Alums chosen to lead Obama agencies: Panetta

By Tom Sullivan

Santa Clara Professor Leon Panetta is reported to be President-elect Barack Obama's nominee for director of the Central Intelligence Agency.

Panetta, who served as former President Bill Clinton's chief of staff from 1994 to 1997, was leaked Monday as the choice by Democratic officials, according to The New York Times.

The director of the Leon and Sylvia Panetta Institute for Public Policy graduated from Santa Clara with a bachelor's degree in political science and then went on to get his Juris Doctorate at Santa Clara.

Panetta has taught the course studies in public policy every fall since 1997, according to Janet Flammang, chairperson of the political sciences department.

"He's very unassuming," she said. "In fact, the last time I saw him, I saw him outside at a table. And I asked him if he wanted an office, and he said, 'It's okay. I'm fine here.'"

Christopher Wooley, a former student of Panetta's, said his experience in public policy was useful in the classroom.

"He's one of the few professors who really has a lot of real world experiences," Wooley said. "He's very committed to public service and a really great guy to learn from."

Panetta did not respond to interview requests via e-mail.

He served as first lieutenant in the United States Army from 1964 to 1966, and went on to represent California's 16th district in the House of Representatives from 1977 to 1993.

During his time in Congress he was called on for his skills in operating an efficient budget, as evidenced by the key role he played in the budget summit of 1990.

His foreign policy experience includes service on the Iraq Study Group that was formed in 2006, as well as participation in intelligence briefings during his time as Chief of Staff.

Early in Panetta's political career, he had to make a difficult decision regarding the application of civil rights laws in the south in the early 1970s. He chose to push for the enforcement of laws, even though it was not necessarily the most popular choice with Southern whites, like South Carolina Senator Strom Thurmond.

His nomination has been met with some resistance from officials. Senator Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., the new chairperson of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said she doesn't believe Panetta's background is right for this position.

Feinstein, who would oversee any confirmation hearing for Panetta, issued a statement that signaled clear disapproval and said she had not been notified about the choice.

"My position has consistently been that I believe the agency is best served by having an intelligence professional in charge at this time," Feinstein told The New York Times on Tuesday.

Panetta has said that his education at Santa Clara has continued to influence his life and career.

"In politics there has to be a line beyond which you don't go -- the line that marks the difference between right and wrong, what your conscience tells you is right," Panetta said, according to the Santa Clara Law Web site.

"Too often people don't know where the line is. My family, how I was raised, my education at SCU, all reinforced my being able to see that line."

Contact Tom Sullivan at tsullivan@scu.edu.