What do you make of Leon Panetta's comments on Barack Obama's leadership?

[Suburbia]

What is your opinion on former Defense Secretary's new book in which he attacks President Obama on ISIS and his leadership? Is Panetta being disloyal?

http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2014/10/06/leon-panetta-obama-has-lost-his-way-created-vacuum-for-islamic-state/

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/leon-panetta-criticizes-obama-for-iraq-withdrawal/

[○∙◄☻¥tπ[╪AV┼cVê└]

Panetta thought that the Iraq war had something to do with 9/11. His criticizing Obama makes Obama look better.

[anvi]

So, Leon Panetta now thinks that a "30 years war" is something to be modeled?  Well, in terms of his criticisms, there is freedom of speech in the U.S., so he can say and write whatever he wants whenever he wants--doesn't bother me.  I'd fully agree that Obama has "lost his way" on this matter--but in the opposite direction that Penetta indicates.  

Is there any scale that can accurately measure the terrible learning curve the U.S. political leadership has?  We go to Iraq to remove someone we think a terrible leader and a threat (even though he wasn't threatening us at the time); we spend about a decade there with relatively penny ante forces, who we put in maximum danger there by not sending enough support, and go broke in the process to boot; we lend support to the wrong political factions who suppresses large portions of the populous when they govern; by the time we leave, we end up with a worse bunch threatening to take over the place than the guy we went to get rid of.  And the solution now, supposedly, is to do more penny ante bombing and throw in our lot with factions that, both short-term and long-term, both hate one another and have dubious motives?  At almost every single step in this incredibly sad process, we made things worse--and now we're going to poison the present and future some more?  Panetta wants leadership?  Ok, how about this?  In this kind of situation, if you go in, you go in with everything.  If you're not willing to do that, then stay out of it and force the players in the region to step up and sort it out.  I'm very sorry that there are lots of innocent victims in the region who are vulnerable to the huge variety of beasts running amok there, I really am.  But going about things in the way we have been is only making it worse.  Real leaders don't make things worse just so they can look tough--while they're losing.

[KCDem]

Typical Republican spin.

[Simfan34]

Typical Republican spin.

HA HA HA!

[Paul Kemp]

$$$

[Indy Texas]

The Iraq War raised the bar on the "burden of proof" necessary for military action.

We might have gotten involved in World War II earlier if not for Woodrow Wilson's decision to get involved in World War I. Who knows how many lives might have been saved from the Nazis?

We might have sought to contain ISIS earlier if not for George W. Bush's decision to invade Iraq in 2003. Who knows how many fewer people may have died?

[○∙◄☻¥tπ[╪AV┼cVê└]

Typical Republican spin.

HA HA HA!

Panetta is the typical Republican kind of "Democrat".

[Lief 🗽]

I tell you how my boy Barry's handling it:

[Grumpier Than Uncle Joe]

Accurate comments. The guy has been a White House Chief of Staff, CIA Director and Sec Def.  He doesn't need to promote himself or have other motives.

[Paul Kemp]

Accurate comments. The guy has been a White House Chief of Staff, CIA Director and Sec Def.  He doesn't need to promote himself or have other motives.

To sell books, Grumps. To sell books...

[IceSpear]

Yawn. Looks like Panetta wants to follow the gravy train that Gates paved and sell some books. Though it's partly Obama's fault for keeping such obvious quislings on his team.

[HagridOfTheDeep]

It's nice to have people like Panetta legitimize my existing opinion, but he doesn't really change anything. It's very clear Obama isn't the best decision-maker when it comes to foreign policy.

[MaxQue]

It's nice to have people like Panetta legitimize my existing opinion, but he doesn't really change anything. It's very clear Obama isn't the best decision-maker when it comes to foreign policy.

Indeed. So much better than Mr. "Let's destroy our relation with US because they don't approve Keystone".

[Lief 🗽]

It's nice to have people like Panetta legitimize my existing opinion, but he doesn't really change anything. It's very clear Obama isn't the best decision-maker when it comes to foreign policy.

yeah like when he killed Osama bin Laden, horrible decision making.

[Grumpier Than Uncle Joe]

Accurate comments. The guy has been a White House Chief of Staff, CIA Director and Sec Def.  He doesn't need to promote himself or have other motives.

To sell books, Grumps. To sell books...

Oh he'd sell plenty without, but he's such a staunch Dem, blasting Obama solely to sell books makes no sense.

[Paul Kemp]

Accurate comments. The guy has been a White House Chief of Staff, CIA Director and Sec Def.  He doesn't need to promote himself or have other motives.

To sell books, Grumps. To sell books...

Oh he'd sell plenty without, but he's such a staunch Dem, blasting Obama solely to sell books makes no sense.

I'm not sure about that. It certainly starts a conversation that I'm not sure would occur otherwise. Perhaps I'm wrong but it seems like some memoirs go unnoticed if they don't include "juicy" tidbits like these.

[Grumpier Than Uncle Joe]

Accurate comments. The guy has been a White House Chief of Staff, CIA Director and Sec Def.  He doesn't need to promote himself or have other motives.

To sell books, Grumps. To sell books...

Oh he'd sell plenty without, but he's such a staunch Dem, blasting Obama solely to sell books makes no sense.

I'm not sure about that. It certainly starts a conversation that I'm not sure would occur otherwise. Perhaps I'm wrong but it seems like some memoirs go unnoticed if they don't include "juicy" tidbits like these.

In all reality, Panetta is a Clintonista......so maybe a few jabs were necessary.  

[○∙◄☻¥tπ[╪AV┼cVê└]

Accurate comments. The guy has been a White House Chief of Staff, CIA Director and Sec Def.  He doesn't need to promote himself or have other motives.

To sell books, Grumps. To sell books...

Oh he'd sell plenty without, but he's such a staunch Dem, blasting Obama solely to sell books makes no sense.

I'm not sure about that. It certainly starts a conversation that I'm not sure would occur otherwise. Perhaps I'm wrong but it seems like some memoirs go unnoticed if they don't include "juicy" tidbits like these.

In all reality, Panetta is a Clintonista......so maybe a few jabs were necessary.  

We really need to take down the entire Clinton wing of the party.

[Grumpier Than Uncle Joe]

Accurate comments. The guy has been a White House Chief of Staff, CIA Director and Sec Def.  He doesn't need to promote himself or have other motives.

To sell books, Grumps. To sell books...

Oh he'd sell plenty without, but he's such a staunch Dem, blasting Obama solely to sell books makes no sense.

I'm not sure about that. It certainly starts a conversation that I'm not sure would occur otherwise. Perhaps I'm wrong but it seems like some memoirs go unnoticed if they don't include "juicy" tidbits like these.

In all reality, Panetta is a Clintonista......so maybe a few jabs were necessary.  

We really need to take down the entire Clinton wing of the party.

It might be stronger than the Obama wing.  Bill hasn't stopped campaigning since he left office.

[Mordecai]

It's nice to have people like Panetta legitimize my existing opinion, but he doesn't really change anything. It's very clear Obama isn't the best decision-maker when it comes to foreign policy.

Not the best, but certainly better than the numbskull before him.

[IceSpear]

Accurate comments. The guy has been a White House Chief of Staff, CIA Director and Sec Def.  He doesn't need to promote himself or have other motives.

To sell books, Grumps. To sell books...

Oh he'd sell plenty without, but he's such a staunch Dem, blasting Obama solely to sell books makes no sense.

I'm not sure about that. It certainly starts a conversation that I'm not sure would occur otherwise. Perhaps I'm wrong but it seems like some memoirs go unnoticed if they don't include "juicy" tidbits like these.

In all reality, Panetta is a Clintonista......so maybe a few jabs were necessary.  

We really need to take down the entire Clinton wing of the party.

Well considering half the party supported Hillary in 2008 and like 70% of the party supports her now, you'll be awfully lonely if that succeeds.

[○∙◄☻¥tπ[╪AV┼cVê└]

Accurate comments. The guy has been a White House Chief of Staff, CIA Director and Sec Def.  He doesn't need to promote himself or have other motives.

To sell books, Grumps. To sell books...

Oh he'd sell plenty without, but he's such a staunch Dem, blasting Obama solely to sell books makes no sense.

I'm not sure about that. It certainly starts a conversation that I'm not sure would occur otherwise. Perhaps I'm wrong but it seems like some memoirs go unnoticed if they don't include "juicy" tidbits like these.

In all reality, Panetta is a Clintonista......so maybe a few jabs were necessary.  

We really need to take down the entire Clinton wing of the party.

Well considering half the party supported Hillary in 2008 and like 70% of the party supports her now, you'll be awfully lonely if that succeeds.

Most of that 70% has no idea how right-wing she is.

[IceSpear]

Accurate comments. The guy has been a White House Chief of Staff, CIA Director and Sec Def.  He doesn't need to promote himself or have other motives.

To sell books, Grumps. To sell books...

Oh he'd sell plenty without, but he's such a staunch Dem, blasting Obama solely to sell books makes no sense.

I'm not sure about that. It certainly starts a conversation that I'm not sure would occur otherwise. Perhaps I'm wrong but it seems like some memoirs go unnoticed if they don't include "juicy" tidbits like these.

In all reality, Panetta is a Clintonista......so maybe a few jabs were necessary.  

We really need to take down the entire Clinton wing of the party.

Well considering half the party supported Hillary in 2008 and like 70% of the party supports her now, you'll be awfully lonely if that succeeds.

Most of that 70% has no idea how right-wing she is.

LOL

Hillary might not be as liberal as you like, but calling her "right wing" is ludicrous.

[○∙◄☻¥tπ[╪AV┼cVê└]

Accurate comments. The guy has been a White House Chief of Staff, CIA Director and Sec Def.  He doesn't need to promote himself or have other motives.

To sell books, Grumps. To sell books...

Oh he'd sell plenty without, but he's such a staunch Dem, blasting Obama solely to sell books makes no sense.

I'm not sure about that. It certainly starts a conversation that I'm not sure would occur otherwise. Perhaps I'm wrong but it seems like some memoirs go unnoticed if they don't include "juicy" tidbits like these.

In all reality, Panetta is a Clintonista......so maybe a few jabs were necessary.  

We really need to take down the entire Clinton wing of the party.

Well considering half the party supported Hillary in 2008 and like 70% of the party supports her now, you'll be awfully lonely if that succeeds.

Most of that 70% has no idea how right-wing she is.

LOL

Hillary might not be as liberal as you like, but calling her "right wing" is ludicrous.

Are you going to tell me that her husband wasn't totally Republican-lite as President?