Leon Panetta and the CIA do the full walkback on his stupid remark about Dick Cheney:
“The Director does not believe the former Vice President wants an attack,” CIA spokesman Paul Gimigliano said in a statement to CNN. “He did not say that. He was simply expressing his profound disagreement with the assertion that President Obama’s security policies have made our country less safe. Nor did he question anyone’s motives.”
We all say stupid, off-the-cuff things sometimes; the real test is how we react when we do.
I’d like to think Jay Nordlinger’s column prompted the backtrack. “What Panetta is doing, perhaps, is declaring illegitimate any criticism of the administration where national security is concerned.”