First when he was OMB director and then as chief of staff in the Clinton White House, Leon Panetta was famous (some might say infamous) for negotiating with congressional Republicans on the budget. He'd negotiate a deal in private and then either denounce it publically or come back the next day demanding something more. He was one of the reasons the Clinton administration ran circles around the GOP congressional majority that, led by Newt Gingrich, was assumed to be in control.