U.S. cannot be a ‘puppet for Israel,’ warns Obama’s Defense Secretary

Leon Panetta, former Defense Secretary and CIA director under President Obama, joins Dasha Burns on “The Conversation” to assess the U.S. conflict with Iran, warning that unclear objectives, a closed Strait of Hormuz and uncertain nuclear negotiations could leave the U.S. stuck in a prolonged war. Plus, Panetta defends President Biden’s handling of the Israel/Gaza conflict but says Biden “should have been much tougher” in providing weapons for Ukraine. Leave us a voicemail or shoot us a text with your questions for our first anniversary special: 202-643-1536. Chapters: 0:00 Introduction and call for questions 1:23 Trump is 'stuck in a stalemate' on Iran 7:20 Prospects of a peace deal 13:27 Hegseth criticism 18:41 $1.5 trillion defense budget 20:18 History of Israeli pressure on the U.S. with Iran 26:55 Democratic divide on Israel 31:19 Ukraine war 35:50 Future of America's global standing ----------------------------------------- Subscribe to our channel! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCgjtvMmHXbutALaw9XzRkAg?view_as=subscriber Check out our video catalog: https://www.politico.com/video Follow POLITICO here: ➤ X: https://x.com/politico/ ➤ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/politico/ ➤ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/politico/