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Obama Picks CIA Veteran as Terror Adviser

Controversial Brennan backs harsh tactics, has contractor ties

By Kevin Spak,  Newser Staff

Posted Jan 9, 2009 9:11 AM CST

(Newser) – The rumors are true: Barack Obama has picked John O. Brennan as his top counterterrorism adviser, the Washington Post reports, just six weeks after Brennan was forced to back out of the hunt for the CIA directorship. Brennan has made public statements about controversial CIA tactics such as extraordinary rendition—“We do have to take the gloves off in some areas,” he once told PBS—that might have complicated his confirmation hearings. But as an adviser, Brennan needn’t be confirmed.

Obama aides say they believe Brennan when he says he had no role in crafting the CIA interrogation policies. They also dismiss the notion that he’s too close to private security contractors. The counterterror advisory firm Brennan heads is owned by a company that employs hired soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan. “No one has been more critical of private security contractors than Barack Obama,” a senior foreign policy adviser said.

John Brennan in a 2004 file photo.
John Brennan in a 2004 file photo.   (AP Photo )
In this 2004 file photo, John Brennan testifies before Senate Government Affairs Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington.
In this 2004 file photo, John Brennan testifies before Senate Government Affairs Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington.   (AP Photo)
President-elect Barack Obama makes remarks on the nations economy, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2009, at George Mason University in Fairfax, Va.
President-elect Barack Obama makes remarks on the nations economy, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2009, at George Mason University in Fairfax, Va.   (AP Photo/Lawrence Jackson)
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COMMENTS
Showing 1 of 1 comment
Guest
Jan 8, 2009 11:16 PM CST
nothing has changed expect this president is bi-racial. business as usual.

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