Leon Panetta
The Diplomat
People, composure and the difficult conversation held well.
Leon Panetta is a seasoned public servant with extensive experience in various high-level government roles, including Secretary of Defense and CIA Director. This interview highlights his diplomatic approach to leadership, as he navigates complex issues while advocating for collaboration and strategic decision-making.
“Because we didn't want collateral damage as a result of that. Now, sometimes people suddenly get in the way and there are people that get killed. But we were very careful about making sure that we were going after the target and the target alone.”
“Finally were able to hook onto was the couriers to Bin Lan. Once they identified them and we located them in a town called Peshawar in Pakistan, we did surveillance and we tracked the couriers by using drones. We tracked them all the way to Obadabad. And it was then when they drove into this compound where it was a huge compound.”
“I never forgot that. I was running against a Republican incumbent who'd been in office for, I think, about 15 or 16 years. And the district had been basically Republican going back to before World War II. So here I was a young Democrat running.”
“There's great moments when I remember when I was elected to Congress and I would be walking over to the Capitol and you seeing the Capitol at night. I'd look at the capital and I'd say to myself, My God, here I am, the son of immigrants walking over to vote in the capital of the United States.”
The Axe Files with David Axelrod — Ep. 582 - Leon Panetta
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