President Barack Obama has approved creation of a new, special terrorism-era interrogation unit to be supervised by the White House. [snip]
[Deputy White House press secretary Bill] Burton said the unit will include "all these different elements under one group," and it said that it will be situated at the FBI headquarters in Washington. The unit would be led by an FBI official, with a deputy director from somewhere in the government's vast intelligence apparatus, and members from across agencies. It will be directly supervised by the White House.
This is...wrong.
UPDATE: I guess this endeavor ties in with this story:
WASHINGTON — As President Obama tries to turn around a summer of setbacks, he finds himself still without most of his own team. Seven months into his presidency, fewer than half of his top appointees are in place advancing his agenda.
Of more than 500 senior policymaking positions requiring Senate confirmation, just 43 percent have been filled...[snip]
While career employees or holdovers fill many posts on a temporary basis, Mr. Obama does not have his own people enacting programs central to his mission. He is trying to fix the financial markets but does not have an assistant treasury secretary for financial markets. He is spending more money on transportation than anyone since Dwight D. Eisenhower but does not have his own inspector general watching how the dollars are used. He is fighting two wars but does not have an Army secretary.
No one will convince me that this state of affairs isn't purposeful. He don't need no stinkin' delegation of authority, the way an experienced manager would.
He can do it all. Or let the Interrogation Czar do it.
If that phrase doesn't chill your blood, nothing will.
UPDATE: Panetta to step down as CIA head? Wouldn't you?
