Just hours after President Obama dined at a $10,000-per-plate fundraiser in Washington [4], former Obama administration CIA Director and Defense Secretary Leon Panetta lamented with MSNBC's Andrea Mitchell how "there is a feeling that the president has given up on the big issues facing this country." The problem, Panetta explains, is Obama "approaches things like a law professor," when he should be "rolling up his sleeves."
Panetta said, [5]
"He approaches things like a law professor in presenting a logic of his position. There is nothing wrong with that. We want to have a president who thinks through the issues. My experience in Washington is that logic alone doesn't work. Once you lay out a position, you are going to roll up your sleeves and you have to fight to get it done. That is key in Washington. In order for presidents to succeed, they cannot just -- when they run into problems, step back and give up."
"There is a feeling and I have a feeling that the leadership and the president have given up on the big issues facing this country whether it's immigration or a budget deal or infrastructure funding or trade or energy. there is a sense that you can't deal with that. This country needs that. They can't give up."
With allies like that, who needs ISIS?
