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27 Oct 2011 22:51

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Politics: Leon Panetta’s expensive New Year’s toast, thanks to Osama bin Laden

  • The oldest bottle in his friend’s restaurant? an 1870 Chateau Lafite Rothschild. Years ago, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta made a bet with a restaurateur around his CIA-led mission to find Osama Bin Laden: If Panetta’s team caught Bin Laden, Ted Balestreri would open up a bottle of wine that predates the first automobile. Now that time’s come. With Bin Laden dead, Balestreri will uncork that 141-year-old bottle around New Year’s Eve. Did we mention the bottle costs between $10,000 and $15,000? Careful to walk a line, though, one of Panetta’s spokespeople notes that this gesture isn’t meant to celebrate Bin Laden’s death. “Secretary Panetta has had New Year’s Eve gatherings with toasts with friends for years and this year there will be a special toast,” noted Douglas Wilson, the assistant secretary of defense for public affairs. source
Posted by samimain • 0 Comments • Permalink

09 Jul 2011 10:34

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U.S.: Leon Panetta: We’re close to taking out al-Qaeda for good

  • We’re within reach of strategically defeating al Qaeda and I’m hoping to be able to focus on that, working obviously with my prior agency as well.
  • Defense Secretary Leon Panetta • Claiming that we’re close to taking down al-Qaeda for good — which, let’s face it, is a pretty bold thing to say going into a job like Defense Secretary. “Now is the moment following what happened with bin Laden, to put maximum pressure on them,” he continued, “Because I do believe that if we continue this effort that we can really cripple al Qaeda as a threat to (the United States).” Do you think he’s right? Or is it simply a symbolic victory at this point? source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

27 Apr 2011 10:22

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U.S.: Two P’s in a pod: Obama shuffles the defense end of his cabinet

  • Panetta Leon Panetta, the head of the CIA, and Bill Clinton’s former chief of staff, is on tap to replace Robert Gates, who is retiring as Defense Secretary pretty soon.
  • Petraeus Who’s gonna replace Panetta? General David Petraeus, who will leave the front lines of Afghanistan to head the Central Intelligence Agency. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

10 Feb 2011 21:37

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Politics: Mubarak’s speech made Obama, Leon Panetta look like fools

Uh-oh, someone bought into the narrative. (At a speech in Michigan, Obama suggested Egypt’s transition was imminent. Panetta did the same earlier in the day.) But so did everyone else. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

19 Aug 2009 23:23

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U.S., World: Know that secret CIA operation? Blackwater was helping out

  • The goal: Kill al-Qaeda leaders in Iraq. Blackwater (now called Xe), which had a huge role in the Iraq conflict for years only to see it fall under the weight of criticism, apparently was involved in that secret CIA operation which freaked out Leon Panetta. The reason Panetta reacted the way he did was due to the fact that private company was involved. That’s right, the CIA had an agreement with American citizens (with no military ties) to find and kill al-Qaeda leadership. We had to write it out to make sure we understood the ramifications of that statement. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

13 Jul 2009 11:09

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Politics, U.S.: Oh great. They’re comparing the Bush-era CIA to Jason Bourne

  • A lot of people thought they were Jason Bourne and came up with ideas. There were programs that were kind of wild that were considered in 2001, but to my knowledge, within six months . . . people kind of gave up on those ideas.
  • A former senior CIA officer • Describing the secret program that Dick Cheney told the CIA to hide from Congress. It was there but never became fully operational, according to the anonymous source. OK, we like the movies. Matt Damon’s never been better (if you forget that he was in “The Departed”). But it’s still not what we should be comparing our covert operations to. There’s a reason why those movies are such good entertainment. They’re not real. (And co-star Julia Stiles is kinda cute.) • source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

12 Jul 2009 10:06

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U.S.: Bush’s intelligence and torture policies: Getting extra-scrutinized

  • The CIA’s friendship level with Congress just went way down. Apparently, former veep Dick Cheney ordered the organization to hide an intelligence program from legislators. This is after the whole lying-to-us fiasco earlier this week with current CIA director Leon Panetta. source
  • If that wasn’t enough bad PR for both the CIA and Bush administration, Obama Attorney General Eric Holder is reportedly looking into investigating their torture policies. Obama doesn’t want the trouble, but Holder’s looking anyway and will decide in the next couple of weeks. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 2 Comments • Permalink
 

09 Jul 2009 09:52

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Politics, U.S.: Dems to CIA Director Leon Panetta: Apologize for lying to us

Letter to Leon Panetta
  • Six members of Congress signed this letter. All of them Democrats. All on the House Intelligence Committee. A seventh is also on board. Panetta acknowledged this dishonesty, and word from the Huffington Post is that they’re talking about torture.source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 3 Comments • Permalink

15 Jun 2009 18:12

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Politics, U.S.: Dick Cheney rebuffs criticism from CIA leader Leon Panetta

  • I hope my old friend Leon was misquoted. The important
    thing is whether the Obama administration will continue the policies that have kept us safe for the past eight years.
  • Former Vice President Dick Cheney • On CIA head Leon Panetta’s calling out of Cheney for apparent questionable motives in his sudden re-emergence into the public eye. We want to see which of these old guys would win in a no-holds-barred cage match. We’re guessing Cheney because he would probably start biting first. By the way, John McCain has Cheney’s back in this case. • source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

15 Jun 2009 10:35

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Politics, U.S.: The CIA’s Leon Panetta: What’s up with Dick Cheney’s motives?

  • When you read behind it, it’s almost as if he’s wishing that this country would be attacked again, in order to make his point. I think that’s dangerous politics.
  • CIA Director Leon Panetta • Criticizing former Vice President Dick Cheney for his approach to politics. In other news, Panetta fired Mitchell Jessen & Associates, the psychologist-led firm that suggested they start using the harsh interrogation techniques Cheney supports. • source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 3 Comments • Permalink
 
 
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