Leon Panetta Makes Foreign Policy Gaffe (Says INDIA is a THREAT to America, like China)

WALL STREET JOURNAL ^ | November 17, 2011, 5:35 PM ET | Adam Entous

[Recovering_Democrat]

Considering the hatred this regime has for democracies and otherwise free societies like India, maybe this makes sense. What a jerk.

Please, America, fire these bastards next November.

[petercooper]

Yes, but I think he knows what’s going on in Libya. /s

[SoftwareEngineer]

How tremendously stupid!!!

India (and Indians) are tremendously pro USA and to top it all a democracy (albeit a very noisy and colorful one :) )

In studying our post cold war history we have always shunned India for some reason.

In the early years of the Cold War, we chose Pakistan over India. We sided with China over India during their border dispute and now we continue to do such dumb things.

About the only post war President who figured out that India could be America’s best friend was GWB, who in my book goes down as the most honest US President when it came to choosing between backing non democracies and democracies.

GWB still backed the Saudis (I guess you cannot fight with everyone at the same time) but during his Presidency, democracies like South Korea, Japan, Israel, India, Taiwan all knew that push came to shove, the US was going to stand with them

Today, the Great O has managed to sell out Taiwan, annoy India, sell Japan and Korea to the Chinese, try to sell Israel to the Arabs and basically told dictators everywhere that they are safe

Phoeey!!

[mewzilla]

It was not a gaffe.

[reasonisfaith]

If this is the closest the left can come to admitting their true beliefs, what a disgrace they are to themselves.

As Obama and others have already demonstrated, their best shot at having the courage to stand up for their ideology is to disguise their comments as accidental mistatements.

Cowards.

[expat1000]

India is a natural and potentially a major, - a key, ally of the west in the war on militant Islam. What an idiot to make a mistake like that.

[Truth29]

Even the Pentagon clarification characterized China and India in the same manner. This doesn’t sound like a mistake, but more of kicking India while we continue to support a real enemy of both the US and India - Pakistan.

[corkoman]

Ditto to your description of India and our bumbling dopey and reckless post war India policies. They are collectively the sweetest people on Earth, even their moslim population is more docile than most.

Despite widespread and pervasive poverty they are not grumpy or prone to theft. If only our OWS crybabies could spend some time in Bangalore or Calcutta they would return quiet and productive.

Your point is on target - GWB deserves credit for improving our standing with the Indians.

[freeangel]

Hussein and his administration will do ANYTHING to get rid of ANY friend that the US might have left.

[Havisham]

Panetta is prematurely old in the brain. He isn’t able to recognize rank ensignia ‘yet’ and kept getting turned around at the Pentagon. The NPR reporterette thought it was endearing.

[djf]

Most still refuse to believe that if there is a country in the middle east that is most European, it is:
IRAN

I went to college in the 70’s and there were many Iranians there.
On an individual level, they are intensely interested in western culture, philosophies, political systems, and education.

I kid you not. The average Iranian IS NOT part of the muslim fanatic faction.

[LibLieSlayer]

No... he screwed up and spoke exactly what this administration thinks... they conspire with pokiston and work against India.

LLS

[sam_paine]

I went to college in the 70’s and there were many Iranians there. On an individual level, they are intensely interested in western culture, philosophies, political systems, and education.

LOL. Sounds like what INTERNATIONAL SPY's do! =)

[airborne]

Let me be the first to ever say this . . . .

Cain's fault!

[expat1000]

I kid you not. The average Iranian IS NOT part of the muslim fanatic faction.

I don't know what this is doing in this thread, but anyway, I'm sure there were many Germans that were not Nazi sympathizers that we killed in WWII. If Iran was close to getting the ability to nuke the USA, what would you do?
Sometimes there are no good choices, only necesssary ones. Israel is out of options -assuming going to war with Iran is even one at this late date.

[Eleutheria5]

Panetta is actually working for the government? Who’s hare-brained idea was that. The man was an idiot before he went senile.

[djf]

I’m not exactly sure either.

But it’s kinda like if you live through it, and your grandkids live through it, what are you going to tell them that Iran did to start WWIII?

I don’t see India getting itself in that kind of situation.

[Hoodat]

It’s not a gaffe if you happen to be a Democrat.

[SJackson]

Middle East and terrorism, occasional political and Jewish issues Ping List. High Volume

If you’d like to be on or off, please FR mail me.

..................

[AndyJackson]

Pentagon spokesman Capt. John Kirby later sought to clarify Mr. Panetta’s comments. He said Mr. Panetta did not intend to suggest that India and China were military threats to the U.S. and that he believed it was important to forge closer military relations with both countries.

Thoe only reason we don't have as close ties as we want with India, is not India. It is us. It always has been, ever since Nehru told us that India was going to go its own way. Pakistan, on the other hand, was willing to be bought to be our puppet - tell me how that is working out for us. As US hegemony declines - as it most certainly is - we are going to discover the difference between friends and lap-puppies. I hope we will still have some of the former.