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| CIA: What Leon said is not what Leon said |
| 2009-06-16 |
| Nuthin to see here. Move it along... (CNN) – A CIA spokesman is sharply downplaying Director Leon Panetta 's recent comments that appear to question whether former Vice President Dick Cheney is hoping for another terrorist attack against the United States. "The Director does not believe the former Vice President wants an attack," CIA spokesman Paul Gimigliano said in a statement to CNN. "He did not say that. He was simply expressing his profound disagreement with the assertion that President Obama's security policies have made our country less safe. Nor did he question anyone's motives." The statement comes days after the New Yorker published an interview with Panetta during which he said Cheney's recent criticism of Obama – including the decision to close the detention center at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba – show the ex-vice president "smells some blood in the water on the national security issue. It's almost, a little bit, gallows politics," said Panetta. "When you read behind it, it's almost as if he's wishing that this country would be attacked again, in order to make his point." See. He didn't say that. Cheney's office released a terse statement from the vice president Monday responding to the comments, saying "I hope my old friend Leon was misquoted. The important thing is whether or not the Obama Administration will continue the policies that have kept us safe for the last 8 years," Cheney said. Vice President Joe Biden also appeared to distance himself from Panetta's comments Sunday, telling NBC "I don't question [Cheney's] motive." Joe's probably just glad someone else is on the hook for once... |
| Posted by:tu3031 |
| #5 guess he lied to them just like the CIA lies to Nancy? Or did that ever get settled? Leon? Leon? Bueller? |
| Posted by: Frank G 2009-06-16 19:24 |
| #4 Talk to me about mirandising detainees, Panetta? |
| Posted by: newc 2009-06-16 18:37 |
| #3 Would the real Panetta please stand up and explain what he had said and what he had meant by it? I'm tired of the habit that this administration has of having someone else explain what the speaker of something controversial actualyy said and meant. Leon is a big boy. He can do a much more credible job of explaining himself than any mouthpiece can. I suspect that his mouth ran a couple of steps ahead of his brain. He knows better than to say that any former VP wants the US to be attacked. I can forgive him a misstatement, but it's hard to swallow a cop out like this. |
| Posted by: Richard of Oregon 2009-06-16 15:52 |
| #2 I wonder if Obama knew that Panetta and Cheney were "old friends" when he nominated him? |
| Posted by: Jack is Back! 2009-06-16 13:00 |
| #1 "These are not the Panettas you are looking for." /waves hand |
| Posted by: SteveS 2009-06-16 12:26 |