
Former Congressman Pompeo of Kansas was selected by the President and finally received consent from the Senate by a vote of 66-32. He was sworn into his new job on Monday night and is now in the process of reviewing his charges and determining exactly what must be done to get the agency on track.
Pompeo's record would indicate a good selection since he is a graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point (firs in his class), served on active duty as a commissioned officer, graduated from Harvard Law and served on the Select Committee on Intelligence of the House of Representatives which gave him insight into the intelligence issues impacting our nation. He is analytical, smart and cool headed as seen during his confirmation hearings for his current position.
When asked by the newly elected Senator from California, Kamala Harris, if he would agree with his predecessor, William Brennan, that climate change was the biggest problem facing the CIA, he responded that it was his job to analyze intelligence data and insure that real information is sent to those who need it for decision-making. He said he wold leave the issue of climate change to those with the expertise to deal with it, but if he was asked to evaluate the impact of a climate change matter from information provided he would evaluate it. It was an appropriate answer to a question that should never have been asked, a question which would have been better suited to a nominee for the Environmental Protection Agency.
And that, in a nutshell, shows why Mike Pompeo will be an excellent Director of the CIA. He will manage the gathering and processing of real intelligence, not for an agenda or to support an ideology, but to keep America safe. As the last member of the intelligence triumvirate to be approved, following Jim Mattis for Defense and John Kelly for Homeland Security, he will work closely with those two superb professionals to keep America free.
Congratulations, Director Pompeo.