Panetta Says Drone Attacks Protect U.S. from Terrorists

[The Northerner]

The U.S. will continue to launch drone strikes against militant sanctuaries in Pakistan even if that nation’s government keeps opposing them, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said.

While Panetta declined to be more specific when asked about the unmanned vehicles because they “remain covert operations,” he said in an interview on Bloomberg Television’s “Conversations with Judy Woodruff” airing this weekend, “The United States was attacked on 9/11, and we know who attacked us.”

“We know that al-Qaeda was behind it,” Panetta said. “And we are going to do everything we can, use whatever operations we have to, in order to make sure that we protect this country and make sure that that kind of attack never happens again.”

Told that sounded as if he meant drone attacks will continue, Panetta said simply, “The United States is going to defend itself under any circumstances.”

Read more: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-05-04/panetta-says-drone-attacks-protect-u-s-from-terrorists.html


I wonder if the drone strikes will also protect the US from some Muslims who later become radicalized because they feel enraged at having to constantly hear about the ongoing slaughter of other Muslims by drone strikes in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Yemen, Somalia, the Philippines, etc.

[Angry Dragon]

1. I guess he would have no problem if someone

kills some terrorists in this country

[PDJane]

2. The road to hell may be paved with good intentions,

Last edited Sun May 6, 2012, 10:46 PM - Edit history (1)

But the traffic on that road is governed by the law of unintended consequences.

Killing civilians in drone strikes, particularly women and children, especially in countries where US rapaciousness has guaranteed poverty, doesn't sound brilliant to me. In fact, it doesn't sound like a way to keep anyone safe.

ETA: The opening statement is a quote from Jim Wright.

[coalition_unwilling]

8. First thing is to get the propaganda and messaging down. They're

'terrorists disguised as children.' (in case it's needed).

[tularetom]

3. Why does Obama surround himself with these hacks?

Geithner, Holder, Panetta, all of them supremely out of touch with the main stream of the President's party.

[limpyhobbler]

10. Mainstream Democrats support the drone strikes.

Not that you would know it from reading DU.

Also the President has not surrounded himself with hacks. He appoints advisors who agree with his core policies.

Panetta takes orders from the President.

[RobertEarl]

4. Meanwhile

Radiation from nuke plants is eating us alive.


Three Mile Island Health problems
http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2008/03/28/7954

[KG]

5. here, citizens, have a another cup of kool-aid...

[JDPriestly]

6. Do the drone attacks protect us from terrorists or lower us to the level of the terrorists?

[Zalatix]

7. So now the United States becomes the terrorist. Greeeeeeat.

[coalition_unwilling]

9. The title of this thread could be "Why I'm Ashamed to Call

Myself a Democrat" or even "Why I'm Ashamed to Call Myself an American". Or, better yet, "What the Fuck Am I Doing Listening to Psychopathic Shitheads like Leon Panetta?"

[limpyhobbler]

11. I can't believe how anti-war everybody on this site is.

What is this 1969?

Shithead terrorists are still out there plotting more attacks against us and other countries, and plotting to take over their own countries. Which if they do that, then we would have even worse problems.

Pakistan can make the drone strikes stop, by stopping sheltering terrorists. They should get with the law enforcement program, to help end this shit.

I'm not going to criticize the United States for waging a war against an organized group of right-wing religious extremist militants who are determined to attack us and take over weak nation-states.

We collect intelligence over there as a matter of common sense. If the Army or the CIA learns information about active terrorists, it would be supremely negligent not to act on that information.

If it ever got leaked that the government had such info but failed to act on it, the American people would rightly be upset about it.

Sending drones is a lot better than sending people.

[PDJane]

12. Even better would be to address the reasons the US

is the target of terrorist attacks, and there are reasons.