Feingold, Roberts Back Panetta for CIA

Leon Panetta, expected to be named President-elect Obama’s CIA director, received support on Tuesday from two senators who know about intelligence: Sens. Russ Feingold (D-Wis.) and Pat Roberts (R-Kan.).

Feingold, a member of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, said he was pleased by reports that Panetta would be tapped for the spy agency post.

“These reports indicate that President-elect Obama recognizes the need for fresh leadership for the intelligence community,” he said in a statement. “Leon Panetta has a long and distinguished career in public service and there are few people of whom I have a higher opinion. He has been a strong voice opposing the interrogation practices authorized by the Bush Administration and he is well-equipped to restore our national security, which has been undermined by the current administration