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

Categorized in : Giving Decision Determination

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

information secret law

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

worry night people

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

John O. Brennan

islam community struggle

How you define a problem shapes how you address it.

John O. Brennan

addresses shapes problem

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

intelligence-gathering believe people

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

law two america

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

allies law people

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

careers appreciation profound

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

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

John O. Brennan

tolerance humanity heart

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

democracy liberty government

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

growing serious real

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

taken play football

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 office law

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

custody safety people

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

bin-laden strikes opportunity

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

government law order

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

united-states powerful hatred

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.

John O. Brennan

government office people

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

careers fortune mean