DNI Confirmation Hearing: Dennis Blair’s Priorities for Intelligence

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Thursday, January 22, 2009 at 10:58 am

Retired Adm. Dennis Blair is up before the Senate intelligence committee for his confirmation as director of national intelligence, the head of the 16-agency intelligence community and the chief intelligence adviser to the president and his cabinet. It’s a job that hasn’t yet lived up to its promise of harmonizing a fractious community. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, (D-Calif.), chairman of the panel, has pledged support to Blair already, and at the hearing, hoped Blair would correct the intelligence-analysis mistakes on Iraq’s nonexistent WMD and end warrantless surveillance and torture, as, at least on that last part, President Barack Obama is inclined to do later this morning.

Here’s how Blair described his priorities to the panel, if confirmed:

Independent analysis and integrity. “[Obama] wants the facts, he wants all points of view.” Sure, every president says that, though… “I strongly believe in transparency, and accountability in the mission that must be kept from public view.”

The wars, sure, but not just the wars. Also North Korea, Iran, “peace and progress in South Asia” and “of course” the Israeli-Palestinian peace process. And don’t forget unconventional, stateless challenges, “…such as global warming, energy supplies, food prices and pandemic diseases.” The GOP members of the House intelligence Committee in 2007 mocked the idea of treating global warming as a national-security issues.

Full-spectrum engagement with the Muslim world. “The United States must hunt down those fanatic Muslim terrorists that seek to do us harm.” But the intelligence community needs to engage “those Muslim leaders working for a progressive and peaceful future.”

No warrantless surveillance and no torture.  “I do not and will not support any surveillance activities that circumvent” lawful action. “Torture is not moral, it’s not legal and it’s not effective. The government will have a clear and consistent standard for the treatment of detainees.”

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Comments

6 Comments

Hawaiian style
Comment posted January 22, 2009 @ 11:46 am

The intelligence community is the body of government where the idea that, “the ends justify the means” comes closest to being a valid philosophy in the American dream.

That means that the unless you subscribe to such a flawed philosophy it is the area of the intelligence community that bears the closest watching.


Jaff Sassani
Comment posted January 24, 2009 @ 9:48 am

Israel is going to face more opposition in the USA and around the world. There are many writer especially writer from American Jewish communities are critical of the Israel policy toward Palestinians. As you said below:

“But when Israel responded to months of daily rocket fire with its campaign in Gaza, the usual crowd of unthinking critics immediately denounced the move as the moral equivalent of a war crime. They argued that Israel’s response was out of proportion to the Hamas provocation. One wonders if they would say the same thing if they were on the firing line in southern Israel.”

The truths are that the Israel owns foreign policies are wrong in the Middle East, EU, world at large and America. They are not careful who they are supporting and who are allied with.
They are an ally of Turks of Turkey whom committed Genocides against the millions of Christians’, Armenian, Greek and now Kurds. All these communities do have educated people in America and EU; they are going to write about the Israel unjust practice in the media.
The writing will mobilize the public opinions against Israel. Israel is not that strong to fight for long time. When the US Government under the pressure of the public opinions’ is going to stop helping Israel; the Turks of Turkey will be the first to attack them with the Arabs.
We at the “Jaff Sassani organizations” were pointing out to Israel and Jewish people what are the future could be for them. We are an Iranian people with historical relationship to Israel and Jewish people for over three thousand years now. We are captive by the Arab imperialist Islamic ideologies; and their agent the Arab origin “Sayyied families in Iran” whom they are running our country using Islam as a tool to control our people in Iran. We are asking Israel and Jewish people to help us a friend because we helped them when they are used to be captive. But they are not helping us because we do not have money and control of our wealth in Iran. But they are Turks of Turkey because they are killing our Eryan or Aryan Kurds and taking tour wealth and pay Israel and Jewish lobbyist percentage of that wealth.
Israel and Jewish people should wake up and correct the wrong doing against other nations. The wrong policy will hunt them in the future. Look at the USA and learn the listen.
The USA was very popular and respectable around the world before. But because of the Bush administrations’ bad treatment of other nations around the world; even the Europeans’ ally do not like them any more.


Jaff Sassani
Comment posted January 24, 2009 @ 10:04 am

Mr. President Obama treat us Iranian Like European’s people

The Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and the Al-Qaida terrorist organizations are challenging the US Government influence in the Muslim world. They are not going to negotiate with the US Government for any peaceful settlement. Their goals are clear. They are trying to bleed the US Government financially first and then militarily later.
The Bush administrations’ was very helpful to IRI and Al-Qaida because of their own wrong policy of helping corrupt politicians and dictators of Muslim world.
Mr. President Obama; we hope you are going to change your policy now before it is too late. You have golden opportunity to save the interest of American people in the Muslim world. We hope that you are going to treat us “the Eryan or Iranian or Aryan people” like the US government treated the people of the Western Europe after World War II.


Jaff Sassani
Comment posted January 29, 2009 @ 4:16 am

Obama’s Iran (Muslim world) efforts are leading to dead end

Sincere efforts by President Obama toward Iran (Shi’a part of Muslim world) are not going any where.
Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) is in the war indirectly to defeat the US Government in the Muslim World. No mater what the US Government does; the IRI will try to discredit them and diffuse their effort. IRI goals are clear; they are not seeking friendship with the USA for mutual respect and mutual interest.
Once a while they are cooperating to cool the US Government but the principal goals of the IRI since President Carter are the same. They are following the Ayatollah Khomeini wished to defeat the US Government, EU and Russian in the Muslim World.
Ayatollah Khomeini’s dreams are for the Shi’a to take over Islamic World.
The PM of Turkey has the same dream but he is following different path than IRI. The Islamic movements in the “Muslim World” are sharing common goals above but they are following different methods to achieve the same goals.


Dennis C
Comment posted February 3, 2009 @ 3:23 pm

thanks for the post


Dennis C
Comment posted February 3, 2009 @ 11:23 pm

thanks for the post


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