Former Obama administration Defense Secretary Leon Panetta says his old boss should have, and could have, done more to prevent the rise of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria.
As his memoir, Worthy Fights, hits shelves Tuesday, Panetta told CNN’s Gloria Borger the president is now reacting to dangerous situations that could have been prevented.
“He’s made the decision to put troops on the ground in Iraq to try to help the security forces, he’s made the decision to arm and train rebel forces in Syria, and he’s made the decision to conduct air attacks,” Panetta said. “So in many ways he’s made the right decisions now. I think those decisions should have been made two years ago.”
Even with the White House’s commitment to lead a coalition military response to combat the Islamic State, Panetta believes the administration made another misstep by publicly declaring that U.S. ground troops would stay out of the equation.
“You don’t just send planes in and drop bombs, you’ve got to have targets, you’ve got to know what you’re going after. To do that you do need people on the ground,” Panetta said. “I take the position that when you’re commander in chief that you really ought to keep all options on the table.”
Some administration officials, including Vice President Joe Biden, have reacted negatively to Panetta’s decision to release his memoir before the end of the president’s second term. Panetta, who stepped down as Secretary of Defense in 2013, urged his former colleagues to read the book, saying, “you don’t put a hold on history.”
