John O. Brennan Quotes

Quotes about:

• 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.

  John O. Brennan

  Law, Secret, Information

  Council on Foreign Relations meeting, www.cfr.org. August 8, 2012.

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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.

  John O. Brennan

  Night, People, Worry

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• How you define a problem shapes how you address it.

  John O. Brennan

  Shapes, Addresses, Problem

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• Al-Qa'ida is the antithesis of the peace, tolerance and humanity that is at the heart of Islam.

  John O. Brennan

  Heart, Tolerance, Humanity

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• Jihad is holy struggle, a legitimate tenet of Islam meaning to purify oneself or one's community.

  John O. Brennan

  Struggle, Community, Islam

  "Obama's Complacency About Radical Islam" by Victor Davis Hanson, www.realclearpolitics.com. May 1, 2013.

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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.

  John O. Brennan

  Appreciation, Careers, Profound

  "Strengthening our Security by Adhering to our Values and Laws". John O. Brennan's Speech at Harvard Law School in Cambridge, Massachusetts, obamawhitehouse.archives.gov. September 16, 2011.

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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.

  John O. Brennan

  Sensitive, Method, Lost

  "The Efficacy and Ethics of U.S. Counterterrorism Strategy". Remarks by John O. Brennan at the Wilson Center, www.wilsoncenter.org. April 30, 2012.

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• Unfortunately, in war, there are casualties, including among the civilian population.

  John O. Brennan

  War, Population, Casualties

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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?

  John O. Brennan

  Powerful, Hatred, United States

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• The preservation of our national security and the laws that define us as the United States of America demand that we understand the intersection of the two - indeed, how they reinforce one another.

  John O. Brennan

  Two, America, Law

  "Strengthening our Security by Adhering to our Values and Laws". John O. Brennan's Speech at Harvard Law School in Cambridge, Massachusetts, obamawhitehouse.archives.gov. September 16, 2011.

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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.

  John O. Brennan

  Law, People, Allies

  "Strengthening our Security by Adhering to our Values and Laws". John O. Brennan's Speech at Harvard Law School in Cambridge, Massachusetts, obamawhitehouse.archives.gov. September 16, 2011.

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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.

  John O. Brennan

  Believe, Intelligence Gathering, People

  "Strengthening our Security by Adhering to our Values and Laws". John O. Brennan's Speech at Harvard Law School in Cambridge, Massachusetts, obamawhitehouse.archives.gov. September 16, 2011.

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• Is real, it is serious, it is growing, and it constitutes one of the greatest threats to our national security and, indeed, to global security.

  John O. Brennan

  Real, Growing, Serious

  "Obama's End Goal: World Without Nuclear Weapons". Interview with Renee Montagne, www.npr.org. April 13, 2010.

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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.

  John O. Brennan

  Government, Democracy, Liberty

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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.

  John O. Brennan

  Football, Taken, Play

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• The men and women of the CIA are a national treasure.

  John O. Brennan

  Men, Treasure, Cia

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• I'm neither Republican nor Democrat. I've worked for the past five administrations.

  John O. Brennan

  Past, Administration, Republican

  Interview with David Gregory, www.realclearpolitics.com. January 3, 2010.

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• We are a nation of laws, and we will always act within the bounds of the law.

  John O. Brennan

  Law, Nations, Bounds

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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.

  John O. Brennan

  Opportunity, Allies, United States

  "Strengthening our Security by Adhering to our Values and Laws". John O. Brennan's Speech at Harvard Law School in Cambridge, Massachusetts, obamawhitehouse.archives.gov. September 16, 2011.

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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.

  John O. Brennan

  Effectiveness, Law, Office

  "Strengthening our Security by Adhering to our Values and Laws". John O. Brennan's Speech at Harvard Law School in Cambridge, Massachusetts, obamawhitehouse.archives.gov. September 16, 2011.

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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.

  John O. Brennan

  People, Safety, Custody

  "Strengthening our Security by Adhering to our Values and Laws". John O. Brennan's Speech at Harvard Law School in Cambridge, Massachusetts, obamawhitehouse.archives.gov. September 16, 2011.

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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.

  John O. Brennan

  Opportunity, Strikes, Bin Laden

  "Brennan: Post-9/11, U.S. Has ‘Right Balance’ Between Civil Liberties, Security". Interview with Judy Woodruff, www.pbs.org. September 7, 2011.

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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.

  John O. Brennan

  Order, Law, Government

  "The Efficacy and Ethics of U.S. Counterterrorism Strategy". Remarks by John O. Brennan at the Wilson Center, www.wilsoncenter.org. April 30, 2012.

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• You always, I think, debate with yourself about whether or not you made the right decision. And you have to then give the person that you’re working for - in my instance, the president - your best judgment based on your understanding of the facts, but also the calculus you use to make a determination about what’s the best way to go forward.

  John O. Brennan

  Determination, Giving, Decision

  "Obama's Drone-Master". Interview with Reid Cherlin, www.gq.com. June 17, 2013.

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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.

  John O. Brennan

  Play, Priorities, President

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