(J. B. Lippincott Co., publisher. Stated First Edition on ...)
J. B. Lippincott Co., publisher. Stated First Edition on copyright page. Inscribed on half title page. "To Charles - Best wishes and regards to a good friend and supporter." Signed by author (cannot varify but will provide picture). No other marks or highlights. Glue exposed between front cover and half title page. Wraps clean with some subbing and edge wear. Proceeds benefits Oro Valley Public Library.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00AEH6E1I/?tag=2022091-20
(The inspiring and revelatory autobiography of the defense...)
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 It could be said that Leon Panetta has had two of the most consequential careers of any American public servant in the past fifty years. His first career, beginning as an army intelligence officer and including a distinguished run as one of Congresss most powerful and respected members, lasted thirty-five years and culminated in his transformational role as Clintons budget czar and White House chief of staff. He then retired to establish the Panetta Institute with his wife of fifty years, Sylvia; to serve on the Iraq Study Group; and to protect his beloved California coastline. But in 2009, he accepted what many said was a thankless task: returning to public office as the director of the CIA, taking it from a state of turmoil after the Bush-era torture debates and moving it back to the vital center of Americas war against Al Qaeda, including the campaign that led to the killing of Osama bin Laden. And then, in the wake of bin Ladens 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 reflection of Panettas values. It is imbued with the frank, grounded, and often quite funny spirit of a man who never lost touch with where he came from: his familys walnut farm in beautiful Carmel Valley, California. It is also a testament to 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 but had to weigh every drone strike from 2009 through 2011. Throughout his career, Panettas polestar has been his belief that a public servants real choice is between leadership or crisis. Troubles always come about through no fault of ones own, but most can be prevented with courage and foresight. As always, Panetta calls them as he sees them in Worthy Fights. Suffused with its authors decency and stubborn common sense, the book is an epic American success story, a great political memoir, and a revelatory view onto many of the great figures and events of our time.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1594205965/?tag=2022091-20
Leon Panetta was born in Monterey, California, on June 28, 1938, to Italian immigrant parents, Carmelo Frank and Cramelina Maria (Prochilo) Panetta. His parents operated a restaurant until 1947, when they sold it and bought a walnut ranch in Carmel Valley. It was there that Leon and his older brother lived as teenagers.
He attended grammar school at a Catholic mission school and graduated from Monterey High School in 1956. Panetta then enrolled at the University of Santa Clara. Panetta graduated magna cum laude in 1960 and received a law degree three years later from the University of Santa Clara Law School.
In July 1994 Panetta moved into the White House as chief of staff to the president. In 1964 Panetta was commissioned in the United States Army, rising from second lieutenant to captain during his three-year stint. He served first at Fort Benning, Georgia and eventually as chief of operations and planning for the intelligence section at Fort Ord, California. He also acted as legal counsel in court-martial cases. It was during his military service that Panetta became sensitized to the evil consequences of prejudice and racial discrimination. After his discharge from the Army in 1966, the 28-year-old Panetta became an aide to moderate Republican Thomas H. Kuchel, U. S. senator from California. He helped to draft the open housing bill of 1968. When his boss lost his bid for reelection in 1968, Panetta joined the Nixon transition team on matters relating to the Department of Health, Education and Welfare (HEW). Shortly after, he agreed to serve under Nixon's HEW secretary, Robert Finch, as special assistant for civil rights. Several months after that appointment Finch promoted Panetta to director of the Office of Civil Rights. In this position Panetta had responsibility for desegregating the 515 southern school districts that had refused to comply with earlier federal orders to do so. However, Nixon's strategy to establish the South as a Republican stronghold worked against Panetta's efforts to enforce the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and led to his forced resignation on February 17, 1970. Disturbed by Panetta's departure, 125 HEW civil rights personnel signed a petition protesting the Nixon administration's actions. On May 26, 1970, he joined New York City mayor John V. Lindsay as an executive assistant for intergovernmental relations. After serving in that position for five months, Panetta returned to Monterey, where he established the law firm Panetta, Thompson and Panetta. Now as a declared Democrat, Panetta served for six years as counsel for the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (starting in 1971). In 1976 he won the Democratic nomination for the 16th (now the 17th) Congressional District and defeated Republican incumbent Burt I. Talcott, receiving 53 percent of the vote. This victory began a 16-year tenure in the House of Representatives, where he won reelection every time by at least 61 percent of the vote. In Congress he developed a reputation as a fiscal conservative, often willing to side with Republicans in decreasing spending on domestic policies. Yet he supported abortion rights and the Equal Rights Amendment for women. In foreign affairs Panetta consistently opposed defense and foreign policy initiatives promoted by President Ronald Reagan, especially financial aid to the Contra rebels in Nicaragua. He also voted against authorizing President George Bush to use armed force to expel Iraqi troops from Kuwait. During his service in Congress the soft-spoken Californian earned the respect of both Republican and Democratic colleagues for his command of budgetary details, his honesty, and his willingness to forgo politically popular decisions to achieve long-term goals. After serving on the House Budget Committee since 1978, Panetta became chair of that important committee in 1989 and emerged as a key player in the budget negotiations with the Bush administration. Panetta's constant call for spending constraints differentiated him from most Democrats. His deep knowledge of financial matters, as well as his political courage and unsparing realism, help explain why President Bill Clinton nominated Panetta for director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). At the confirmation hearing in January 1993, Panetta stressed that he would make reducing the federal deficit his top priority. The Senate confirmed him on January 21, 1993. In 1993 he was given the Peter Burnett Award for Distinguished Public Service. As head of OMB Panetta helped the Clinton administration pass the hard-fought budget bill of 1993 (it passed the House by one vote) and the easily passed budget bill of 1994. In July of 1994 Panetta was appointed chief of staff to President Clinton. He served in this position for the next two and one half years, helping to bring order and discipline to the Clinton White House. In November 1996, Panetta announced his resignation as chief of staff. He will be remembered for his many years of service in Congress as well as his integral role in federal budget negotiations.
In January 2009, newly elected President Barack Obama nominated Panetta for the post of CIA Director. Panetta was confirmed by the full Senate in February 2009. As director of the CIA, Panetta oversaw the operation that brought down international terrorist Osama bin Laden.
On April 28, 2011, Obama announced the nomination of Panetta as Defense Secretary, to replace the retiring Robert Gates. In June the Senate confirmed Panetta unanimously and he assumed the office on July 1, 2011.
(The inspiring and revelatory autobiography of the defense...)
(J. B. Lippincott Co., publisher. Stated First Edition on ...)
In June 2002, the U. S. Conference of Catholic Bishops appointed Panetta to their National Review Board, which was created to look into the Catholic Church's sexual abuse scandal. This created controversy because of Panetta's pro-choice stands on abortion and other views seen as conflicting with those of the Church.
Panetta switched to the Democratic Party in 1971, because he thought that the Republican Party was moving away from the political center. In 1976, Panetta was elected to the U. S. Congress to represent California's 16th congressional district, unseating incumbent Republican Burt Talcott with 53% of the vote (the 17th district after the 1990 census), and was reelected eight times. (With a few boundary adjustments, the 16th district became the 17th district after the 1990 census and is the 20th district today. It consists of all of Monterey and San Benito Counties, plus most of Santa Cruz County, including the city of Santa Cruz. At the time of Panetta's first election, it also included the northern part of San Luis Obispo County. )
He became a member of the Monterey County Democratic Central Committee between 1972 and 1974.
Also he was a member of the House Committee on the Budget from 1979 to 1989, and its chairman from 1989 to 1993, Panetta played a key role in the 1990 Budget Summit.
Panetta was a member of the United States House of Representatives from 1977 to 1993, served as Director of the Office of Management and Budget from 1993 to 1994.
A member of the President's Commission on Foreign Language and International Studies and a member of the International Advisory Board.
Panetta is also a member of the Partnership for a Secure America's bipartisan Advisory Board.
After graduating from law school, he married Sylvia Marie Varni. She bore him three sons: Christopher, Carmelo, and James.
