John Brennan Quotes

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.

A key reason that most Israeli counterterrorism policies have enjoyed sustained popular support is that they have been subjected to public debate.

The reason the U. S. has never had a major terrorist problem is that you can't rally public support of terrorism, because the channels are open to legitimate protest.

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.

I think the American people believe in stopping and preventing terrorism pretty much at any cost.

What is more comforting to the terrorists around the world: the failure to pass the 9/11 legislation because we lacked a majority of the majority,' or putting aside partisan politics to enact tough new legislation with America's security foremost in mind?

Everything in our foreign and domestic policy is a question of issue for the American people to vote on.

We will never win this war until we understand the effect that Guantanamo Bay has had on the overall war effort. And we'll never get the support of the American people if we can't prove to them that these folks that we're dealing with are not common criminals. We're going to keep them - keep you safe from them.

The American people can be - and deserve to be - assured that actions taken in their defense are consistent with their values and their laws.

And how the government communicates about homeland security is central to how the public responds.

After careful deliberation, I voted today to reauthorize the Patriot Act.

No matter how well formulated a foreign policy may be, it cannot be sustained without the informed consent of the American people.

There isn’t any doubt that in fighting the War on Terrorism you increase the power and scope of government, and it becomes more intrusive.

I was a federal prosecutor when we exercised powers under the Patriot Act or under the FISA court.

I am ready to debate how we fight terrorism without giving up our liberty.

Nobody ever was fired for 9/11. Instead of firing the people who didn't do a good job, we gave them medals. The guy who did a good job, I don't know what happened to him. And what we did was we decided we'd just collect everybody's information. That we'd sort of scrap the Bill of Rights.

Once we got hit by - on 9/11 and lost 3,000 people that day, we recognized, and it was one of the key decisions President Bush made, that this is not a law enforcement problem, it is a strategic threat to the United States. It's a war. And based on that, we then adopted a whole set of policies that flowed out of that proposition.

Accusations fit on Greenwald really sounds like he's against all surveillance unless you can find a guy with the Al Qaeda card, wearing an Al Qaeda baseball cap, an Al Qaeda uniform.

When the American people find out how their government has secretly interpreted the Patriot Act, they will be stunned and they will be angry.

Yugoslavia and Serbia will fight against terrorists regardless of whether a political agreement is reached or not.

We know that Seattle is mentioned frequently ... a computer was found in Afghanistan showing pictures of Seattle-area landmarks. So we are in constant contact with the FBI and with other federal authorities.

I don't think that anyone should doubt Israel's determination to defend itself against terror and destruction.

I have to make the very best judgments I can make in terms of what's gonna keep the American people safe. And is what, what's gonna uphold our Constitution and our traditions of due process.

I think the vast majority of Americans would have supported military action to stop the second plane from hitting the World Trade Center, if that had been possible. I would have been among them.

First of all, I - right after September the 11th, I knew we were fighting a different kind of war. . . . And the people responsible for helping us protect and defend came forth with the current program, because it enables us to move faster and quicker. And that's important. We've got to be fast on our feet, quick to detect and prevent. . . .