Mark Mann
What I've Learned: Leon Panetta: Secretary of Defense, 74, Arlington, Virginia -- Cal Fussman, Esquire
Panetta served eight terms in Congress and later became President Clinton's chief of staff. He was director of the CIA from 2009 through 2011, a period that included the killing of Osama bin Laden.
Interviewed November 9, 2012
Italians are romantics, and my mother taught me the value of beauty and the appreciation for life. She really wanted me to be a concert pianist. That's always been with me, because every time I sit down and play Mozart, Chopin, Beethoven, and Schubert, I think of her.
I sat down with the president yesterday, and we were talking about the election. I told him, "What the American people voted for was the fact that they trust your judgment. They don't always agree with you, but they trust the fact that you're a straight shooter and that you really do want to do what's in the interest of the country." Look, I've seen the president in the Situation Room and policy meetings where you really get the sense that the questions he's asking are never about What's in the interest of my political ass? It's: What's in the interest of the country? And that has always given me a sense of comfort. When a president asks that question, then even though he might come out in the wrong place, even though he might make the wrong decision, he's got the best measure for how you can best help people.
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My Comment: He sounds like a man who wants to retire and leave the public spotlight.
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