Barack Obama actually said...

"Unless Congress acts by March 1st, a series of automatic cuts—called a sequester—that threaten thousands of jobs and the economic security of the middle class will take effect."

"Leon, from your first day in uniform until today, your dedicated service to America has spanned nearly 50 remarkable years."

"Now is the time to act, for Democrats and Republicans to come together in the same spirit that Leon Panetta always brought to public service."

"The most damaging effects of a sequester on the middle class are cuts to education."