Leon Panetta's editorial in the Washington Post is not a classic case of What Not To Read- as CIA Director, there is something inherently valuable in what Panetta says.  Neither is his argument filled with disingenuity, untruths, or the shoddy research that is standard for this category.

Still, Panetta's argument against investigating the CIA's past, and simply moving on, is wrong:

"I've become increasingly concerned that the focus on the past, especially in Congress, threatens to distract the CIA from its crucial core missions: intelligence collection, analysis and covert action."

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It will never be a good time to reform our intelligence services.  But it is necessary, and it won't happen overnight.  Without reestablishing proper oversight over our practices, we risk repeating the same mistakes, as we have since the CIA's inception. 

Leon Panetta has one of the toughest jobs in U.S. government, and he deserves sympathy.  He had no part in creating the mess that U.S. intelligence community is in.  But Obama chose a politician for this job for a reason.  He needs to work to restore faith in America's clandestine service, both in Congress and amongst the American people.  The way to do that is not by closing the book on the past.

- Jon