Policy & Strategy

McCain said he doesn't fault the Times for publishing the story while Kerry questioned the Times decision

Arriving in Afghanistan on Thursday, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said the United States is “reaching the limits of our patience” with Pakistan over militant groups using Pakistan as a safe haven.

Panetta’s comments amplified his tough talk regarding Pakistan during his trip to Asia, continuing a line of criticism he used while speaking in India on Wednesday, when he said the United States was “at war in the FATA [Pakistan’s Federally Administered Tribal Areas].”

At a news conference with Afghan Defense Minster Abdul Rahim Wardak on Thursday, Panetta laid out U.S. concerns that the Haqqani network uses Pakistan as a safe haven for attacks on Afghanistan and called on Pakistan to do more to stop them, according to The Associated Press.

With congressional outrage growing over classified leaks, Director of National Intelligence Clapper will meet with lawmakers Thursday.

The Topline: As Capitol Hill settles into the annual legislative doldrums that highlight summertime in Washington, vacation plans are starting to outweigh roll-call votes on the minds of those inside the Beltway. But with a wide range of pressing issues still open to debate — from defense sequestration to the Pentagon's growing role in the Pacific — along with a presidential election season that's already in full swing, one can all but guarantee this summer won't be a quiet one. While many Washingtonians are still waiting for the proverbial other shoe to drop on sequestration, a number of congressional Republicans aren't willing to wait until the lame-duck session to do something.

Sequestration strategy: Defense hawks in Congress and around Washington on Wednesday were operating on the theory that information is power when it comes to sequestration. While Congress isn't any close to reversing the $500 billion in automatic cuts to defense set to hit next year, Senate Republicans did their best on Wednesday to try and push toward some kind of answer.

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Press secretary Jay Carney Wednesday slammed Sen. John McCain’s claims that the administration used security leaks for political gain.

President Obama's controversial nominee for ambassador to Iraq sailed through his confirmation hearing relatively unscathed on Wednesday despite reservations about his lack of experience heading an embassy.

Republicans held their punches during the sparsely attended Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing, mostly limiting their questions for Brett McGurk to his credentials for running the world's largest embassy. McGurk's chief critic, Senate Armed Services Committee ranking member John McCain (R-Ariz.), could still place a hold on McGurk when his nomination hits the Senate floor.

“I don't think anyone can question your knowledge and understanding of what's happened in Iraq,” said Sen. Jim Risch (R-Idaho). “You've had an incredible amount of experience there and in fact I would be hard-pressed I would think to find someone who would have a resume like you.”

McGurk, a 39-year-old lawyer by training, told lawmakers that he's served with all five U.S. ambassadors since the fall of Saddam Hussein and has been working with Iraqi leaders at the highest levels since 2004. He also worked with the National Security Council under both Presidents George W. Bush and Obama, and said he's built relations with embassy staff in Baghdad as well as with federal government officials in multiple agencies throughout Washington.

A recently completed Pentagon inquiry into the accidental burnings of Qurans could result in disciplinary action against U.S. troops.

Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta confirmed Wednesday that he pressed Indian leaders to beef up their involvement in Afghanistan during his visit to New Delhi despite the risk of further inflaming tensions with India's arch-rival Pakistan.

“I urged India’s leaders to continue with additional support to Afghanistan through trade and investment, reconstruction and help for Afghanistan’s security forces,” Panetta said in a speech dubbed "The U.S. and India: Partners in the 21st Century."

The remarks to India's Institute for Defense Studies and Analyses come one day after the department's spokesman played down earlier news reports that said Panetta had urged a beefed-up presence during his meeting Tuesday with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and National Security Adviser Shiv Shankar Menon.

Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner called on Wednesday for the global community to level tough economic sanctions against  Syria to quell the continued violence ravaging the country. 

Geithner called for increased international cooperation on sanctions, especially from countries that have not yet gotten involved, to maximize financial pressure on the regime of President Bashar al-Assad while examining any additional actions that would help deprive the Syrian regime of the resources it needs to survive while ensuring that it cannot evade international sanctions.

"We, the United States, hope that all responsible countries will soon join in taking appropriate economic actions against the Syrian regime, including, if necessary, Chapter 7 action in the U.N. Security Council, as called for by the Arab League last weekend," Geithner said in remarks to the Friends of the Syrian People International Working Group on Sanctions at the Bureau of Engraving and Printing in Washington. 

“There’s no question that this kind of thing hurts our country," Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) said.