John O. Brennan Quotes
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Where terrorists offer injustice, disorder and destruction, the United States and its allies stand for freedom, fairness, equality, hope, and opportunity.
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Al-Qa'ida does not follow a traditional command structure, wear uniforms, carry its arms openly, or mass its troops at the borders of the nations it attacks. Nonetheless, it possesses the demonstrated capability to strike with little notice and cause significant civilian or military casualties.
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President Obama is determined that our foreign and national security policies not play into al-Qa'ida's strategy or its warped ideology. Al-Qa'ida seeks to terrorize us into retreating from the world stage. But President Obama has made it a priority to renew American leadership in the world, strengthening our alliances and deepening partnerships.
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We need to make sure that leaks of classified information, of national security secrets, needs to be rigorously pursued and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.
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How you define a problem shapes how you address it.
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The whole technological revolution and evolution gives man tremendous capabilities for good, and it also gives individuals tremendous capability to carry out what result in lethal action.
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Terrorism needs to be fought against and certainly delegitimized or attacked, but some of the underlying grievances that might in fact lead individuals astray to terrorism cannot be ignored.
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A lot of things look good on an academic's blackboard in terms of the actions that need to be taken. It's almost like a football coach, when you draw the X's and O's: Every play that is chalked on that board goes for a touchdown. Well, there are a lot of yards to be made between the line of scrimmage and the touchdown.
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We are in this business, whether it be intelligence or the government, to protect freedom, democracy and liberty, not to violate that.
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Unfortunately, in war, there are casualties, including among the civilian population.
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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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By the time President Obama took office, Guantánamo 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 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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I will not, nor will I ever, publicly divulge sensitive intelligence sources and methods. For when that happens, our national security is endangered and lives can be lost.
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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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Terrorists are not 100 feet tall. Nor do they deserve the abject fear they seek to instill.
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I want to be very clear - whenever it is possible to capture a suspected terrorist, it is the unqualified preference of the Administration to take custody of that individual so we can obtain information that is vital to the safety and security of the American people.
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I'm neither Republican nor Democrat. I've worked for the past five administrations.
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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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Poverty does not cause violence and terrorism. Lack of education does not cause terrorism.
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In full accordance with the law - and in order to prevent terrorist attacks on the United States and to save American lives - the United States government conducts targeted strikes against specific al-Qa'ida terrorists, sometimes using remotely piloted aircraft, often referred to publicly as drones.
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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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The risk of just one terrorist with just one nuclear weapon is a risk we simply cannot afford to take.
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The men and women of the CIA are a national treasure.
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I'm not ideological. I think sometimes when people are ideological, the world's a lot easier. Because it falls into either right or wrong, or black or white, or whatever. To me, I'm still trying to figure out a lot of things.
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Why should a great and powerful nation like the United States allow its relationship with more than a billion Muslims around the world to be defined by the narrow hatred and nihilistic actions of an exceptionally small minority of Muslims?
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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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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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Jihad is holy struggle, a legitimate tenet of Islam meaning to purify oneself or one's community.
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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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Related Authors
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Barack Obama 44th U.S. President -
Michael Morell Former Director of Central Intelligence -
William M. Daley Former White House Chief of Staff -
Dianne Feinstein United States Senator -
Ashton Carter United States Secretary of Defense -
George Tenet Professor -
Hillary Clinton Former United States Secretary of State -
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Valerie Jarrett Lawyer -
Robert M. Gates United States Secretary of Defense -
Rand Paul United States Senator -
Joe Biden Vice President of the United States -
Leon Panetta Former Director of the Central Intelligence Agency -
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Susan Rice United States Ambassador to the United Nations -
David Petraeus Former Director of the Central Intelligence Agency -
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Thomas E. Donilon Lawyer -
Chuck Hagel United States Secretary of Defense -
James R. Clapper Officer