'We just have to be very careful about what we say and what we do,' Panetta said. Panetta: U.S. 'within an inch of war'

Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta said Wednesday that the United States was “within an inch of war almost every day” in the region around North Korea.

“We’re within an inch of war almost every day in that part of the world, and we just have to be very careful about what we say and what we do,” Panetta said on CNN’s “The Situation Room.”


Panetta said that America was prepared for “any contingency” that might result from North Korean actions.

Last week, the young regime of North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un suffered a major setback when an experimental launch of a long-range rocket failed, forcing the government to take the unprecedented step of admitting to its citizens that the test was unsuccessful.

“I think it’s pretty clear that this administration took a firm stand with regards to the provocative behavior that North Korea has engaged in … we have made very clear to them that they should not take any additional provocative actions,” Panetta said.

Some analysts have suggested that Kim might feel compelled to respond to this disappointment with a further provocation, for example by conducting a nuclear test.

The defense secretary listed Iran, Syria, turmoil in the Middle East, cyberwarfare, weapons of mass destruction as threats that the United States most urgently faces.

“Unfortunately these days, there is a hell of a lot that keeps me awake,” he said.

In a subsequent interview on “The Situation Room,” Secretary of State Hillary Clinton expressed cautious optimism that Kim Jong Un could represent a change from his father’s policies.

“We believe that he may have some hope that the conditions in North Korea can change. But again, we’ll watch and wait,” Clinton said. “He gave a speech the other day that was analyzed as being some of the same old stuff and some possible new approach. “