From Tuesday’s Hardball and a convesation with Politico’s Roger Simon on Leon Panetta and the CIA:

SIMON: Let me just say, in—in small defense of the intelligence community, all—all the examples you gave were correct, the United States has not been attacked since September 11, 2001. So, it‘s not like they were—have been totally out to lunch for these last years. I mean, they have done a job.
I think Leon Panetta is…
(CROSSTALK)
MATTHEWS: We got involved in an unjustified war. We got caught with our pants down on 9/11.
SIMON: Totally right.
MATTHEWS: I mean, these—we engaged in torture, which embarrassed us in the world.
SIMON: You‘re absolutely right.
MATTHEWS: We have eavesdropping. This is not a great record.
SIMON: It is not a great record. But, if you say one major task of the intelligence community…
MATTHEWS: Right.
SIMON: … is to protect the United States of America from terrorist attack, then you got to give them an A, I think. I mean, you have got to admit, they have done a thing or two.
MATTHEWS: I don‘t have to admit nothing.
SIMON: You don‘t have to admit nothing.
(LAUGHTER)
SIMON: Well…
(CROSSTALK)
MATTHEWS: I just wonder about—I wonder why…
(LAUGHTER)
SIMON: The facts would argue we have not been attacked.