Leon Panetta

They've given up on infrastructure funding.

They've given up on providing the kind of stable appropriations bills that would help fund whatever we're doing, whether it's in defense or anything else.

And I think...

What it means is that we're a country that is operating by crisis.

I often tell the students that I deal with at our institute, we govern in a democracy either by leadership or crisis.

If leadership is there and willing to take the risk, we can deal with these issues.

If not, we govern by crisis.

And very frankly, today we largely govern by crisis.

I think with the Tea Party members there, they made a decision that as far as they're concerned, you know, they'll blow up the government, they'll shut the government down.

And so there's a group there that obviously is very difficult to deal with.

There are some Republicans there, both in the House and the Senate, that I think legitimately want to be able to cut some deals and get it done.

I mean, you know, look, most of my history in Washington from a legislative system when I was in Congress, you know, I saw, I've seen Washington at its best and Washington at its worst.

I've seen Washington work.

I've seen Republicans and Democrats come together and solve these issues.

But it takes the willingness to take risks.

I mean, after I got out of the Army, I went back to Washington as legislative assistant to a senator from California.

I mean, at the time, most of your audience won't remember the names.

I mean, on the Republican side, there were people like Jacob Javits, Clifford Case from New Jersey, George Aiken from Vermont, Hugh Scott from Pennsylvania, my boss, Tom Kuechle, who was Republican from California, Mark Hatfield.

And they were willing to work with Democrats like Henry Jackson, Symington,

Hubert Humphrey, Dick Russell, Sam Ervin, others.