OK was this an assassination attempt on Panetta?

[gratuitous]

1. Well, you know how much the people of Afghanistan hate us for our freedom

And they're a bloodthirsty lot, to boot. So it shouldn't be surprising at all that our best efforts over the last 10 years or more have failed to convince them of the futility of using violence to solve their problems. We may just have to stay in their little country for a few more years after all, lest we look like we're cutting and running just as we're about to turn the corner to see the light at the end of the tunnel.