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Former Defense Secretary Leon Panetta memoir blames Obama for collapse in Iraq
Hotair ^ | 10/02/2014 | Ed Morrissey

Posted on 10/02/2014 11:58:49 AM PDT by SeekAndFind

Former Defense Secretary Leon Panetta’s memoir has a release date of next Tuesday, but it may make headlines for the next several days. According to Taegan Goddard at Political Wire, Worthy Fights blames the Obama administration for allowing Iraq to collapse, thanks to a political desire to pull out trumping the security needs that should have had us maintain our presence and exert our influence to keep Sunnis and Shi’ites working together:

Panetta writes that “our side viewed the White House as so eager to rid itself of Iraq that it was willing to withdraw rather than lock in arrangements that would preserve our influence and interests.”

The Washington Free Beacon has a longer excerpt:

Through the fall of 2011, the main question facing the American military in Iraq was what our role would be now that combat operations were over. When President Obama announced the end of our combat mission in August 2010, he acknowledged that we would maintain troops for a while. Now that the deadline was upon us, however, it was clear to me–and many others–that withdrawing all our forces would endanger the fragile stability then barely holding Iraq together.

Privately, the various leadership factions in Iraq all confided that they wanted some U.S. forces to remain as a bulwark against sectarian violence. But none was willing to take that position publicly, and Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki concluded that any Status of Forces Agreement, which would give legal protection to those forces, would have to be submitted to the Iraqi parliament for approval.

That made reaching agreement very difficult given the internal politics of Iraq, but representatives of the Defense and State departments, with scrutiny from the White House, tried to reach a deal. We had leverage.


(Excerpt) Read more at hotair.com ...


TOPICS: Foreign Affairs; Government; News/Current Events; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: iraq; leonpanetta; obama; panetta
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1 posted on 10/02/2014 11:58:49 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
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To: SeekAndFind

FUBO!! Corrupt, treasonous bastard!!


2 posted on 10/02/2014 12:06:19 PM PDT by Jim Robinson (Resistance to tyrants is obedience to God!!)
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To: SeekAndFind
Yup!

Bush won the war. Obola lost the victory. Period.

3 posted on 10/02/2014 12:06:25 PM PDT by Chgogal (Obama "hung the SEALs out to dry, basically exposed them like a set of dog balls..." CMH)
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To: SeekAndFind

Protecting The Hildabeast. Nuff said.


4 posted on 10/02/2014 12:07:15 PM PDT by Digger
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To: SeekAndFind

Leon Panetta was once an army intelligence officer and he is a consummate virtuoso at playing the old, “forlorn, avuncular teddy bear” schrick.

Leon is pleasant, but make no mistake about it:

this particular rat senses that the ship is going down.


5 posted on 10/02/2014 12:08:00 PM PDT by gaijin
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To: Digger

What did Obola know during Bengazi and when did he know it. Everything else is conversation.


6 posted on 10/02/2014 12:09:39 PM PDT by Mouton (The insurrection laws perpetuate what we have for a government now.)
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To: SeekAndFind
What absolutely everyone knows.

And another free pass from the corrupt MSM for Obama. The delusion in this country is Satanically strong.

Now we have ISIS and a complete and utter disaster in the Middle East along with much of the rest of the world in flames. But ain't the Affirmative Action Obama great! And hey, what about Secretary of State Hillary? Can we set her up to continue the world-wide destruction?

7 posted on 10/02/2014 12:09:58 PM PDT by Obadiah (None are more hopelessly enslaved than those who falsely believe they are free.)
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To: SeekAndFind

I forgot, who is the communist, and who is the mooooslem, again?

Of course they don’t self advertise those facts, so it is so easy to be confused.....


8 posted on 10/02/2014 12:10:14 PM PDT by Sir Napsalot (Pravda + Useful Idiots = CCCP; JournOList + Useful Idiots = DopeyChangey!)
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To: Sir Napsalot

Hillary at work here..


9 posted on 10/02/2014 12:14:12 PM PDT by Col Frank Slade
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To: SeekAndFind

I know it’s an ouchie, but Hillary will put a band aid on it and make your bo bo all better. You’ll forget all about that mean old Obama kid.


10 posted on 10/02/2014 12:15:21 PM PDT by centurion316
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To: Obadiah

Hey. The world is better if by far because of Obama’s leadership. How do I know? Obama told us all. Again and again. And he keeps telling us.

/obvious SARC


11 posted on 10/02/2014 12:15:49 PM PDT by piytar (So....you are saying that Hilllary (and Obama) do not know what the meaning of the word "IS" IS?)
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To: SeekAndFind

Selling books and supporting Hillary.


12 posted on 10/02/2014 12:18:48 PM PDT by moovova
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To: SeekAndFind

Panetta is just doing his job. His job is to help vilify Obama to Democrats in order to set the stage for the anti-Obama JEB! in 2016.


13 posted on 10/02/2014 12:19:42 PM PDT by Dr. Thorne ("Don't be afraid. Just believe." - Mark 5:36)
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To: SeekAndFind
Leon is one of Hillary's men. Are we seeing the start of all-out war between the Clinton crime family and the Obama criminal family?
Go to the mattresses!
14 posted on 10/02/2014 12:23:15 PM PDT by expat2
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To: expat2

Yep.


15 posted on 10/02/2014 12:28:00 PM PDT by Williams
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To: SeekAndFind

Hildebeast goes for Obama’s throat. I’d break out the popcorn if it weren’t such bad news for the USA.


16 posted on 10/02/2014 12:30:48 PM PDT by RightGeek (FUBO and the donkey you rode in on)
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To: Col Frank Slade

Huh, you may be right.


17 posted on 10/02/2014 12:33:13 PM PDT by Obadiah (None are more hopelessly enslaved than those who falsely believe they are free.)
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To: SeekAndFind

How long till the full court trashing of Panetta starts? He was smart, for a long time, courting media and others in the DC establishment, so it won’t be as easy as some other Chicago thugs’ targets.


18 posted on 10/02/2014 12:33:47 PM PDT by EDINVA
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To: gaijin
". . . this particular rat senses that the ship is going down."

You got it and this particular rat is making sure he gets out early when there are comfortable and well stocked life boats available. If the democrat fascist party can find a fresh new face instead of Hillary Leon will go after her the same way he goes after the rest of the scum at the top.

Leon, The Professional, is looking down the road at his next gig, not at the current election so he'll be available to sling mud in a way that helps whoever looks like they're going to be the winner.


19 posted on 10/02/2014 12:35:27 PM PDT by Rashputin (Jesus Christ doesn't evacuate His troops, He leads them to victory.)
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To: SeekAndFind

Leon (I didn’t know annnythinnnk) Panetta.


20 posted on 10/02/2014 12:38:59 PM PDT by RetSignman (Obama is the walking, talking middle finger in the face of America)
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