Leon E Panetta, a former Congressman and White House chief of staff, has been selected by President-elect Barack Obama to head the Central Intelligence Agency. The choice, disclosed on Monday by Democratic officials, revealed divisions in the party as two senior lawmakers questioned why Obama would nominate a candidate with limited experience in intelligence matters.

Democratic officials said Obama had selected Panetta for his managerial skills, his bipartisan standing, and the foreign policy and budget experience he gained under President Clinton. Some Democrats expressed support for the choice, with Harry Reid, the Senate majority leader, describing him as “one of the finest public servants I have ever served with... since he left the White House.” But Panetta, 70, was also described as an unusual choice to head the CIA.

The news was disclosed by Democratic officials, and neither Obama nor his office has commented publicly .

Among the lawmakers who expressed skepticism about the choice was Senator Dianne Feinstein, Democrat of California and the chairwoman of the Senate Intelligence Committee. Feinstein, who would oversee confirmation hearing for Panetta said, “My position has been that I believe the agency is best served by having an intelligence professional in charge at this time,” she said. Another Democrat, Senator John D Rockefeller IV of West Virginia, chairman of the Intelligence Committee, shares her concerns.

The skepticism might be an obstacle to the nomination of Panetta, who would succeed Michael V Hayden, a former Air Force general with decades of intelligence experience.

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