Thursday, January 08, 2009

Leon Panetta - Obama's Choice for CIA Chief - Attached to His Italian Roots

The ANNOTICO Report

Mr Panetta, 70, is the American-born son of Italian immigrants from Calabria. His father Carmelo worked in a copper mine in Wyoming before moving to Monterey in California, where he set up a restaurant. Panetta speaks both Italian, and the Calabrian dialect.

Leon Panetta Attached to His Italian Roots

London Times Online

Richard Owen in Rome

January 7, 2009

Leon Panetta, named by the US President-elect Barack Obama to head the CIA, speaks Calabrian dialect, according to his cousin.

Domenico Panetta, former mayor of Siderno in Calabria, said that when his cousin Leon rose to be chief of staff to President Bill Clinton, "I went to see him at the White House and we understood each other perfectly both in our local dialect and in Italian - but not so much in English, which I don't speak too well".

He added: ''Leon is very attached culturally to our home town. He told me he missed it dearly and wanted to visit again the place his family came from. But he has always been too busy to do so. Maybe in his new job he'll be able to come to Europe and to Italy and even visit us in Calabria. That would be really nice".

Mr Panetta was elected to Congress, serving in the House of Representatives from 1977 to 1993 before becoming Mr Clinton's chief of staff in 1994, a post he held for three years. His cousin said he was not surprised that Mr Obama had chosen him to be CIA director.

''Because of his political, cultural and human qualities I knew he would get a top-ranking appointment," Mr Panetta said.....

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/article5461941.ece

Also reported by From Ed Henry, CNN

Obama to name Panetta to lead CIA

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Leon Panetta, chief of staff in President Bill Clinton's White House, will be President-elect Barack Obama's choice to be CIA director...

Leon Panetta, who has a strong background in economics, was chief of staff for President Bill Clinton....

Panetta, 70, has had a long political career, beginning in 1966 when he served as a legislative assistant to U.S. Sen. Thomas H. Kuchel. R-California.

He was elected to the House of Representatives in 1977, serving California's 16th (now 17th) District until Clinton appointed him to head the Office of Budget and Management in 1993. He was chief of staff from 1994 to 1997.

Panetta and his wife, Sylvia, founded and co-direct the Leon and Sylvia Panetta Institute for Public Policy at California State University, which provides study opportunities for students there and at several other schools. He serves on several boards and committees, and lectures internationally on economics.

With a strong background in economics, Panetta has little hands-on experience in intelligence. But he is known as a strong manager with solid organizational skills....

Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon. a senior member of the Intelligence Committee, said "I believe he has the skills to usher in a new era of accountability at the nation's premier intelligence agency, "For too long our nation's intelligence community has operated under a policy of questionable effectiveness and legality in which consulting two members of the Senate Intelligence Committee counted as 'consulting with Congress.' ",,,

Rep. Pete Hoekstra, the ranking Republican on the House Intelligence Committee, ...spokesman said that Hoekstra "has called for a new direction and a change in the culture a the CIA for some time."....

http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/01/05/panetta.cia/?iref=hpmostpop

The ANNOTICO Reports Can be Viewed (With Archives) on

Italia USA: www.ItaliaUSA.com [Formerly Italy at St Louis]