‘Not much’ pushback from White House, Panetta says

Former Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said late Wednesday that there has been “not much” pushback from the White House over his criticism of President Obama this past week.

{mosads}Panetta has created a media blitz to promote his new memoir, which says that Obama too often “relies on the logic of a law professor rather than the passion of a leader,” according to excerpts obtained by USA Today.

Earlier this week, White House press secretary Josh Earnest said “as a general matter” Obama was proud of his former administration member. But when asked directly if Panetta’s criticism was legitimate, Earnest said, “No.”

Asked Wednesday on “The Daily Show” if he has seen pushback from the White House, Panetta shook his head and smiled, saying, “Not much, not much.”

Panetta said it “is going to take years” to defeat ISIS, adding “the president has to prepare the country for a long and sustained battle.”

He also criticized Congress, describing lawmakers as “those guys that are on the Hill [who] can’t decide what to do” and who have “a hard time trying to find the bathroom.”

The former Defense secretary said Congress needs to come together to give Obama new military authority to defeat ISIS, and that the president should call Congress back.

He also admitted the president has already put boots on the ground in Iraq to combat Islamic militants.

“What the president decided is … we are gonna confront ISIS. We’re going to put troops on the ground in Iraq to try to train the Iraqi security force,” Panetta said.

When corrected that the troops are “advisers,” Panetta responded to audience laughter, “Yeah, but they wear boots.”