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CIA Chief Provides Economic Intel Brief
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ShareFebruary 25, 2009 10:22 PM
ABC News' Luis Martinez reports: Highlighting the potential impact the worldwide economic downturn may have on global security and foreign policy, new CIA Director Leon Panetta said today that the agency is now producing a new daily intelligence document for President Obama and other top officials that focuses on economic issues.
Panetta says the new intelligence product, known as the Economic Intelligence Brief, is intended to make sure that policymakers "aren't surprised by the implications of the worldwide economic crisis."
The first brief was presented to the White House this morning, after a request from the Obama administration, Panetta said.
He said the briefs would "cover overseas developments –- economic, political, leadership developments," as well as "the implications of those developments in terms of the U.S. economy."
The new intelligence brief is another sign of the Obama administration’s focus on economic issues.
Since his first day in office, Obama has received daily briefings from his economic advisers that take place before the long-standard security briefing focused on the intelligence community's daily assessment, known as the Presidential Daily Brief.
In a wide-ranging session with reporters at CIA headquarters in McLean, Va., Panetta said the economic recession was having an impact on China and European countries and that there was particular concern for the economic stability of Argentina, Ecuador and Argentina.
With regards to the war on terror, Panetta said "nothing has changed" the CIA's efforts to go after terrorists "and nothing will change those efforts ... none of that has diminished and none of it will."
In a veiled reference to air strikes from CIA Predator drones in Pakistan's tribal border regions, Panetta said al Qaeda has suffered "key setbacks in recent months." Without directly addressing the air strikes, Panetta referred to successful "operational efforts ... going after members of al Qaeda" that have the support of President Obama and are probably "the most effective weapon we have to try to disrupt al Qaeda right now."
Panetta would not provide details about reports that North Korea is preparing to launch a long-range missile, beyond noting Pyongyang's public statement that the country plans to launch a satellite in the near future. He said, however, that the agency would be paying "a great deal of attention" to the possibility of a missile launch.
Much as he did during his swear-in ceremony last Thursday, Panetta pledged to provide "honest and straight" intelligence "not impacted by partisan views," a criticism of how the Bush administration handled intelligence in the run-up to the invasion of Iraq in 2003.
February 25, 2009 | Permalink | User Comments (5)
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Yep, it is going to be interesting. It is about time the CIA spilled the beans. Ron Paul said this a year ago.
Posted by: Huh | Feb 25, 2009 10:55:49 PM
{Panetta referred to successful "operational efforts ... going after members of al Qaeda" that have the support of President Obama and are probably "...}.
The author could have worded this somewhat differently.
A reader might make a mistake and assume that certain al Qaeda have the the support of President Obama- which I'm sure wasn't the meaning of that sentence.
Also, why no mention of the violence and instability of MEXICO, which is a lot closer than the other countries we are meddling in!
Posted by: Albert | Feb 26, 2009 3:43:12 PM
So sending a U.S. army into Mexico would be all right...because they're closer? Oooh, I see. But, the first two times the U.S. did that it was racist and imperialist? Libs need to sort out their historical-political dialogue. Not only is it tiresome, it's rather confusing and smacks of Nineteen-Eighty Four Newspeak.
Posted by: RR GOP | Feb 28, 2009 10:08:44 AM
I never said it was racist when the US sent troops into Mexico (whether it was during the Mexican War or later to go after malcontents like Pancho Villa.) In fact we should pull troops out of the other countries and put them on our border with Mexico. I don't think we should invade Mexico but just keep the illegals, drug people, kidnappers, and criminals out of the USA.
Posted by: Albert | Mar 1, 2009 5:34:15 PM
Another Obama crook appointed to high office:
The Obama administration has picked Charles “Chas” Freeman to head its National Intelligence Council, which analyzes intel data and issues the NIEs that have created controversy and impacted American policy. However, as Eli Lake reports, the administration apparently never noticed Freeman’s connections to foreign governments when it chose Chas. Freeman has LONGSTANDING FINANCIAL TIES TO THE SAUDIS, and ONCE COMPLAINED THAT THE CHINESE DIDN’T ACT QUICKLY ENOUGH TO OPPRESS THE TIANANMEN SQUARE PROTESTS:
---An independent inspector general will look into the foreign financial ties of Chas W. Freeman Jr., the Obama administration’s pick to serve as chairman of the group that prepares the U.S. intelligence community’s most sensitive assessments, according to three congressional aides.
The director of national intelligence, Dennis C. Blair, last Thursday named Mr. Freeman, a veteran former diplomat, to the chairmanship of the National Intelligence Council, known inside the government as the NIC. In that job, Mr. Freeman will have access to some of America’s most closely guarded secrets and be charged with overseeing the drafting of the consensus view of all 16 intelligence agencies.
His selection was praised by some who noted his articulateness and experience as U.S. ambassador to Saudi Arabia and a senior envoy to China and other nations. But it sparked concerns among some members of Congress from both parties, who asked the Office of the Director of National Intelligence’s inspector general, Edward McGuire, to investigate Mr. Freeman’s potential conflicts of interest.---
Posted by: carl | Mar 5, 2009 12:43:59 PM
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