WASHINGTON — Former CIA Director and Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said President Obama has “kind of lost his way” in keeping the nation’s enemies at bay.
As a result of failures to act decisively in Iraq and Syria, “There’s a little question mark to, is the United States going to stick this out? Is the United States going to be there when we need them?” Panetta told USA Today while promoting his new book.
By failing to persuade Iraq’s leader to allow a continuing force of US troops, the commander in chief “created a vacuum . . . and it’s out of that vacuum that ISIS began to breed,” Panetta said.
In the book, “Worthy Fights,” Panetta calls Obama out for having a “frustrating reticence to engage his opponents and rally support for his cause.” He also said Obama too frequently “relies on the logic of a law professor rather than the passion of a leader.”
White House press secretary Josh Earnest said Monday that Obama is “proud” to have had Panetta on his national-security team.