Former U.S. Defense Secretary Panetta: President Obama Overruled His National Security Team's Recommendations On Iraq

Former Defense Secretary: U.S. In Syria Too Late, Left Iraq Too Soon -- CBS

ISIS seized a third of Iraq that the U.S. secured with ten years of sacrifice. In an interview for 60 Minutes, Former Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta said ISIS flourished because the U.S. got involved in Syria too late and left Iraq too soon. On the 47th season premiere Sunday, "60 Minutes" will report from Iraq and Syria on ISIS -- what it is, what it wants, and how to defeat it.



Pelley: Back when you watched the stars and stripes being lowered for the last time in Baghdad, were you confident in that moment that pulling out was the right thing to do?



Panetta: No, I wasn't. I really thought that it was important for us to maintain a presence in Iraq.



But the elected Prime Minister, Nouri Al-Maliki didn't want the U.S. force. As Iraq moved on, on its own, civil war broke out in Syria. The U.S. stayed largely on the sidelines but Panetta says the national security team urged the president to do more.



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Update: Obama's Two Previous Defense Secretaries Are Criticizing His ISIS Policy -- Business Insider



WNU Editor: Leon Panetta's full interview will be broadcast on 60 Minutes this Sunday.