Former CIA man pulls out of running for Obama job

A CIA veteran of the "war on terror" who was being lined up to run the US spy agency, has abruptly withdrawn his name from consideration for the Obama administration.

In another development, it emerged that George Bush's Defence Secretary Robert Gates will remain at the Pentagon. The first order he will get from the next commander-in-chief is to arrange an orderly withdrawal form Iraq.

John Brennan's role directing the CIA's network of secret "black site" prisons and his support for the "extraordinary rendition" of suspects subsequently tortured in other countries, made him an unacceptable candidate in the eyes of Mr Obama's supporters.

Mr Brennan's sudden withdrawal is a rare reversal for the smoothly working Obama transition team. He had already been vetted by Mr Obama's team and was recruiting his own deputies when opposition to his appointment suddenly flared up. After behind-the-scenes pressure, Mr Brennan wrote to President-elect Obama saying he did not want to create a "distraction" for the incoming administration.

Mr Brennan's role in preparing wildly erroneous intelligence about Saddam Hussein's weapons of mass destruction before the war in Iraq was expected to come up at confirmation hearings. He was also an advocate of "enhanced interrogation techniques," which human rights advocates have branded as torture. Mr Brennan has also drawn criticism for his role in the secret wiretapping of US citizens.

Mr Brennan rejected criticism of the role he played in the spy agency, saying in his letter to Mr Obama, he was a "strong opponent" of the use of torture, including waterboarding, by the CIA.

Melvin Goodman, a retired CIA intelligence analyst, had lambasted Mr Obama for relying on "discredited cronies" such as Mr Brennan who was chief of staff and deputy executive director under the former CIA chief George Tenet. Now in private business, Mr Brennan is CEO of a company, one of whose contract employees improperly accessed both Mr Obama's and John McCain's passport files during the election campaign.

Mr Obama's national security team will nonetheless be top-heavy with retired generals and other foreign policy hardliners when it is unveiled to the public next week.

The new national security adviser is expected to be the retired Marine General, James Jones. He was previously commander of US and NATO forces in Europe. Retired Navy Admiral Dennis Blair is expected to be announced as Mr Obama's Director of National Intelligence. The appointment of Hillary Clinton as Secretary of State is also expected to be formalised next week. Susan Rice who was Mr Obama's senior foreign policy adviser during his campaign is expected to be named Ambassador to the United Nations. All the appointments need confirmation by Congress, but there is already wide bipartisan support for Mr Obama's new team.

The influence of the national security adviser depends on the president and Gen Jones has apparently insisted on – and received – a commanding role. That could put him at odds with Mrs Clinton who had also received assurances that she too will have direct access to President Obama.

David Axelrod Mr Obama's senior adviser pointed out on Sunday that "The president-elect was clear throughout the campaign that when he became president, that he was going to give the secretary of defence a new mission, and that mission was going to be to wind down our involvement. Nothing has changed."

* A number of high-profile criminals are hoping there will be a final rush of pardons during George Bush's last hours in the White House. Among those who have appealed to the president, is junk bond dealer Michael Milken, who committed securities fraud. The so-called "American Taliban" John Walker Lindh is also seeking clemency.