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Former Defense Secretary: U.S. in Syria too late, left Iraq too soon
ISIS seized a third of Iraq that the U.S. secured with ten years of sacrifice. In an interview for 60 Minutes, Former Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta said ISIS flourished because the U.S. got involved in Syria too late and left Iraq too soon. On the 47th season premiere Sunday, "60 Minutes" will report from Iraq and Syria on ISIS -- what it is, what it wants, and how to defeat it.
Pelley: Back when you watched the stars and stripes being lowered for the last time in Baghdad, were you confident in that moment that pulling out was the right thing to do?
Panetta: No, I wasn't. I really thought that it was important for us to maintain a presence in Iraq.
But the elected Prime Minister, Nouri Al-Maliki didn't want the U.S. force. As Iraq moved on, on its own, civil war broke out in Syria. The U.S. stayed largely on the sidelines but Panetta says the national security team urged the president to do more.
Panetta: The real key was how can we develop a leadership group among the opposition that would be able to take control. And my view was to have leverage to do that, we would have to provide the weapons and the training in order for them to really be willing to work with us in that effort.
more
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/former-defense-secretary-u-s-in-syria-too-late-left-iraq-too-soon/
Fucking backstabbing hack.
CJCRANE
(18,184 posts)It won't work in Syria.
The world thinks we have a Reverse Midas Touch due to the calamitous results of these neocon policies.
vt_native
(484 posts)On edit: Oh yes, fuck him.
PeoViejo
(2,178 posts)any further than I could toss Chris Christie.
Aerows
(39,961 posts)If you are so committed to this being the right course of action, put your ass on the front line.
TwilightGardener
(46,416 posts)so he moved within two months to head up the Pentagon and slow-rolled the investigation into how this leak of classified info occurred (basically, his involvement in it). That tells you all you need to know about Leon Panetta, besides the fact that he is a loyal Clintonite. I'm sure the WH and Defense Dept. loves all these shadow Defense Secretaries and retired generals popping up and trying to backseat-drive, or trying to absolve themselves of the messes they helped create.