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Sources: Obama to Appoint Navy Adm. Blair as New National Intelligence Head
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ShareDecember 18, 2008 7:20 PM
ABC News' Jonathan Karl reports: Democratic sources tell ABC News that Barack Obama will appoint retired Navy Adm. Dennis Blair to be the nation's top intelligence official, replacing Michael McConnell as the director of National Intelligence.
Before he retired from the Navy as a four-star Admiral in 2002, Blair served as the top U.S. military official in the Pacific. He's also served as the director of the Joint Staff in the Pentagon and in various capacities at the National Security Council and the CIA.
The sources say Obama is also seriously considering keeping Mike Hayden as the director of the Central Intelligence Agency, but caution no final decision has been made. Keeping Hayden as CIA director would be a controversial move because of the CIA's policies on the interrogation of terrorist suspects, although Hayden was not at the CIA when the most controversial tactic -- waterboarding -- was used on three CIA detainees.
Two weeks ago, Obama had a lengthy briefing from Hayden on the CIA's covert programs. According to a Democratic source, the two-hour briefing went well. Although Hayden's future was not discussed, the source said Obama "felt comfortable" with Hayden.
December 18, 2008 | Permalink | User Comments (16)
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Has anyone even bothered to check if this man supports gay marriage? Hello? We all know that if Admiral Blair doesn't support gay marriage then he'll be unable to function adequately as the National Intelligence Head. Let's stop worries about such trivial issues as his military record and get down to what is paramount: whether or not he supports gay marriage.
Posted by: TPH3000 | Dec 18, 2008 8:07:30 PM
Thanks for clarifying in the headline that it's a Navy Admiral. I might have gotten confused and thought it would be an Air Force or Army Admiral. Great work, ABC.
Posted by: STepper | Dec 18, 2008 8:07:43 PM
FYI, not all Admirals are in the Navy. The Coast Guard has many Admirals as well.
Posted by: Art Taylor | Dec 18, 2008 8:41:36 PM
GAY MARRIAGE SUPPORTER! What a ridiculous qualification. Chances are that if he is - he will lack the support of the troops! And the intelligence agencies will be a headless monster.
Posted by: Sgtsavage | Dec 18, 2008 9:18:07 PM
What difference does it make if he supports gay marriage? What we need is someone who is comfortable with sending men into back alleys, desert tents and executive suites to steal the secrets we need to stay ahead of the enemy. Intelligence is about learning what the other guy doesn't want you to know. Stop all this stuff about hand holding, respect for others, and singing Kumbaya in the world market place. There is room for all that but not in the intelligence gathering business.
Posted by: Arch in SC | Dec 18, 2008 10:30:32 PM
Good choice. Obama's lucky to get him.
Posted by: Arizona | Dec 18, 2008 11:21:51 PM
Whether he supports gay marriage? Keep your gayness at home where it belongs. No one cares about you being gay or gay marriage. The Navy, National Intelligence Agency etc is not a San Francisco bath house. Get off the crack and get a life.
Posted by: Rick Rocker | Dec 18, 2008 11:33:49 PM
Another excellent pick, although I think Obama should drop Hayden if he wants to really turn things around.
Posted by: Jerry Lee Lewis | Dec 19, 2008 12:07:25 AM
Who cares about gays? I don't. Why even bring it up? Gay people make the best neighbors.
Posted by: Iraq Vet | Dec 19, 2008 12:28:26 AM
Who cares about partner choices when heading up an Intellgence Agency? What century are we in??? Intellect does NOT depend on life style choices. Give me a break.
Posted by: So Tired | Dec 19, 2008 1:43:33 AM
Goodness, sarcasm is lost on you lot, isn't it? TPH3000 dear, LOL.
Posted by: Question | Dec 19, 2008 4:17:52 AM
Obama has been cageey because he waited ubtil the last minute to add the ones who are most important to his plans.
Posted by: olin tucker | Dec 19, 2008 5:14:14 AM
Hayden, McConnell, and Blair are all about spying and have been. None of the above have any qualms about spending billions of dollars on building the biggest spy network in the world. The above have the biggest and fastest spy computers, are building bigger and better, they are even building software that will know every thing about us to analyze us and know what our thoughts are. The are also considering cyberwarfare. If you ever watched the last Die Hard, you may understand what that is all about. if you watched Terminator, that may happen, all because the U.S.-China-Israel-India, etc want to spy on each other, spy on their people, and control people. Enemy of the State? There are no controls on these spy people - anywhere. This blog is being picked up and analyzed. That's okay. I'm about restraint and non partisanship. I am not a danger.
Posted by: clancy49 | Dec 19, 2008 6:01:38 AM
The last minute? Dude, it's 12/19/08 - he still has a MONTH before he's officially President.
At this point in his President elect period, Bill Clinton was still partying up a storm. Obama is way, way, WAY ahead of any President in recent memory when it comes to preparation. The guy is Not President Yet, but people are acting like he IS, because they so desperately want him to take over NOW.
Which, for all the Bush lovers, has to be the most humiliating aspect to this process.
Posted by: K | Dec 19, 2008 6:05:14 AM
I think it is best, if Obama Appoint normal Admirals and people for any inteligence work or positions.
Posted by: Sam | Dec 19, 2008 8:03:32 PM
Gee, another politician and school-boy guy who has never fired so much as a Daisy BB Gun!!!
Dennis Blair is the John M. Shalikashvili Chair in National Security Studies at The National Bureau of Asian Research.
- Shalikashvili = STRIKE ONE
A Rhodes Scholar, majoring in Russian studies at Oxford University, during the same time future president Bill Clinton studied there. He served as a White House Fellow from 1975 to 1976 with Wesley Clark
= strikes 2, 3, 4 and 5!!!
Another "Perfumed Prince" in the grand Clinton tradition.
So much for "change".
Posted by: The Reaper | Dec 22, 2008 4:15:28 AM
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