Deputy National Security Adviser John Brennan made the rounds on the Sunday shows yesterday, and criticized former Vice President Dick Cheney for his “disappointing” remarks on President Obama’s stance on terrorism.
Cheney told Politico in a statementlast week that Obama is “trying to pretend we are not at war” with terrorists.
Yesterday, Brennan responded on Meet The Press, saying that he’s “very disappointed” in Cheney for his comments, and that “either the vice president is willfully mischaracterizing this president’s position, both in terms of language he uses and the actions he’s taken, or he’s ignorant of the facts. And in either case it doesn’t speak well of what the vice president is doing.”
On Fox News Sunday, he defended the President’s actions:
This president is determined, and i think he has demonstrated in his language, he says we’re at war with al Qaeda, we’re going to destroy al Qaeda the organization, and we’re going to demonstrate with our actions, whether it be in Afghanistan or Pakistan, Yemen or other places, that al Qaeda might be able to run, but they’re not going to be able to hide.
Here’s our mash-up of both Brennan clips:
Brennan also discussed the U.S. decision to close its embassy in Yemen.
He said on State Of The Union that “what we’ve seen over the past several years in Yemen is increasing strengthening of al Qaeda forces.”
He continued: “They are in fact looking to the west, so that’s why we have to get to this problem in Yemen now.”
Brennan was also asked about Yemen on Meet The Press, and whether it was a new front in the “war on terror.” Brennan replied: “It’s not a new front. We’ve known about it for quite some time.”
He continued that “the U.S. is providing a range of support that includes security, intelligence, and military support to the Yemeni government,” to help them fight al Qaeda.
Brennan also addressed the Christmas Day attack attempt, calling it “a unique incident” on State Of The Union, but adding that it “doesn’t change the situation on the ground in Yemen one bit.”
He reiterated this on Fox News Sunday, when host Chris Wallace asked if the administration is considering sending troops into Yemen: “We’re not talking about that at this point at all.”
Wallace also asked about the security failure that resulted in the attempted attack on Flight 253. Brennan responded that there was “no smoking gun” about suspect Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, nor was there any “indication whatsoever that any agency or department was not trying to share information.”
He added that “accountability needs to be a part of any type of review, and as the president says it should be at all levels,” including the top officials in the administration.
“It’s not that the system is broken,” he said on Meet The Press, “but clearly there are ways to improve the system, strengthen it.”
Brennan continued that “there is no single silver bullet that’s going to be able allow us to have that type of assurance that we’re going to be able to stop individuals” from boarding airplanes. “It’s going to have to be a package of things.”
