147 Quotes by Leon Panetta

I don't think there's any question that America is safer as a result of the bin Laden operation.

I mean, the Taliban, my view is that they have been weakened.

I suddenly realized at the CIA that I had to make life-and-death decisions about people.

If the Iraqis fail to implement the reforms, if they fail to get a handle on the violence, there's nothing the United States can do, militarily or otherwise, that can solve those problems. They have to assume the primary responsibility to govern themselves.

The one thing that I remember from all of my intelligence briefings and my dealings with the Russians is that when you deal with the Russians, you have to deal with them from strength, not from weakness.

Rather than undermining the Palestinian Authority, it is in Israel's interests to strengthen it by... continuing to transfer Palestinian tax revenues and pursuing other avenues of cooperation.

The United States will do whatever we have to do to protect our forces.

The terrorism from 9/11 has metastasized. It's metastasized in Iraq and Syria, in Nigeria, in Somalia, in Yemen and in other places in North Africa. We need a very comprehensive strategy to deal with that threat.

There's no question that the main location of Al Qaida is in tribal areas of Pakistan.