John O. Brennan Quotes
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As a former career intelligence professional, I have a profound appreciation for the value of intelligence. Intelligence disrupts terrorist plots and thwarts attacks. Intelligence saves lives.
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By the time President Obama took office, Guantanamo was viewed internationally as a symbol of a counterterrorism approach that flouted our laws and strayed from our values, undercutting the perceived legitimacy - and therefore the effectiveness - of our efforts.
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I'm neither Republican nor Democrat. I've worked for the past five administrations.
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How you define a problem shapes how you address it.
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I think the rule should be that if we're going to take actions overseas that result in the deaths of people, the United States should take responsibility for that.
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Unfortunately, in war, there are casualties, including among the civilian population.
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When we uphold the rule of law, our counterterrorism tools are more likely to withstand the scrutiny of our courts, our allies, and the American people.
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Al-Qa'ida is the antithesis of the peace, tolerance and humanity that is at the heart of Islam.
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I have a reputation for speaking my mind. I like to think my candor and bluntness will give you the answers.
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You know, President Obama feels very strongly that the government has a responsibility to engage with the American people, as well as with the world community.
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Our democratic values also include - and our national security demands - open and transparent government. Some information obviously needs to be protected. And since his first days in office, President Obama has worked to strike the proper balance between the security the American people deserve and the openness our democratic society expects.
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President Obama has made it clear that the United States is determined to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons.
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While the intelligence profession oftentimes demands secrecy, it is critically important that there be a full and open discourse on intelligence matters with the appropriate elected representatives of the American people.
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We will use all lawful tools at our disposal, and that includes authorities under the renewed PATRIOT Act. We firmly believe that our intelligence gathering tools must enable us to collect the information we need to protect the American people.
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Jihad is holy struggle, a legitimate tenet of Islam, meaning to purify oneself or one's community.
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Throughout my career, I had the great fortune to experience firsthand as well as to witness what it means to be a CIA officer.
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It's not that the system is broken, but clearly there are ways to improve the system, strengthen it, to make sure that we can put together the various bits and pieces of information in a way that allows us to stop every single terrorist out there.
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We know from the material that was recovered from the bin Laden compound that bin Laden was looking at the 10th anniversary of 9/11 as an opportunity to strike yet again at the U.S. homeland.
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The men and women of the CIA are a national treasure.
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As a matter of international law, the United States is in an armed conflict with al-Qa'ida, the Taliban, and associated forces, in response to the 9/11 attacks, and we may also use force consistent with our inherent right of national self-defense.
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I go to bed at night worrying that I didn't do enough that day to make sure I protect the American people.
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We will never abdicate the security of the United States to a foreign country or refrain from taking action when appropriate. But we cannot ignore the reality that cooperative counterterrorism activities are a key to our national defense.
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Yes, war is hell. It is awful. It involves human beings killing other human beings, sometimes innocent civilians. That is why we despise war.
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Since taking office, President Obama has worked to restore a positive vision of American leadership in the world - leadership defined, not by the threats and dangers that we will oppose, but by the security, opportunity and dignity that America advances in partnership with people around the world.