Leon Panetta quotes - page 3

In the zero-sum budget game, every dollar spent on this problem [illegal immigration] must be taken from somewhere else....No, we should not tolerate people immigrating illegally. But we need to treat this issue honestly and fairly. (Leon Panetta)
The United States was attacked on 9/11/12, and we know who attacked us. View quote
Leon Panetta
The reality is that the United States military alone cannot be all things to all nations. We will sharpen the application of our resources, better deploy our forces in the world and share our burdens more and more effectively with our partners. And frankly, all our allies need to do the same. View quote
Leon Panetta
I have tremendous confidence in the ability of government institutions and the American people to do what is right to make sure that our democracy stays on the right track. View quote
Leon Panetta
The United States, and the president's made this clear, does not want Iran to develop a nuclear weapon. That's a red line for us. And it's a red line obviously for the Israelis so we share a common goal here. View quote
Leon Panetta
I'm not big on commissions. View quote
Leon Panetta
I think what both Republicans and Democrats need to do and the leaders on both sides is to recognize that if sequester takes place, it would be disastrous for our national defense and very frankly for a lot of very important domestic programs. They have a responsibility to come together, find the money necessary to de-trigger sequester. View quote
Leon Panetta
I don't engage in hypotheticals. View quote
Leon Panetta
Frankly, my fundamental beliefs have not changed. View quote
Leon Panetta
Iran's continued drive to develop nuclear capabilities, including troubling enrichment activities and past work on weaponization documented by the IAEA, and its continued support to groups like Hezbollah, Hamas and other terrorist organizations make clear that the regime in Tehran is a very grave threat to all of us. View quote
Leon Panetta
I mean, the Taliban, my view is that they have been weakened. (Leon Panetta)
Obama really does recognize the threats that are out there; I think he understands the world. He understands the role of America in that troubled world. View quote
Leon Panetta
The consequence could be that we would have an escalation that would take place that would not only involve many lives, but I think it could consume the Middle East in a confrontation and a conflict that we would regret. View quote
Leon Panetta
The president is out there today trying to talk about health care, and the reality is nobody cares about what he's saying on health care because this news is consuming everything. No president could tolerate that or should tolerate it. View quote
Leon Panetta
I want to reassert again the position of the United States that with regards to Iran, we will not allow Iran to develop a nuclear weapon, period. We will not allow them to develop a nuclear weapon, and we will exert all options in the effort to ensure that that does not happen...The United States stands firmly with Israel, and we have a rock solid commitment to the security of Israel and to the security of its citizens. View quote
Leon Panetta
If we don't do something to simplify the tax system, we're going to end up with a national police force of internal revenue agents. View quote
Leon Panetta
The most important thing we can do is prosecute the offenders, deal with those that have broken the law and committed this crime. And if we can do that then we can begin to deal with this issue and send a signal this is not a problem that we are going to ignore in the United States military. View quote
Leon Panetta
I don't usually comment on columnists' ideas of what I'm thinking. That's a dangerous game to get into. View quote
Leon Panetta
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. View quote
Leon Panetta
I think a quality that a national security adviser must have is the ability to set up procedures. View quote
Leon Panetta
We have throughout our history been tested when it comes to the institutions of our democracy. And thank God our forefathers were smart enough to establish a government of checks and balances to make sure that power cannot be centralized in any one branch of government. And those institutions have proven themselves. (Leon Panetta)
I think it's extremely important that the president Donald Trump himself indicate that he too wants to discover the full truth behind what the Russians did to elections 2016. View quote
Leon Panetta
I think my best advice would be to separate Donald Trump, the president of the United States from whatever investigation is being conducted by the FBI. I mean, there is something to be said, frankly, about the need for the appointment of an independent prosecutor because the American people are entitled to have a full review of what happened as a result of what the Russians did during our election. View quote
Leon Panetta
People elected Donald Trump because he acts decisively. He fired James Comey. He didn't fire the entire FBI. If there's something there, the FBI is going to continue to investigate it. View quote
Leon Panetta
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. View quote
Leon Panetta