The Washington Independent

Posts Tagged steve kappes

Amazing What A Phone Call Can Accomplish

By | 01.07.09 | 5:45 pm

Personally, I hate using the phone and look forward to the day when text-based communications replace phone calls as a matter of course. But last night aspiring CIA director Leon Panetta called Sen. Dianne Feinstein — she called him back, so there was a bit of phone tag — and More…

CQ: CIA Operations Folks Dissatisfied With Panetta

By | 01.07.09 | 8:25 am

My CIA sources on Monday were surprised but not so dismayed by the news that Leon Panetta is President-elect Barack Obama’s choice to head the agency. Jeff Stein’s CIA sources yesterday? Much more dismayed.

Writing in his CQ column, Jeff talks to veterans of the CIA’s operations directorate — the More…

Steve Kappes to Stay as CIA’s No. 2?

By | 01.07.09 | 6:42 am

Via Josh Marshall, Mark Mazzetti reports for The New York Times that Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s (D-Calif.) choice for CIA director, Steve Kappes, might remain deputy director as part of a plan to mollify the new chairwoman of the Senate Intelligence Committee ahead of confirmation hearings for President-elect Barack More…

Do We Really Have To Call Steve Kappes A Torturer?

By | 01.06.09 | 11:50 am

First Read reported that Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s (D-Calif.) choice for CIA director is current deputy director Steve Kappes. Kappes, unlike Leon Panetta, is a consummate intelligence professional. He played a key role in the nuclear disarmament of Libya, speaks Persian and Russian, and was purged by Porter Goss More…