Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta said in a speech Thursday that political impasse in Washington threatens U.S. national security and prevents functioning democracy.
“Dysfunction in Washington … threatens our security and raises questions about the capacity of our democracy to respond to crisis,” Panetta said. Referring to the budget crisis facing Congress right now, he called the deadlock “a political crutch” and “not a part of the American spirit.”
Panetta’s lecture against political partisans refusing to compromise is pretty rich coming from the guy who stubbornly refused making any meaningful cuts to defense budgets, which make up an inordinate percentage of overall spending. He said cutting the defense budget back to 2007 levels would be “catastrophic,” and instead would only agree to slight reductions in the rate of growth in military spending.
“One thing that I’ve learned over my career is that governing requires people coming together to get things done, not to pound their fists on the table and stand in the way,” he told an audience at a dinner sponsored by Center for the Study of the Presidency and Congress. Present for the speech were present and former government officials, members of Congress, defense industry representatives and dozens of college students.
But “standing in the way” is precisely what the Obama administration has done on issues of defense cuts. Panetta, by far the loudest money-grabbing warmonger of all, described the sequestration cuts that were supposed to automatically kick in if the Super Committee failed to reach a deal as a “doomsday mechanism.”
This one is easy! Sack Panetta! He has become a willing prostitute for the military Industrial industries.
But Uncle Leon and his ilk (powned by the MIC and the super-elites) are the only people they will allow to hold these positions. They are all the same and those who might take a contrary view, the Archons remove from the availability list.
Leon Panetta–like everyone in the O-Bomb-a administration–is a fraud, an utter hack.
I pray for gridlock. Unless they are repealing laws, regulations and cutting spending, I would rather they got nothing done. Comprise is not a virtue when it comes to people's life, liberty and property. It is evil.
Sack Panetta, he is a traitor…. See:
"We'll come and tell you what we're going to do, whether or not we decide to ask permission" What Panetta says in the vid defies the constitutional. "Uncle Leon thinks he can defy the congress AND the constitution….!!!! IT"S A REAL EYE OPENER.. Seven minutes of incredible discourse… Sessions in just incredible to see Hang that JERK Uncle Leon…..!!!!!!!!!! Oh yeah, and Check Out General Dempsey….. He is trying to hypnotize us…??? WHAT A SHOW they ARE…
Dysfunction in Washington? Freudian slip or oxymoron?
More you look at US and its militarism regime more you see that politicians bowing to the system, no matter if they are republican or democrats, and they have all the right in the world to do so…, why.., because if you even close – eliminate even one third of US military then the question by the politicians, democrats or otherwise would be, what are we going to do them, and what is going to happen to all those small business that caters to almost 400000 military personnel,- solders, but don't count on my saying, the US is just opened another military base in Australia, and later it will open another in another island – country in pacific ocean somewhere close to China, that is to say, they – pentagon is looking to have a war with China…., blink blink blink. So increased budget or not, the US problem is what to do with all that man and women when they are released from duty, when there is a planed war and more wars in next few years in Africa, what is going to happen with Saudis tyrants and Quatarries tyranny when Hillary is no longer there and US military have left the persian gulf…..ETC.
Which way is the wind blowing today? Panetta is a wether vain.
He calls his government dysfunctional while standing in front of an Israeli flag! He is indeed a traitor.
Not questioning your last statement…he is indeed a traitor to the country… But, you do realize that the photo is just a file photo Mr. Glaser put up for the article…don't you? Because there would be no reason for an Israeli flag to be standing at "…a dinner sponsored by Center for the Study of the Presidency and Congress." Just sayin'
The dysfunction in Washington is the subordination of American interests to those of RACIST zionism.
When the Obombster Administration officials start talking defense cuts, stock market insiders load up on defense industry stocks.
Grand scheme of things
Congress is the organized will of the voting majority, so to achieve an anti-war Congress, all we need do is get the lower half of society to vote. For our voting majority has always been the 51% most educated and wealthy which severely restricts the future of Empire USA to three options.
(1) The uneducated lower half of society break free of its slave mentality and head for the ballet box.
(2) The war-hawk upper half of society with all the wealth, they get an attitude adjustment.
(3) Some kind of intervention by intelligent design, whatever that super-intelligent thing is that controls nature, climate and the grand scheme of things.
Two more U.S. soldiers reported killed in Afghanistan for a total of 13 in the last 10 days.
“Dysfunction in Washington … threatens our security and raises questions about the capacity of our democracy to respond to crisis.”
This was the approximate motto of the Malian military as it overthrew its civilian government.
As with Syria, I do not feel inclined toward either side……………….
The Panetta & Ehud Bara(c)k Obomba administrations are causing the dysfunctions in Washington.
Baffling. The obvious point is that, evil though it be, the US military can be directed by an administration's understanding of its TREATY obligations without consulting Congress because Congress passed the TREATY . Sessions is just dumb. Panetta's too arrogant to realize the stupid admissions he's making, that the determination of what the 'treaty' requires is now in the hands of grossly lobbified bureaucrats serving elite interests in the heavily-translated name of US security. But of course we knew that.