After winning a bet with a restauranteur, Leon Panetta may ring in the New Year with a $10,000 bottle of Chateau Lafite Rothschild 1870 wine, The Los Angeles Times reports. Ted Balestreri, co-owner of Sardine Factory in Monterey, put the then-CIA director up to the bet at a party in jest five months before bin Laden was taken out in May. When that day came, it was not lost on Panetta. His wife, Sylvia, told the Times that last May Panetta called her: "He said, ‘Turn on CNN in 15 minutes. The president will have an announcement –- and, by the way, tell Ted to get ready to open that bottle."
Want to add to this story? Let us know in comments
or send an email to the author at
ehayden at nationaljournal dot com.
You can share ideas for stories on the Open Wire.
Erik Hayden
User Comments
Please type your comment and click Post. If you’re not already logged in you will be prompted to log in or register