Never in a million years would I have thought that choice would be former California Congressman and former Clinton White House Chief of Staff Leon Panetta.

Don't get me wrong, I have enormous respect for Panetta. He has been a voice of reason in this capital for many years, a lawmaker who actually thought compromise was a good idea.

But Panetta has no direct experience with the broader intelligence community.

Sure, he had contact with US intel when he was Chief of Staff, I'm sure. But he wasn't on the Intelligence Committee in Congress.

The move immediately drew negative reactions from the respective chairs of the House and Senate Intelligence Committees, as they let it be known they weren't consulted about the selection.

"My position has consistently been that I believe the Agency is best-served by having an intelligence professional in charge at this time," said Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) who chairs the Senate Intelligence panel.

It will be interesting to see how this plays out.