I do not want to say I told you so, but I did, in 2008, 2009, and in 2010, and many of you made sure
I paid a price for disagreeing with your better judgment. Your judgment wasn't better, You've had your WMD moment. Meet the new boss, same as the old boss. Anybody who makes excuses for this is still in deep denial.
I have full confidence in John Brennan. I think he has acknowledged and directly apologized to Senator Feinstein that CIA personnel did not properly handle an investigation as to how certain documents that were not authorized to be released to the Senate staff got somehow into the hands of the Senate staff. And it’s clear from the IG report that some very poor judgment was shown in terms of how that was handled. Keep in mind, though, that John Brennan was the person who called for the IG report, and he’s already stood up a task force to make sure that lessons are learned and mistakes are resolved.
With respect to the larger point of the RDI report itself, even before I came into office I was very clear that in the immediate aftermath of 9/11 we did some things that were wrong. We did a whole lot of things that were right, but we tortured some folks. We did some things that were contrary to our values.
I understand why it happened. I think it’s important when we look back to recall how afraid people were after the Twin Towers fell and the Pentagon had been hit and the plane in Pennsylvania had fallen, and people did not know whether more attacks were imminent, and there was enormous pressure on our law enforcement and our national security teams to try to deal with this. And it’s important for us not to feel too sanctimonious in retrospect about the tough job that those folks had. And a lot of those folks were working hard under enormous pressure and are real patriots.
But having said all that, we did some things that were wrong. And that’s what that report reflects.
So, what ever happened to the rule of law and to accountability? Remind me, what did the recent CIA director get fired for doing? What promises did Senator Obama make to the American people?
The only possible excuses for scolding us not to act sanctimoneously is that the "intelligence community" is too powerful and intimidating to attempt to bring to account, and Brennan had a complicit partner and supervisor in the droning of American citizens who had not been charged with any felony crime or afforded due process. Ths is what the future looks like. Taste it, smell it, you are responsible for it if you did not object to it, no matter who was doing it, republican pols, or democratic pols. (Is "democratic" even a word, anymore? I watch the mouths of CNN and MSNBC present certain repubs after assuring us how reasonable and moderate they are, and the first thing out of their mouths is "democrat senator," or "democrat party." )
Let me share a little secret with you. If you oppose republicans you have to oppose democrats who show that they share their lack of values, respect for the law, and for humanism. If you don't keep one standard, then this is what you get, and you've earned it!
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