What the Frick Can the Defense Secretary Tell You?

By Mark Benjamin | July 13, 2011 | +

For those who have not read it, the Times has a hilarious account of new Defense Secretary Leon Panetta’s first trip to Iraq in his new job. Apparently, the new secretary regularly employs “salty” language.

He has reportedly employed the following lexicon:

On Iraq: “This damn country has a lot of resources.”
The Times says his description of Osama bin Laden is “unprintable.”
He joked with President Jalal Talabani about the relative calm in his native Kurdistan: “I’m sure that they’ve always decided that you are not worth shooting.”
He described the proceedings of one meeting like this: “Yada, yada, yada.” (I think I’ve been to that meeting.)
He explained his bluntness to NBC: “I’m Italian, what the frick can I tell you?”

Related Topics: Leon Panetta

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