Taken by surprise was Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., incoming chairwoman of the Select Senate Intelligence Committee.
"I was not informed about the selection of Leon Panetta to be the CIA director. I know nothing about this, other than what I've read. My position has consistently been that I believe the agency is best-served by having an intelligence professional in charge at this time," Feinstein said in a written statement.
Senior Democratic sources told FOX News Feinstein had put forward the name of Steven Kappes, a career officer at the CIA.
FOX News has learned that outgoing Intelligence Committee Chairman Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va., does not approve of the Panetta pick either. Rockefeller, according to one official, also put forward Kappes for CIA chief.
Sen. Kit Bond, the top Republican on the Intelligence Committee, released a statement saying he would "be looking hard at Panetta's intelligence expertise and qualifications."
Based on a handful of conversations among those linked to the intelligence community, Panetta's name was not on any of the watch lists circulating in Washington. Some of those who spoke with FOX News noted that if confirmed, Panetta, 70, will become the oldest person to become CIA director, a position considered to be extremely rigorous.
They also noted that since Panetta served as chief of staff for Clinton, he will surely face questions about the Clinton administration terror policy and what critics saw as "dropping the ball" in the 1990s.
If confirmed, the move will be another sign that the Obama administration is trying to make a "clean break" from what they have described as the Bush administration's heavy counter-terror policies over intelligence-gathering.
A senior U.S. intelligence official noted that Hayden has increased morale at the CIA to its highest in years, the mission has a clear focus and successes notable.
Playing offense against terrorists and countering weapons proliferation are among those successes. Those efforts have saved lives and helped keep the country safe, the official said. Hayden has done a lot of good over there at the CIA. If in fact that is the decision that has been made, he will have left the place in far better shape than he found it, the official added.
The search for Obama's new CIA chief had been stalled since November, when John Brennan, Obama's transition intelligence adviser, abruptly withdrew his name from consideration. Brennan said his potential nomination had sparked outrage among civil rights and human rights groups, who argued that he had not been outspoken enough in his condemnation of President Bush's policies.
Since when do leftwing douchebags have a say in our Intel community. If thats not troubling to everybody, I don't know what is. These people don't understand the threat nor the world we live in.
