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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.

Leon Panetta

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Leon Panetta
Age: 86
Born: 1938
Born: June 28
Former Director Of The Central Intelligence Agency
Lawyer
Political Scientist
Politician
Monterey
California
Leon Edward Panetta
Place
Confrontation
Take
Involve
Many
Consequence
Would
East
Think
Regret
Thinking
Conflict
Middle
Escalation
Lives
Consume

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Al Qaeda still remains a threat.
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I suddenly realized at the CIA that I had to make life-and-death decisions about people.
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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.
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One of the principal qualities that you need as national security adviser is trust, the trust of the president. And that depends on truth and it depends on honesty.
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Rising sea levels, severe draughts, the melting of the polar caps, the more frequent and devastating natural disasters all raise demand for humanitarian assistance and disaster relief.
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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.
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Winning in Afghanistan is having a country that is stable enough to ensure that there is no safe haven for Al Qaida or for a militant Taliban that welcomes Al Qaida. That's really the measure of success for the United States.
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The last thing I want to do is to make the mistakes of the past.
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Throughout the 40 years I've been in Washington, I've always worked hard, particularly with regards to the budget issues.
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I'm not big on commissions.
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I want you and the people of Israel to know a few things that have not and will not change. 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.
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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.
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Iran is isolating itself from the rest of the world.
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Well, the United States is a Pacific power. And we have always had a presence in the Pacific.
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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.
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The United States has to be a leader in the world, because the problem is: If we are not leading, nobody else will.
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I mean, the Taliban, my view is that they have been weakened.
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The United States will do whatever we have to do to protect our forces.
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The Taliban is resilient.
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