Obama Still Mulling Over CIA/DNI

President-elect Barack Obama is still mulling over whom to appoint to his intelligence cabinet.

Published reports say Obama is considering Adm. Dennis Blair (ret)., for the supervisory post of Director of National Intelligence; As of last week, Blair's nomination was not a fait accompli, although he was still in the running, sources said; some human rights activists have transmitted their disapproval to Obama's team.  Intelligence types who don't have transition connections or insider information noted that the name leaked out at the same time as Obama was said to be considering Gen. James Jones (Ret.) for the post of national security adviser and Hillary Clinton for Secretary of State; when those two announcements were formalized, Blair was not introduced as a member of Obama's national security team.

Sources said that Ex-Rep. Tim Roemer, a former member of the House Intelligence Committee and a participant on key anti-terrorism commissioners, remains a top candidate for DNI, although it's not clear whether Roemer wants a government job. During the campaign, Roemer was a principal adviser to Obama on intelligence matters.

Last week, Roemer told reporters that it "could be" true that he was being vetting for a job; Blair told reporters that his appointment "was in the rumor stage."

Former CIA deputy executive director John Brennan had been the leading contender for the Langley job; he was pressured to withdraw from consideration because he was too closely linked to Bush Administration policies. Brennan still serves as a co-chair of Obama's intelligence policy review board.

Sources say that Obama's team is having trouble finding a potential CIA director who lacks politically incriminating links to controversial Bush Administration policies and yet commands the respect of the agency's rank and file.  Potential nominees include John Gannon, a Bush era Homeland Security official and Clinton-era intelligence officer and Jami Miscik, former chief of the CIA's directorate of analysis.  The New York Times reported that New York crisis management consultant Jack Devine, a former CIA chief of operations, is also a potential candidate.