More Panetta news

From the corner we get some reminders of Panetta’s past.

First he called his political opponents terrorists in 1995.  Speaking of the government shut down (and apparently unaware of Congress’s Constitutional role of controlling the purse strings) he said:

“Don’t put a gun to the head of the President and the head of the country,” said Mr. Panetta. “That’s a form of terrorism.”

Can you imagine if a Republican called a tactic of the democrats a form of terrorism.  Yeah…just imagine a Bush administration official giving a press conference where he describes the democrats talking down the economy or filibustering conservative judges as a “form of terrorism”.  It would lead to actual Armageddon, the head of every reporter in the country would explode at the same time.  The outrage would know no end, for years he would be held up as an example of Republican intolerance and hatred.

But the second most powerful person in the Clinton administration (after Hillary jk) came out and claimed Republicans were practicing a form of terrorism and not only was he not reprimanded, or fired he is being given a new job in which he goes after actual terrorists.  Does this make sense?

Can I be forgiven for not feeling terribly safe with a political hack who calls his political opponents terrorists involved in counter terrorism? Are we sure he can distinguish between actual terrorists and people he just doesn’t like?

And the second item, that Pentta was for more wiretapping of terrorists during the 90s is somewhat reassuring.  Except that it shows how hypocritical the democrats are, seeing how they were for wiretapping before 9/11 but against it after.  I think the only conclusion is they are for wiretapping when they are the ones doing the listening, just not when its the other side.  Ill admit though, Being reminded of filegate and how 900 FBI files on political opponents were appropriated by the Clinton Administration, makes it tempting to adopt the same position in reverse.