight terms in Congress and stints as President Bill Clinton's budget director and chief of staff, he has no background in intelligence.

The Senate Intelligence Committee approved the nomination Wednesday.

"He has the integrity, the drive and the judgment to ensure that the CIA fulfills its mission of producing information critical to our national security without sacrificing our national values," Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., the committee chairwoman, said.

During Panetta's confirmation hearings, senators on both sides of the aisle seemed more concerned with his attitude toward waterboarding and rendition than his intelligence experience. Sen. Kit Bond, R-Mo., the ranking Republican on the committee, said he supported Panetta because Panetta said he would use all "lawful and appropriate means" to fight terrorism.