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Could someone without intelligence experience effectively lead the United States' top spy agency, particularly in a time of war?

Two Democratic sources told CNN on Monday that President-elect Barack Obama will nominate longtime Washington power broker Leon Panetta to lead the Central Intelligence Agency.

The news provoked strong emotions in political and intelligence circles.

Michael Scheuer, a 22-year CIA analyst who worked in tracking Osama bin Laden, likened Panetta to a "political hack" Tuesday.

"He clearly has nothing on his curriculum vitae that suggests he should be the candidate for this job," Scheuer said. "It's not apparent he has any talent that is pertinent to the job."

Scheuer said Panetta's lack of experience could damage the agency and jeopardize national security.

"What Mr. Panetta's appointment says is that there's no urgency in the mind of the Obama administration that they think they can send somebody over there who can learn on the job and that the enemy will wait to attack us," he said.

But Panetta supporters describe him as a consummate manager and bipartisan Capitol Hill insider who gets things done without alienating people. The eight-term congressman also has decades of foreign policy experience and was part of the Iraq Study Group, whose recommendations led to changes in U.S. policy in the region.

Panetta, 70, also was director of President Bill Clinton's Office of Management and Budget.

Although he had not officially nominated Panetta, Obama on Tuesday praised his long service in Washington. "I have the utmost respect for Leon Panetta," Obama told reporters. "[He has] an impeccable record of integrity as chief of staff [under Bill Clinton]..."

Vice President-elect Joe Biden agreed. "I think Leon Panetta is totally qualified for this job. He's been a consumer of intelligence for a long time. He was chief of staff. He understands the agency well," Biden said, adding that the CIA's credibility has suffered in the wake of faulty intelligence on Iraq and other issues. "What the agency needs now is a strong figure who understands how it functions and is going to take it up on a new path..."

But former CIA official Robert Grenier is also skeptical of the nomination. Grenier was once the CIA station chief in Islamabad, Pakistan, where he helped plan covert operations in support of the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan and is now with the investigative firm Kroll.

"This is somebody who seems to be coming in from left field. ... I think he has a lot of wisdom based on experience, but this is not someone who really has been in the foreign policy or intelligence game, so I think it took a lot of people by surprise," Grenier said.

It's going to be difficult for Panetta "to get a running start" with a job that requires him to "speak in that elite forum with a great deal of credibility right from the start," he said.

"I think there is probably a lot that he can learn in a short amount of time, but this is someone who really doesn't know very much about the game as it is currently being played," Grenier said. "And I think that is a particular deficit at this period in time because the CIA is not just being called on to inform policy, the CIA is carrying out policy, particularly in the terrorism field."

Criticism on Capitol Hill concerning Panetta was swift Monday evening.

"Job number one at the CIA is to track down and stop terrorists. In a post-9/11 world, intelligence experience would seem to be a prerequisite for the job of CIA director," said Republican Sen. Christopher Bond of Missouri, vice chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee.

Democrat Sen. Dianne Feinstein, the incoming chairwoman of that committee, bristled when she learned about Panetta's nomination from the media Monday.

"My position has consistently been that I believe the agency is best-served by having an intelligence professional in charge at this time," the California senator said.

On Tuesday afternoon, she issued a statement saying that Obama and Biden explained to her why they chose Panetta -- though she didn't detail that reason. "I look forward to speaking with Mr. Panetta about the critical issues facing the intelligence community and his plans to address them," the statement read.

But advocates of the nomination say the CIA could use an intelligence outsider for practical reasons that shouldn't be underestimated.

Robert Baer wrote a piece in Time magazine praising the nomination. Baer, who had a storied career with the CIA as an operative in the Middle East for decades, is popularly known for having inspired the film "Syriana," which is based on his book "See No Evil."

When Barkley was arrested in Scottsdale, Ariz., early Wednesday after running a stop sign, the former NBA forward allegedly told the officer: "You want to know the truth? I was gonna drive around the corner and get a b--- j--," according to the notes in the incident report.

Barkley was pulled over in Scottsdale's Old Town area on New Year's Eve and submitted to a blood test administered by the Gilbert Police Department.

"I am disappointed that I put myself in that situation," Barkley said Wednesday in a statement to The Associated Press. "The Scottsdale police were fantastic. Now it is a legal matter and I will not comment further until it is resolved."

The 45-year-old Barkley, now an NBA television commentator, failed standard field sobriety tests after the officer smelled alcohol on him, and he was arrested.

After Barkley was processed, he was cited and released. His car was impounded and he left in a cab, Gilbert police Lt. Eric Shuhandler said. Police described Barkley as cooperative, adding it is customary to release people after an arrest on suspicion of DUI.

"There was nothing unusual about how he was taken into custody," Shuhandler said. "He was treated exactly like we treat anybody else."

According to the incident report, Barkley was "cordial and respectful" with officers during processing, telling them about the alleged rendezvous with a woman who was a passenger in the NBA star's vehicle. He told the officer at the police station that one week prior she had done the act and according to the officer "it was the best one he had ever had in his life."

He also promised to get a civilian employee at the department's name tattooed "on my ass" if they could help get him out of the DUI charge.