CIA CHIEF JOHN BRENNAN

Under fire, CIA chief has key ally By Julian Hattem and Amie Parnes - 08/06/14 06:00 AM EDT ... Brennan was considered Obama’s first choice to lead the CIA in late 2008. But soon after winning the presidency, the left revolted over comments from Brennan that seemed to show his support for “enhanced interrogation” practices, such as waterboarding. The 25-year CIA veteran was subsequently named the president’s counterterrorism adviser, a position that did not need Senate confirmation and had him working out of a windowless office in the White House basement. While it might not have come with the prestige of leading the country’s most recognizable spy agency, being able to work feet from the Oval Office helped cement his relationship with Obama, Lowenthal said. “People used to say he had more access to the president than the [director of national intelligence] or the head of the CIA did,” he said. “They worked very closely together for all those years before the president sent John to Langley.” In addition to Obama, multiple former officials told The Hill that Brennan has another close ally in Denis McDonough, who is now Obama’s chief of staff. The second senior administration official said it was always clear how much McDonough “really, really loved Brennan.” “They’re cut from the same cloth, in terms of no drama and no theatrics,” the source added. “There’s a lot of mutual respect in the abilities of the other … which is why last week was so shocking.” Obama reportedly used to refer to the trio of Brennan, McDonough and Tom Donilon — who served as national security adviser when McDonough was his deputy — as the “grim Irishmen.” Brennan has often come across as a brusque, dour, no-nonsense figure, yet he has gained a number of acolytes in the intelligence community and the White House. In a 2012 interview with The Washington Post, Brennan said he was rejected by the Bush administration — which he left in 2005 to work for a private contractor before joining Obama’s campaign — “because I was not seen as someone who was a team player.” “I’m probably not a team player here, either,” he added, referring to the Obama administration. “I tend to do what I think is right. But I find much more comfort, I guess, in the views and values of this president.” Brennan finally got his shot at the CIA last year, after a sex scandal led to former director, Gen. David Petraeus’s resignation. While announcing the nomination in January 2013, Obama called Brennan “one of my closest advisers” and “a great friend.” http://thehill.com/policy/technology/214433-under-fire-cia-chief-has-key-ally

CIA Chief, John Brennan:

Looks kinda mean.

Raised North Bergen, New Jersey.

A former FBI director (Louis Freeh) came out of  North Bergen ... as did Ice-T! 

I'm more familiar with Cocoa and Ice-T than I am with Freeh.
Freeh sounds like he had an interesting FBI time (long list dealings) before bowing out to practice law.

Likely favours 'enhanced interrogation' techniques (see snowboarding waterboarding).

Brusque (abrupt).
Dour (severe; stern), no nonsense (no fun).
Does his own thing.  Not a team player.

On the plus side:

No drama.
No theatrics.

I'm not much of a team player either, so maybe that should go in the 'plus' section. :)

Torture's probably part of the job, so you can't hold that against him.  Or can you?  What if the subject has no information?  That's really mean.  Real torture, as opposed to a bit of kinky fun, isn't nice.

If torture's part of the job, maybe they should just run a PR campaign to improve the image of torturing suspects?

No way do I believe that he's there simply because of Obama, because I don't believe that any head of government calls the shots alone.

*Brennan was first to acknowledge CIA drone attacks:    "... in Pakistan, Yemen, Somalia, Libya, Afghanistan, and elsewhere."

What?  I thought that was in the military sphere rather than the spy/security domain.

He made a case for the morality, effectiveness and legality of the drone attacks.  But of course.  Like he was going to argue the opposite.

Bystanders killed by drones are 'collateral deaths'.

Brennan said 2011 there had been a single 'collateral death ' ... Bureau of Investigative Journalism (BIJ) called him out on that claim.  BIJ research indicates otherwise (76 deaths).  [*HEY, IT'S THE 'FOURTH COLUMN'! -- the Chris Woods, Bureau of Investigative Journalism article - here]

Wikipedia:

The Atlantic has been harsher in its criticism, saying that "Brennan has been willing to lie about those drone strikes to hide ugly realities."

And the Wikipedia on this dude gets more interesting:

Morris Davis, a former Chief Prosecutor for the Guantanamo Military Commissions compared Brennan to Canadian Omar Khadr, who was convicted of "committing murder in violation of the law of war".  He suggested that Brennan's role in targeting individuals for CIA missile strikes was no more authorized than the throwing of the grenade Khadr was accused of.

Hey, I'm glad I looked.  Wasn't going to bother because I didn't even think the head of CIA would have a listing online.  LOL.

Hey, if this stuff is the stuff online, imagine the stuff we don't even know about!!!

Looks like the only one who had anything to say about the Brennan appointment was Kentucky senator Rand Paul:

... citing President Barack Obama and his administration's use of combat drones, stating “No one politician should be allowed to judge the guilt, to charge an individual, to judge the guilt of an individual and to execute an individual. It goes against everything that we fundamentally believe in our country."

 Needless to say, Rand Paul got overruled.  Got in by senate vote @ 63-34.


Chief of Staff, Denis McDonough:

Looks friendly.

Most likely a team player (one of 11 children!).

McDonough was pushing for Brennan and Chuck Hagel to get onboard the security.

Republicans seem to like him because he consults with them.

*** Could this guy be a mover and shaker?



US Secretary of Defence, Chuck Hagel:

Looks really friendly.

Vietnam vet.

A professor at Edmund A Walsh School of Foreign Service(SFS) - Catholic affiliation + Georgetown Uni, Washington  - a US and international diplomat school and 'global affairs' school.

• Madeline Albright did a stint there, as did a former CIA director and some foreigners.
• School went from 'diplomacy and law' aims to 'research and teaching of global affairs'.
• Faculty members include Albright and Chuck Hagel.
• Supposedly one of the best in world surveys (surveys are just tools for manipulating ppl or taking a punt in business and marketing)
• Qatar financed the opening of branch of SFS in Qatar.

 So is this like a US brainwashing on foreign affairs school?

Tom Donilon

Tom Donilon, former National Security Adviser Obama administration.

"Former member of the Steering Committee of the Bilderberg Group".
 Isn't Bilderberg some kinda 'cult'? LOL

Worked under Clinton Administration and was involved in "negotiating the Bosnian peace agreement and the expansion of NATO".

Negotiations probably went something like this:  do as we say or we bomb you.

Donilon's the Afghan Man ... he worked out the 'strategy' for Afghanistan, whatever that might be (see Obama wars).

Might have rubbed up the National Security Council people the wrong way.  Looks like he didn't appreciate their hard work or something.

Wanted China to do something about hacking (cyber attack and commercial espionage?).

Donilon was also the Bin Laden Man -- he was National Security advisor when Bin Laden was killed.

Donilon is a fellow of the Council on Foreign Relations.

His brother's a lawyer of Joe Biden.  His (lawyer) wife was chief of staff to Biden's missus (the 'second lady' (Biden being the vice pres).

Sounds all cosy in Washington.

After all checking, I've lost track of the point of the article that got me interested in this stuff.

Actually, I don't think there was a point.  Obama likes him.  ... So what?


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 Sources:

Unless otherwise indicated, data sourced from Wikipedia.