Leon Panetta Returns Home to Fanfare; Son Considers a Run for Congress

Leon Panetta's 50-year career in public service started with what he thought would be a two-year stint as a congressional aide in Washington, and a cross-country trip with his family in a Volkswagen beetle.

"We were plugging up toilets in the Holiday Inn," he said. "That was the beginning of one hell of a ride."

The retiring Secretary of Defense reflected on an impressive resume before a crowd of about 500 Thursday night at CSU Monterey Bay. That resume includes serving as director of the CIA under President Barack Obama, director of the Office of Management and Budget and White House Chief of Staff under President Bill Clinton, and as a nine-term congressman.

"Every time I retire we have a hell of a party," Panetta said, vowing to make this his final retirement.

Listen to a recording of Leon Panetta's press conference here.

He spoke about his recent accomplishments, like lifting a ban on women in combat and the killing of Osama Bin Laden. He also looked further back at victories like designating the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary and helping secure land transfers from the feds to local jurisdictions after Fort Ord closed.

He spoke about CSUMB, which houses the Panetta Institute for Public Policy which he runs with his wife, Sylvia Panetta, as an ideal of what he'd hoped would happen on Fort Ord.

"We have converted swords into plowshares here by giving young people the opportunity to get an education, and give them the opportunity to succeed," Panetta said. "There is no greater component to our democracy."

CSU Chancellor Timothy White told press that the institute has helped elevate CSUMB's significance. "It's not just a little old campus in Monterey," he said. "It's also one of the crown jewels.

"[If I were a student] I'd say, 'I'd like to come be around the Panetta Institute and this great man.' I may come pay tuition just to come hang out with you for a while."

Panetta will now resume his leadership role at the institute, and will serve as moderator for this year's lecture series, themed "Gridlock or Action?"

In his address Thursday, he lamented Congress' inability to act. "If you're an elected leader, dammit, you have to take risks," he said.

The purpose of the institute is to inspire future leaders to pursue careers in public service and elected office.

And one of Panetta's own is considering just that. Jimmy Panetta, a prosecutor for the Monterey County District Attorney, says he may run for Congress when Rep. Sam Farr, D-Carmel, eventually retires.

"Based on who I am and where I am from, and my devotion to public service, it’s clear that’s something I would seriously consider," the younger Panetta says. "But only when the time is right."

People have approached him to ask him to consider a run for Congress, Panetta says, and he'll weigh the possibility based on watching his father's 50-year career: "I’ve seen what it takes to be a good politician and it's not easy. It takes a lot of sacrifices on your part and your family’s part."

For the retiring Panetta, who said he's back to driving tractors on his Carmel Valley walnut farm, he says the grind never reduced him to a cynical Washingtonian. "I never lost my sense of awe," he said. "When I looked at the Capitol at night or when I looked at the White House."

He hopes his legacy is one of extending opportunity for future generations. "I've always believed the fundamental purpose of these jobs is not the name on the door," Panetta said, "but that American dream of giving our children a better life."