Leon Panetta Quotes
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You know, one thing I've learned over 40 years is that when you have jobs in Washington, you do it day by day and that's what I'm doing as secretary of defense.
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I think what both Republicans and Democrats need to do and the leaders on both sides is to recognize that if sequester takes place, it would be disastrous for our national defense and very frankly for a lot of very important domestic programs. They have a responsibility to come together, find the money necessary to de-trigger sequester.
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Rising sea levels, severe draughts, the melting of the polar caps, the more frequent and devastating natural disasters all raise demand for humanitarian assistance and disaster relief.
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Winning in Afghanistan is having a country that is stable enough to ensure that there is no safe haven for Al Qaida or for a militant Taliban that welcomes Al Qaida. That's really the measure of success for the United States.
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I don't think I should penalize people who were doing their duty.
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We either believe in the dignity of the individual, the rule of law, and the prohibition of cruel and unusual punishment, or we don't. There is no middle ground.
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During my time as CIA Director and Secretary of Defense, Hillary was a strong supporter of our efforts to protect our homeland, decimate al-Qaeda, and bring Osama bin Laden to justice.
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These days, it takes only seconds - seconds - for a picture, a photo, to suddenly become an international headline.
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Red lines are kind of political arguments that are used to try to put people in a corner.
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My whole life has been dedicated to public service.
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It doesn't make a lot of sense for us to borrow money from the Chinese to go give to another country for humanitarian aid. We ought to get the Chinese to take care of the people.
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Al Qaeda still remains a threat.
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When you're smaller and leaner, you're not going to have that large a presence throughout the world.
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I don't think there's any question that America is safer as a result of the bin Laden operation.
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I don't usually comment on columnists' ideas of what I'm thinking. That's a dangerous game to get into.
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I'm not big on commissions.
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Go forward, knowing that you are greater than the challenges of your time.
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The American Dream has been defended, in every generation, by the brave men and women willing to fight and die for America. They are our greatest national treasure. They deserve a serious Commander-in-Chief.
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I suddenly realized at the CIA that I had to make life-and-death decisions about people.
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Companies should be able to share specific threat information with the government without the prospect of lawsuits hanging over their head.
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Unfortunately these days, there is a hell of a lot that keeps me awake.
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She is smart. She is principled. She is tough, and she is ready. Hillary is the single most experienced and prepared person who has ever run for president.
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Well, you know, any defense force worth its salt has to be able to deal with uncertainty, has to be able to deal with events that we may not have planned for.
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China is a major power in the Pacific and I think we are dealing with some common threats in that region: the whole issue of Korea and the stability of Korea, the whole issue of nuclear proliferation, the whole issue of providing free access to our ships that are operating in that area.