First on the inside baseball angle, it appears that some of the intel war horses, particularly in the Senate, are upset at the choice, and how it was made public.

Both Senators Feinstein^* the new Intel Committee chairman, and Rockefeller, the outgoing chairman, have strongly expressed reservations about the appointment, based largely on their feelings that he lacks the experience to handle the CIA.

Someone, probably on the one of the two Senators' staff, stated to NPR (I heard it on Morning Edition), that Leon Panetta was the least experienced appointment to head the CIA since John McCone in 1961.

That is not true.

A quick perusal of the DCIs gives a 1976 appointment who was significantly less experienced: 4 years in Congress, UN Ambassador, and Envoy to China before his appointment, as compared to Pannetta's 16 years in Congress, his chairmanship of the House Budget Committee, with heading the OMB, and serving as Clinton's chief of staff.

That relatively inexperienced DCI? George Herbert Walker Bush, who is still viewed with the affection that 6-year-olds reserve for Santa Clause among CIA old-timers.

What is interesting is that it appears that Feinstein^* and Rockefeller, were blind sided by this announcement, while relatively less senior Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR), was briefed and supports the decision, and this sentiment is mirrored by House intelligence committee chairman Silvestre Reyes and Rush Holt, Chairman of the House Select Intelligence Oversight Panel.

Additionally, you have Senators Pat Roberts Barbara Mikulski (scroll down), and Russ Feingold, , with Evan Bayh (true to form) waffling.

We are now hearing a sort of an apology by Joe Biden, "I'm still a Senate man and I always think this way: I think it's always good to talk to the requisite members of Congress," said Biden. "I think it was just a mistake," but it's a fairly perfunctory apology.

I do not think that this is an accident. We have a transition team that has professional OCD. They have a job application form that kills more trees than Paul Bunyan, and famously tight lips, people like this don't "forget" to notify the current and former Chairmen of the Senate Intel Committee.

This is Chicago style payback for something, and it has at least tacit approval from the top (PEBO).

So, they Rockefeller and Feinstein^* f^%$ed with Barack Obama over something, and now he's dropping something on them by way of lesson....It's not a piano, it's more like emptying a chamber pot on their heads.

Gee, I can't imagine what on earth they could have done to Barack Obama that would have thought that he was being messed with? I don't know, maybe something that had Keith Olbermann going special comment on him? Something like that disgraceful telco immunity bill that Rockefeller and Feinstein^* pushed so hard through the Senate?

We know that Obama voted for the bill, but it was painfully clear that this was not something that he wanted to deal with at that time, it being mere weeks after he cinched the nomination, and it was equally clear that it was a phenomenally bad bill.

Barack Obama, or someone very senior in his staff, believe that Rockefeller and Feinstein pushed the bill to cover their own posteriors. They are accessories to illegal wiretaps and torture, and while Congressional immunity may protect them, they would much rather not have to find out how a judge rules.

I think that this is why you have seen the meticulously botched roll-out of Leon Panetta: It's botched enough to turn the knife, but not botched enough prevent the nomination from leaving the Senate Intelligence committee.

Anyway, that's what I think. I could be wrong, and Atrios could be right:

It's about the club, insider knowledge and privilege, and, yes, crimes, criminals, and their enablers.

Gotta keep it in the family, otherwise who knows what might happen?

I'll post about what I think the bigger picture is in terms of what this means for the intelligence establishment later. (I actually find that bit more interesting.  I will be posting my thoughts about this at 40 Years in the Desert later today, and re-posting it here tomorrow.  I only post here once a day.)

^*Full disclosure, my great grandfather, Harry Goldman, and her grandfather, Sam Goldman were brothers.