Worthy Fights: A Memoir of Leadership in War and Peace 0698152743, 9780698152748

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THE INSPIRING AND REVELATORY AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF THE DEFENSE SECRETARY AND CIA DIRECTOR WHO LED THE INTELLIGENCE WAR THAT KILLED BIN LADEN, AMONG MANY IMPORTANT ROLES IN A LEGENDARY CAREER

Ir could be said chat Leon Panetta has had two of the most consequential careers of any American pub­ lic servant in the past fifty years. His first career, beginning as an army intelligence officer and includ­ ing a distinguished run as one of Congress's most powerful and respected members, lasted thirty-five years and culminated in his transformational role as Clinton's budget czar and White House chief of staff. He then "retired" to establish the Panetta Insti­ tute with his wife of fifty years, Sylvia; to serve on the Iraq Study Group; and co protect his beloved California coastline. Bue in 2009, he accepted what many said was a thankless task: returning to public office as the director of the CIA, caking it from a state of turmoil after the Bush-era torture debates and moving it back to the vital center of America's war against Al Qaeda, including the campaign that led to the killing of Osama bin Laden. And then, in the wake of bin Laden's death, Panetta became the U.S. secretary of defense, inheriting two troubled wars in a time of austerity and painful choices. Like his career, Worthy Fights is a reflec­ tion of Panetta's values. le is imbued with the frank, grounded, and often quite funny spirit of a man who never lost couch with where he came from: his family's walnut farm in beautiful Carmel Valley, California. It is also a testament co a lost kind of political leadership, which favors progress and duty to country over partisanship. Panetta is a Democrat who pushed for balanced budgets while also expanding care for the elderly and sick; a devout Catholic who opposes the death penalty bur had co make life-or-death decisions virtually every (continued on back flap)

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PENGUIN PRESS Published by the Penguin Group Penguin Group (USA) LLC 375 Hudson Street New York, New York 10014

USA Canada · UK · Ireland · Australia New Zealand · India · South Africa · China penguin.com A Penguin Random House Company First published by Penguin Press, a member of Penguin Group (USA) LLC, 2014 Copyright© 2014 by Leon Panetta Penguin supports copyright. Copyright fuels creativity, encourages diverse voices, promotes free speech, and creates a vibrant culture. Thank you for buying an authorized edition of this book and for complying with copyright laws by not reproducing, scanning, or distributing any part of it in any form without permission. You are supporting writers and allowing Penguin to continue to publish books for every reader. Photograph credits appear on pages 497-498. All statements of fact, opinion, or analysis expressed are those of the author and do not reflect the official positions or views of any U.S. Government agency. Nothing in the contents should be construed as asserting or implying U.S. Government authentication of information or endorsement of the author's views. This material has been reviewed by the CIA and the Department of Defense to prevent the disclosure of classified information. ISBN 978-1-59420-596-5 Printed in the United States of America 1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2

Designed by Amanda Dewey Penguin is committed to publishing works of quality and integrity. In that spirit, we are proud to offer this book to our readers; however, the story, the experiences, and the words are the author's alone.

To my wife, Sylvia; my boys, Chris, Carmelo, and Jimmy; and to the memory of my parents, Carmelo and Carmelina-their love, support, and sacrifice gave me the opportunity to live the American Dream of a better life

Contents

Prologue

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PART I POLITICS AND PROGRESS 7

ONE "A Better Life"

Two "Look at Yourself in the Mirror" THREE "You Did What Was Right" FOUR "No More Excuses" FIVE "Working for Us"

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SIX "It's the Right Fight"

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SEVEN "If the White House Is Falling Apart ..." EIGHT "We Thought You Would Cave"

PART 11 PROTECT AND DEFEND

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NINE "The Combatant Commander in the War on Terrorism"

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TEN "Tell It Like It Is ... Our National Security Depends on It"

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ELEVEN "Disrupt, Dismantle, Defeat" TWELVE "Everywhere in the World"

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