John O. Brennan famous quotes

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 #Serious #Growing

The risk of just one terrorist with just one nuclear weapon is a risk we simply cannot afford to take.
-- John O. Brennan

#Risk #Nuclear #Weapons

The men and women of the CIA are a national treasure.
-- John O. Brennan

#Men #Treasure #Cia

Terrorists are not 100 feet tall. Nor do they deserve the abject fear they seek to instill.
-- John O. Brennan

#Feet #Terrorist #Deserve

President Obama has made it clear that the United States is determined to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons.
-- John O. Brennan

#Iran #President #Nuclear

Poverty does not cause violence and terrorism. Lack of education does not cause terrorism.
-- John O. Brennan

#Doe #Poverty #Violence

I'm neither Republican nor Democrat. I've worked for the past five administrations.
-- John O. Brennan

#Past #Administration #Republican

I have a reputation for speaking my mind. I like to think my candor and bluntness will give you the answers.
-- John O. Brennan

#Thinking #Giving #Mind

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

How you define a problem shapes how you address it.
-- John O. Brennan

#Shapes #Addresses #Problem

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.
-- John O. Brennan

#Self #Law #Use

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.
-- John O. Brennan

#Effectiveness #Law #Office

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

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

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

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

The United States is the first nation to regularly conduct strikes using remotely piloted aircraft in an armed conflict. Other nations also possess this technology. Many more nations are seeking it, and more will succeed in acquiring it.
-- John O. Brennan

#Technology #Firsts #Succeed

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

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.
-- John O. Brennan

#Needs #Might #Facts

Simply stated, the need for accurate intelligence and prescient analysis from CIA has never been greater than it is in 2013 - or than it will be in the coming years.
-- John O. Brennan

#Years #Needs #Analysis

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

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

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.
-- John O. Brennan

#Military #Arms #Littles

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

#Struggle #Community #Islam

Unfortunately, in war, there are casualties, including among the civilian population.
-- John O. Brennan

#War #Population #Casualties

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.
-- John O. Brennan

#People #Important #Matter

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 #People #Use

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 #World

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

Throughout my career, I had the great fortune to experience firsthand as well as to witness what it means to be a CIA officer.
-- John O. Brennan

#Mean #Careers #Fortune

We are a nation of laws, and we will always act within the bounds of the law.
-- John O. Brennan

#Law

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

Yes, war is hell. It is awful. It involves human beings killing other human beings, sometimes innocent civilians. That is why we despise war.
-- John O. Brennan

#War #Awful #Sometimes

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

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