Leon Panetta worked closely with both Vice President Joe Biden and former secretary of state Hillary Clinton as CIA director and then secretary of defense. So it’s not surprising he was diplomatic when asked about a possible presidential matchup between the two, but it was easy to tell whom the former secretary of defense favors.
“Who would be a better commander-in-chief?” NBC’s Andrea Mitchell asked Panetta on Tuesday.
“You know, it’s tough for me to kind of say that Joe Biden couldn’t do that job,” he said. “Because frankly Joe Biden has a lot of experience, particularly as vice president.”
“Hillary Clinton, I know could do the job,” he continued, “because she’s somebody who’s got experience, she’s got the toughness of mind and commitment to this country that I think is important.”
Panetta was former President Bill Clinton’s chief of staff from 1994 to 1997, and it’s been suggested he’ll be angling for another White House post should Hillary win the White House in 2016.
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