http://rawstory.com/08/news/2009/08/02/panetta-rea...
CIA director and Democratic appointee Leon Panetta, in an article published Sunday, said Democrats must recognize the “reality†of 9/11 is what drove the conduct of George W. Bush administration in the months following September 11, 2001, which somehow justifies not looking into suspected crimes.
He added, in an apparent warning to the House Intelligence Committee, that that “focusing on the past†could hurt the CIA’s core mission amid a climate of recriminations over its practices.
“I’ve become increasingly concerned that the focus on the past, especially in Congress, threatens to distract the CIA from its crucial core missions: intelligence collection, analysis and covert action,†Panetta opined in the online edition of The Washington Post.
He says: “The time has come for both Democrats and Republicans to take a deep breath and recognize the reality of what happened after Sept. 11, 2001. The question is not the sincerity or the patriotism of those who were dealing with the aftermath of Sept. 11. The country was frightened, and political leaders were trying to respond as best they could. Judgments were made. Some of them were wrong. But that should not taint those public servants who did their duty pursuant to the legal guidance provided. The last election made clear that the public wanted to move in a new direction.â€