Dianne Feinstein Goes Rogue

And you thought Sarah Palin bit the hand that fed her! Democratic Senator Dianne Feinstein, of California, has positioned herself at odds with the leaders of her own party twice this week.

First, she publicly questioned Barack Obama's selection of Leon Panetta as CIA chief. Her official complaint was that he was unqualified for the position, which was fair considering that his experience with foreign intelligence is limited to ordering Chinese food for Bill Clinton. She was also somewhat miffed that Obama didn't give her a call to let her know about the choice - a major oversight, considering that she chairs the Senate Intelligence Committee. Obama called to apologize yesterday.

Also on Tuesday, Feinstein basically gave the finger to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid by stating that Roland Burris should be seated as a Senator, despite being suspected of buying the Senate seat from Rod Blagojevich for three cartons of cigarettes (very useful in jail).

It's unclear why Feinstein is bucking the Democratic leadership. She is widely thought to be considering a run for Governor of California in 2010, and this may be an effort to raise her profile. She also may just be a jerk - she's even proposed a ban on scalping Inauguration tickets, which was a major part of Obama's economic stimulus plan!

In other news, Feinstein has scheduled a press conference tomorrow at which she's expected to endorse Newt Gingrich for president in 2012.