Wow, Look At Leon Panetta Doing Something Right

In a surprise move, Obama-appointed CIA director Leon Panetta sent a message to all CIA employees: we didn't lie to Congress. He goes on to tell them to stay focused on their job, which is protecting the nation, and not get caught up in Nancy Pelosi's little web.

I never would have expected such a strong move from an Obama appointee. He wants the CIA to continue to "tell it like it is," even if some people do not agree. Here is the full memo:

"Message from the Director: Turning Down the Volume

There is a long tradition in Washington of making political hay out of our business. It predates my service with this great institution, and it will be around long after I’m gone. But the political debates about interrogation reached a new decibel level yesterday when the CIA was accused of misleading Congress.

Let me be clear: It is not our policy or practice to mislead Congress. That is against our laws and our values. As the Agency indicated previously in response to Congressional inquiries, our contemporaneous records from September 2002 indicate that CIA officers briefed truthfully on the interrogation of Abu Zubaydah, describing “the enhanced techniques that had been employed.” Ultimately, it is up to Congress to evaluate all the evidence and reach its own conclusions about what happened.

My advice — indeed, my direction — to you is straightforward: ignore the noise and stay focused on your mission. We have too much work to do to be distracted from our job of protecting this country.

We are an Agency of high integrity, professionalism, and dedication. Our task is to tell it like it is — even if that’s not what people always want to hear. Keep it up. Our national security depends on it."

Well played, sir.