. >> president obama prepares to nominate john brennan to head the cia. that the assassination czar, brennan has played a key role backing some of the most controversial post 9-eleven policies from the secret drone war to extraordinary rendition to wireless surveillance. we will look it the nomination for republican senator chuck hagel, fellow republicans have criticized him for views on iraq, iran, and israel. then, the steubenville rape case in ohio. >> we are anonymous. around mid august 2012, a party to present a small town in ohio known as steubenville. [indiscernible] kidnapping and rape of a 15- year-old girl. >> the hacker activist group anonymous has helped expose new details about a horrific high school gang rape case involving football players in ohio. all of that and more coming up. this is "democracy now!," democracynow.org, the war and peace report. i'm amy goodman. up to 18 people have been killed in the latest u.s. drone attacks on pakistan's tribal areas. the strikes hit what pakistani officials described as separate compounds belonging t

brennan nomination is up, too. steve, perhaps the hagel nomination overtakes that and brennan doesn't face as much scrutiny if it was solo, but what about perhaps the bumpy road he may face? lindsay graham says he wants to put a hold on the nomination until he gets answers on benghazi. >> republicans are going to be loath to fight two tough nominations on hagel and bran then at the same time. brennan served under george w. bush. republicans are not going want this fight at the same time. the questions about brennan go back to the christmas day bombing when he was the administration spokesman, when the administration decided to treat him as a criminal whether than an intelligence matter. the explanations were wrong from the administration. he was the point man on that. you have other things. >> bret: he came out and said i let the president down. >> he did. you have other instances where brennan was at the center of intelligence matters where the president didn't come out looking good. of course he was there in the

in terms of john brennan, in terms of what everybody has been saying over the last hour, john brennan's nomination appears to be much less controversial. there are items i'm sure he will be asked about with respect to his support for enhanced interrogation techniques and the use of drones and that sort of thing. i'm sure that will come up with some of the more liberal members of the senate once that gets going. but the real battle now is about chuck hagel. john kerry, you just mentioned him a few moments ago. the incoming -- or expected to be incoming secretary of state senator from massachusetts, almost night and day in terms of what you hear in the background noise in the capital with respect to john kerry. i remember when you were talking to olympia -- not olympia snowe but kcollins. she was saying john kerry would make a fine secretary of state. you are not hearing -- senators are not coming out of the woodwork to say that about chuck hagel, at least not at this point. dick did your burbin was say iie of the union" yesterday it's not the course of overwhelming approval you heard for

he was very careful yesterday and so was john brennan and everyone has been careful to say john brennan in the flow chart reports to dni jim clapper. isn't the president signaling that he believes, look, intelligence belongs to the cia? >> well, brennan will be a very strong leader of the cia and he has 25 years of experience at the cia. but, let's roll back the videotape. after 9/11. remember, we have the intelligence in iraq war and lots of us, i was certainly one of the ring leaders wanted to reorganize our intelligence capability so we can get it right. one thing that happened along the way, president bush 43 issued an executive order calling something the terrorist threat center. that wasn't in the law. this was an executive order. brennan became its first director and then when we passed the intelligence reform law in 2004, there were four of us who were very keen to do this. pete huxtra was my partner in the house and joe lieberman did this in the senate. when we passed this law national terrorism center. brennan was its director. he has been in at the beginning. a number of role

when john brennan says something, you should not necessarily believe him. we know from what he said in that speech there were specific details that were inaccurate. obama's notion of being transparent with john brennan, a proven liar, does not fly. moreover, given that we know now -- we did not know when he made this speech -- john brennan is the guy that basically, like a said, the last decision maker before obama signs off. he is a pretty big incentive to spend the process in such a way he is protected legally. if in fact they're not using rolls that would abide by international law, he has quite a bit of exposure. now he can claim to be transparent and make this speech about these great standards they're using -- which they're not. the speech he made does not account for signature strikes, which involves patterns rather than specific intelligence. and protect him, but it is not transparency. the administration has repeatedly refused to be transparent on most basic issues with regard to their program. >> last may john brennan was the target of a protest b

brennan's . there was a great human cry in 2009 when he was initially floated for the position of cia director. i'm not sure why there is a difference between four years ago and now. john brennan certainly has not changed. >> john kiriakou, i want to read a comment made by the judge to your sentencing hearing. judge bring, sentenced to to 30 months in prison last friday saying -- john kiriakou, can you comment on that statement? >> sure. when judge brink of not accepted the plea deal in october, she called 30 months fair and appropriate. i can only think that with a courtroom packed full of journalists last friday, she decided to seize the moment and make a statement that would be carried in the papers. i don would change between october and january other than the fact she and the prosecution had had several expert to communications, meaning the prosecutors were able to meet with the judge related to my case without the defense, my attorneys, being present. so we have no idea what it was the pros

brennan is a long-time c.i.a. officer. what the president has done is in essence put two grunts who worked at the working level of these departments be it chuck hagel as an enlisted man and john brennan. they'll be able to move the agencies in the direction that the president wants to go. the drone program is one part of the broader part of counterterrorism that brennan will be responsible for. >> john: taking nothing away from brennan's extensive service and service to his country, it seems that a whole bunch of american haters are created. where is the debate about the drone program. besides liberal blogs is anyone in d.c. having a debate about the merits of it? >> well, no, and that's troubling on a couple of levels. when john brennan's name first came up in president obama's first term, he was roundly panned for helping advise the bush white house about enhanceed interrogation. he rejects that. he said he was not in favor of that, nonetheless he had to withdraw his nomination due to an outcry about that. the fact that

let me say a few words about john brennan and john brennan the men and women of the cia will have the leadership of one of our nation's most skilled and respected intelligence professionals. well brennan's record working for the cia is worth talking about it's been reported that he has been a strong supporter of bush era torture tactics brennan has also been in charge of overseeing president obama's drone campaign some things you should know about brennan he is the chief counterterrorism adviser to president obama he withdrew his name from consideration for director of the cia in the first obama administration this is over concerns over his support for the use of torture by the cia under president bush he has overseen signature drone strikes in yemen and he has authority on obama's so-called kill list for more on what this nomination means for the cia and the u.s. foreign policies future u.s. foreign policy future i'm joined now by michael brooks he is the producer of the majority report welcome there michael so good this be seen as a chance to talk more about president obama's drone

i've served under nine cia directors and brennan would have to be the worst. he is an open advocate of what is called extraordinary rendition kidnapping torture black prisons illegal eavesdropping and kill list from these drones that they're so proud of flying over places like pocky stein i'm almost compelled to conclude that either he's really dumb or he sees real profit as the corporations do in the profiteering on these and list wars and in contrast to this the nomination for defense secretary that is very different in character in nature seen by many as a pacifist what do you make of the future of u.s. foreign policy if indeed hagel goatee and his top man in the defense. of the difference between hazel and his predecessors is this pay go has been there done that ok hazel served in war he was an infantry noncommissioned officer wounded twice to two purple hearts he knows what war is like that means a difference and when haig will says he would be very very careful about employing our forces in fool's errands such as afghanistan god help us iraq somalia yeme

the president's confidence and trust in john brennan. thank you, john, for your service and for what you will continue to do for our country. to mike morrell, who i have gotten to know over the years, not just serving on the senate intelligence committee, but also as the president has noted, the privilege of co-chairing the president's intelligence advisory board with former senator dave boren. thank you, mike are four your continued service. mr. president, i'm grateful for this opportunity to serve our country again. especially its men and women in uniform and their families. these are people who give so much to this nation every day with such dignity and selflessness. this is particularly important at a time as we complete our mission in afghanistan and support the troops and military families who have sacrificed so much over more than a decade of war. i'm also grateful for an opportunity to help continue to strengthen our country and strengthen our country's alliances and advance global freedom, decency, and humanity as we help build

john brennan had been a career cia figure. he had served as chief of staff to george tenet when george tenet under george bush developed their torture and secret prison program. john brennan's association with the torture and secret prison program of the george bush era of the cia is what sunk his chances for being picked as director of the cia at the start of the obama presidency. it's kind of weird. it's almost a foreign concept in american modern politics that the left might block something from happening, but it's true. liberals thought obama stopping the torture program wasn't enough. that people tarred by association with that program should not be promoted, that there should be political accountability for people who were close to the torture policy. liberals raised enough noise about john brennan's potential nomination to run the cia in 2008 and 2009 that it never happened. at least it never happened in the first obama term. now it is happening in the second obama term. now apparently with the official nomination of jo

john brennan had been a career cia figure. he had served as chief of staff to george tenet when george tenet under george bush developed their torture and secret prison program. john brennan's association with the torture and secret prison program of the george bush era of the cia is what sunk his chances for being picked as director of the cia at the start of the obama presidency. it's kind of weird. it's almost a con foreign concept in american modern politics that the left might block something from happening, but it's true. liberals thought obama stopping the torture program wasn't enough. that people tarred by association with that program should not be promoted, that there should be political accountability for people who were close to the torture policy. liberals raised enough noise about john brennan's potential nomination to run the cia in 2008 and 2009 that it never happened. at least it never happened in the first obama term. now it is happening in the second obama term. now apparently with the official nomination o

i served nine cia director john brennan would have to be the worst. he is an open add because of what is called extraordinary rendition kidnapping torture black prisons illegal eavesdropping and hillis from these drone that they're so proud of flying over places like hockey style and almost compelled to conclude that there is really. real profit corporations in the profiteering on these and less wars and in contrast to this the nomination for defense secretary that is very different in character in nature seen by many as a pacifist what do you make of the future of u.s. foreign policy if indeed haig will go to his top man in the defense child the difference between hale and his predecessors is this a girl who's been there done that ok hagel served in war he was an infantry noncommissioned officer wounded twice to two purple hearts he knows what war is like that means the difference and when haig will says he would be very very careful about employing our forces in fool's errands such as afghanistan god help us iraq he's going to be a worry stand up ag

i've served under nine cia directors and brennan would have to be the worst. he is an open ad because of what is called extraordinary rendition kidnapping torture black prisons illegal eavesdropping and kill list from these drones that they're so proud of flying over places like pocky suddenly i'm almost compelled to conclude that either he's really dumb or he sees real profit as the corporations do in the profiteering on these and less wars and in contrast to this the nomination for defense secretary that it's very different in character in a chop seen by many as a pacifist what do you make of the future of u.s. foreign policy if indeed haykel gordon is top man in the defense. the difference between hale and his predecessors is this hagel has been there done that ok hagel served in war he was an infantry noncommissioned officer wounded twice to two purple hearts he knows what war is like that means a difference and when haig will says he would be very very careful about employing our forces in fool's errands such as afghanistan god help us iran somalia game a

i served under nine cia director john brennan would have to be the worst. he is an open advocate of what is called extraordinary rendition kidnapping torture black prisons illegal eavesdropping and chillis from these rooms that they're so proud of flying over places like hockey star and almost compelled to be there is really dumb or he sees real profit corporation profiteering on these and list wars and in contrast to this the nomination for defense secretary that is very different in character in nature seen by many as a pacifist what do you make of the future of u.s. foreign policy if indeed haig will go to his top man in the defense. the difference between hale and his predecessors is this hagel has been there done that ok hagel served in war he was an infantry noncommissioned officer wounded twice to two purple hearts he knows what war is like that means the difference and when hague will says he would be very very careful about employing our forces in fool's errands such as afghanistan god help us iraq he's going to be a worthy stand up against people

i think brennan will be confirmed in the end. how bloody will the battle be to get hagel and particularly across the finish line. i'll say something about the far left in the senate. generally the progressive far left is not a large voice in the senate, especially on the armed services committee where these nominees are going through and getting grueling questions from senators. it's just not a loud voice in the senator and i don't know if they have that much of an impact in the long run in the process. >> thank you very much. colonel jacobs, a pleasure, as well. talking with you soon, i'm sure. thank you. >>> still ahead, call him a confident man. what nbc's first read team says president obama's cabinet nominations show about the president's confidence levels today compared to 2009. >>> plus, a lotto murder mystery. a million dollar winner murdered as he was about to collect the big paycheck. one of the stories that we have for you around the "news nation." >>> right now, governor christie delivering the state of the state addr

and john brennan to be his next cia director. we're going to get to john brennan here momentarily. but the bigger battle will be over former senator of nebraska chuck hagel. president says his top intelligence board adviser is the best man for the job. >> in the senate, i came to admire his courage and his judgment, his willingness to speak his mind, even if it wasn't popular. even if it defies the conventional wisdom. that's exactly the spirit i want on my national security team. the recognition that when it comes to the defense of our country, we are not democrats or republicans, we are americans. each of us has a responsibility. chuck has said, to be guided not by the interests of our party or our president, even, by by the interests of our country. so, chuck, i thank you afor agreeing to serve once more. >> mr. president, i'm grateful for this opportunity to serve this country again. and especially its men and women in uniform and their families. these are people who give so much to this nation every day, with such dignity and selflessness. this is particularly important at a t

i've served under nine cia directors and brennan would have to be the worst. he is an open advocate of what is called extraordinary rendition kidnapping torture black prisons illegal eavesdropping and kill list from these drone that they're so proud of flying over places like hockey sun i'm almost compelled to conclude that either he's a really dumb or he sees real profit as the corporations do in the profiteering on these and less wars the difference between hale and his predecessors is this hagel has been there done that ok hagel served in war he was an infantry noncommissioned officer wounded twice to two purple hearts he knows what war is like that means a difference and when hagan says he would be very very careful about employing our forces in fool's errands such as afghanistan god help us iran he's going to be a worthy stand up against people like brennan who don't know the half of it and who never served our country home forces higgle famously said one time i'm not the senator from israel i'm the senator from america now. does that make good sense on t

openly supported kidnapping and torture but then we didn't get the top spot at the cia brennan still got a seat at the high table and wield enormous influence over obama's counterterrorism policies as his chief counterterrorism adviser and we all know that the white house counterterrorism policy is going a little something like this shoot first ask questions later and answer to no one catchy phrase for which we should thank john brennan in fact he coaches obama every terror today on who to assassinate around the world he sees the number one advisor overseeing the drone king's kill list john brennan's nickname is the assassination czar for god's sake and this is the guy who is ushering this country to the next phase of the war on terror so because it will be stuck with this guy at least until he's mired in a sex scandal and self we should probably mention some of his most notable achievements he vocally advocated giving immunity to telecom corporations who participated in bush's illegal wiretapping program he led the signature strikes in yemen which involved targeted assassinations of

openly supported kidnapping and torture but then we didn't get the top spot at the cia brennan still got a seat at the high table and wield enormous influence over obama's counterterrorism policies as his chief counterterrorism adviser and we all know that the white house counterterrorism policy is going a little something like this shoot first ask questions later and answer to no one catchy phrase for which we should thank john brennan in fact he coaches obama every terror today on who to assassinate around the world he sees the number one adviser overseeing the drone king's kill list john brennan's nickname is the assassination czar for god's sake and this is the guy who is ushering this country to the next phase of the war on terror so because it will be stuck with this guy at least until he's mired in a sex scandal and self we should probably mention some of his most notable achievements he vocally advocated giving immunity to telecom corporations who participated in bush's illegal wiretapping program he led the signature strikes in yemen which involved targeted assassinations of

i've served under nine cia directors and brennan would have to be the worst. he is an open ad because of what is called extraordinary rendition kidnapping torture black prisons illegal eavesdropping and kill list from these drones that they're so proud of flying over places like pakistan i'm almost compelled to conclude that either he's really dumb or he sees real profit as the corporations do in the profiteering on these and less wars and in contrast to this the nomination for defense secretary that it's very different in character in nature up seen by many as a pacifist what do you make of the future of u.s. foreign policy if indeed haig will go to his top man in the defense the difference between hale and his predecessors is this hagel has been there done that ok hagel served in war he was an infantry noncommissioned officer wounded twice to two purple hearts he knows what war is like that means a difference and when haig will says he would be very very careful about employing our forces in fool's errands such as afghanistan god help us iran somalia game an

as the next director of the cia john brennan has been in charge of some of obama's most controversial policies including the targeted assassinations program one where the administration determines who will be marked for execution without any due process oversight or transparency is the man who's been in charge of president obama's kill list last year john brennan claimed that the u.s. drone program caused no civilian deaths in pakistan over the prior year which was an outright lie by so many pounds add to that the fact that as a bush era cia official mr brennan had indorsed torture and rendition and also was a vocal advocate of bush administration's warrantless wiretapping program and we can see why he is deemed fit for the job as the head of the central intelligence agency which over the years has evolved into a paramilitary force the logic some see behind nominating hago and brennan for these top national security positions is that when accused of being hawkish the president can say does my defense secretary low kokesh to you if we choose the being soft he can point out his new cia

and you need to know about john brennan, because brennan should be a whole lot more controversial than hagel is, since 2009, brennan has served as assistant to the president for counterterrorism. and a huge part of his strategy has been the use of drones, lots and lots of drones to the point that the rise of drones will probably be the obama administration's single biggest legacy in how the u.s. conducts war. the multiple reports put the number of drone strikes in this white house under at 500, they killed at least 25 people. and john brennan has not only defended america's repeated use of attacks he argued it is the most ethical way to mount the attacks, this from a speech he gave at the woodrow wilson center last december. >> a small number of terrorists with ordinance that can be adapted to avoid harming others in the immediate vicinity. it is hard to imagine what would benefit the citizens than the remotely powered aircraft. similarly, they conform to the principles of humanity, which requires us to use weapons that will not inflict unnecessary suffering. for all of these reasons,

brennan isn't probably... if he can get over the hurdles of the way he's conducted the drone campaign -- and i don't think there are going to be that many queries about that. i think on the the republican side, there will be more or less agreement on that. even on the democratic side. i don't think they're going to gagainsthe president on this issue. >> ifill: you're not crazy about either of these two nominations. you support them both. how much latitude do you think the president should have in the end on these kinds of cabinet nominations? >> well, you're asking what is the role of advice and consent for the senate? to my mind it is largely a question of qualification. i think both these two nominees passed that bar by a long shot. >> i think it's a fairly elastic issue. the senate obviously can be fairly aggressive. it doesn't have to be. i think certainly way should be given to the president. but i think there should be substantial debate. i don't think there's anything wrong with the nominees going befor

as the next director of the cia john brennan has been in charge of some of obama's most controversial policies including the targeted assassinations program one where the to. inspiration determines who will be marked for execution without any due process oversight or transparency is the man who's been in charge of president obama's chiles last year john brennan claimed that the u.s. drone program called no civilian deaths in pakistan over the prior year which was an outright lie by so many accounts add to that the fact that as the bush era cia official mr brennan had endorsed torture and rendition and also was a vocal advocate of bush administration's warrantless wiretapping program and we can see why he is deemed most fit for the job as the head of the central intelligence agency which over the years has evolved into a paramilitary force the logic some see behind nominating higgle and brennan for these top national security positions is that when accused of being hawkish the president can say does my defense secretary low kokesh do you ever accused of being soft he can point out his

let me say a few words about john brennan and john brennan the men and women of the cia will have the leadership of one of our nation's most skilled and respected intelligence professionals. well brennan's record working in the cia is worth talking about and it's been reported that he has been a strong supporter of bush era torture tactics brennan has also been in charge of overseeing president obama's drone campaign some things you should know about brennan he is the chief counterterrorism adviser to president obama he was he withdrew his name from consideration for director of the cia in the first obama administration there's over concerns over his support for the use of torture by the cia under president bush he has overseen signature drone strikes in yemen and he has authority on obama's so-called kill list so what does this nomination mean for the cia and the us is foreign policy future earlier today i was joined by michael brooks producer of the majority report i asked him could this nomination be seen as a chance to talk more about president obama's drone campaign and can we ex

brennan isn't probably... if he can get over the hurdles of the way he's conducted the drone campaign -- and i don't think there are going to be that many queries about that. i think on the the republican side, there will be more or less agreement on that. even on the democratic side. i don't think they're going to go against the president on this issue. >> ifill: you're not crazy about either of these two nominations. you support them both. how much latitude do you think the president should have in the end on these kinds of cabinet nominations? >> well, you're asking what is the role of advice a consent for the senate? to my mind it is largely a question of qualification. i think both these two nominees passed that bar by a long shot. >> i think it's a fairly elastic issue. the senate obviously can be fairly aggressive. it doesn't have to be. i think certainly way should be given to the president. but i think there should be substantial debate. i don't think there's anything wrong with the nominees going bef

brennan isn't probably... if he can get over the hurdles of the way he's conducted the drone campaign -- and i don't think there are going to be that many queries about that. i think on the the republican side, there will be more or less agreement on that. even on the democratic side. i don't think they're going to go against the president on this issue. >> ifill: you're not crazy about either of these two nominations. you support them both. how much latitude do you think the president should have in the end on these kinds of cabinet nominations? >> well, you're asking what is the role of advice and consent for the senate? to my mind it is largely a question of qualification. i think both these two nominees passed that bar by a long shot. >> i think it's a fairly elastic issue. the senate obviously can be fairly aggressive. it doesn't have to be. i think certainly way should be given to the president. but i think there should be substantial debate. i don't think there's anything wrong with the nominees going b

now if you're wondering why we should care about john brennan's check this out in two thousand eight hundred was pegged to be the director of the cia under obama however why spread protests against him took him out of the running so why were people protesting it well because he was a cia analyst under george w. bush and he was an enthusiastic supporter of bush's infamous policies extraordinary rendition and enhanced interrogation in other words brennan openly supported kidnapping and torture but then we didn't get the top spot at the cia brennan still got a seat at the high table and wielded enormous influence over obama's counterterrorism policies as his chief counterterrorism adviser and we all know that the white house counterterrorism policies got a little something like this shoot first ask questions later and answer to no one catchy phrase for which we should thank john brennan in fact he coaches obama every tear today on who to assassinate around the world is he's a number one advisor overseeing the drone kings kill list john brennan nickname is the assassination czar for god'

let me say a few words about john brennan and john brennan the men and women of the cia will have the leadership of one of our nation's most skilled and respected intelligence professionals. well brennan's record of working in the cia is worth talking about it's been reported that he has been a strong supporter of bush era torture tactics and brennan has also been in charge of overseeing president obama's drone campaign some things you should know about brennan he is the chief counterterrorism adviser to president obama he withdrew his name from consideration for director of the cia in the first obama administration this was over concerns over his support for the use of torture by the cia under president bush has overseen several drone strike drone strikes in yemen and he has authority on obama's so-called kill list and what does this mean for the cia and the u.s. is a foreign policy future earlier i was joined by michael brooks producer of the majority report and i asked him could this nomination be seen as a chance to talk more about president obama's drone campaign and can we expec

openly supported kidnapping and torture but then we didn't get the top spot at the cia brennan still got a seat at the high table and we all have enormous influence over obama's counterterrorism policies as his chief counterterrorism adviser and we all know that the white house counterterrorism policy is going a little something like this shoot first ask questions later and answer to no one catchy phrase for which we should thank john brennan in fact he coaches obama every terror today on who to assassinate around the world is he's a number one advisor overseeing the drone king's kill list john brennan nickname is the assassination czar for god's sake and this is the guy who is ushering this country to the next phase of the war on terror so because it will be stuck with this guy at least until he's mired in a sex scandal and self we should probably mention some of his most notable achievements he vocally advocated giving immunity to telecom corporations who participated in bush's illegal wiretapping program he led the signature strikes in yemen which involved targeted assassinations

and to acknowledge the president's confidence and trust in john brennan. thank you, mike, for your continued service. i'm grateful for this opportunity to serve our country again. especially its men and women in uniform. these are people who give so much to this nation every day with such dignity and selflessness. this is particularly important as we complete our mission and support our troops to a sacrifice so much more than a decade of war. am grateful for an opportunity to help continue to strengthen our country and their alliances. and advance global freedom. we help build a better world for all mankind. i will always do my best for our country and those i represent at the pentagon and for all of our citizens. i will always give you my honest and most informed counsel. thank you very much. >> thank you for your very kind remarks and the trust you placed in me when asked me to be acting director twice. i have the honor of knowing and working with john brennan for the last 20 years. we have worked particularly closely the last three years. john brennan i

brennan is moving. to a more powerful position which the cia will like and i think. is probably trying to put the brakes as warriors the rate at which washington experience it was a war in iraq you can very easily become overextended and defeated so i don't think there will be in months but a lot. of. the real question is what is this war on terror who is it a guest and when john brennan says he will do everything necessary to make americans safer but who threatens us there are no terrorists acts united states except for the ones we're going to by the f.b.i. that's a very good question poli or certainly not a first brought but very big question up on this channel but thanks to time we really appreciate it paul craig roberts former assistant secretary of the treasury thank you thing antti. social networking in the gulf can take you from posting to prison we talk about that so you know the kuwaiti court would like to his behind bars for two years for treating against the joining of a regional countries and how to deal with unrest as we reported just a few. one in every

and you need to know about john brennan, because brennan should be a whole lot more controversial than hagel is, since 2009, brennan has served as assistant to the president for counterterrorism. and a huge part of his strategy has been the use of drones, lots and lots of drones to the point that the rise of drones will probably be the obama administration's single biggest legacy in how the u.s. conducts war. the multiple reports put the number of drone strikes in this white house under at 500, they killed at least 25 people. and john brennan has not only defended america's repeated use of attacks he argued it is the most ethical way to mount the attacks, this from a speech he gave at the woodrow wilson center last december. >> a small number of terrorists with ordinance that can be adapted to haavoid harming othe in the immediate vicinity. it is hard to imagine what would benefit the citizens than the remotely powered aircraft. similarly, they conform to the principles of humanity, which requires us to use weapons that will not inflict unnecessary suffering. for all of these reasons,

hear brennan was caught lying about the claim that pakistan. but policies ranging from upping the use of killer unmanned drones across the muslim world to secret warrantless surveillance of u.s. citizens and seriously what sort of precedent does it set for the obama administration to appoint someone like john brennan who was previously unfit for the job because of his corrupt legacy to be the new director of the cia well glenn greenwald always says it best and today is no different he said the very idea that someone should be disqualified from service in the obama administration because of involvement and support for extremist bush terrorism policies seems quaint and obsolete. indeed what a sad death and a reality the fact that john brennan represents the most abhorrent aspects of the bush legacy has become completely a mute point welcome to the fourth term of the bush presidency. little older. little. girls love little. that speak. to. her. until. we're. oh. a little bit longer mislead and good. luck. to. the hour a little mouse run away a lit

brennan wants to hold his nomination. senator sessions said this is a bumpy confirmation process for lew. >> there is a real chance that chuck hagel doesn't get through. the others get through. a fight that obama picked at a time of a big crisis and he is supposed to work with the republicans. it doesn't bow well for the cliff after the cliff after the cliff. >> bret: that is it for the panel. stay tuned for some coercive lobbying. hey, our salads. [ bop ] [ bop ] [ bop ] you can do that all you want, i don't like v8 juice. [ male announcer ] how about v8 v-fusion. a full serving of vegetables, a full serving of fruit. but what you taste is the fruit. so even you... could've had a v8. but what you taste why take exercise so seriously,when it can be fun? push-ups or sprints? what's wrong with fetch? or chase? let's do this larry! ooh, i got it, i got it! (narrator) the calorie-smart nutrition in beneful healthy weight... incles grains and real chicken, because a healthy dog is a playful dog. beneful healthy weight. find us

host: what about john brennan? guest: david petraeus resigned in disgrace after being revealed to have had an affair with his biographer. it left a vacancy that needed to be filled and president obama looked around and found the intelligence adviser he was closest to. john brennan has worked close to president obama antitrust him and he likes him and john brennan has been crucial in all the secret counter terror missions that the cia has been doing around the world including the expense of drone program. this seems like the perfect choice for obama to get his body in there and someone who was in the middle of the secret stuck the cia is already doing. host: what are the issues that critics would have with john brennan? guest: he is the architect and defender of the legal justification for going into other countries and killing people, even sometimes americans, through a process that is not transparent like the rdrones. that is one thing -- the other thing is that the role of the cia is just not well understood. tha

america's senator braces for confirmation battle as obama picks so called us estimations are john brennan and supposed maverick of has of this chuck hagel for top security jobs. down and downing streets of bridges coalition government tries to trumpet its midterm success while his future plans leave the public unimpressed. class north korea lives its why a war for the visit of the head of internet giant google amid reports the secretive state is inviting german economy is to help it open up for foreign investment. and a night of rioting in belfast of legs of the social and political divide in northern ireland as police use non-lethal force on loyalists angered by restrictions in displaying the union flag. at six pm here in moscow and you're watching r t with me to bomb would say our top story this hour now about sophistic use of being anti israeli in charge of the military and an apparent supporter of harsh interrogation methods in charge of intelligence that president obama's recommendations to run the pentagon and the cia a washington correspondent guy image again profiles the nominees.

let's move on to john brennan he is now the new nominee for the c.i.a. he has made pro torture arguments in the past, and let me read you one thing he said on torture, mind you it's back in 2007. there have been a lot of information coming out of the procedures that the agency has in fact, used against the real hardcore terrorists. it has saved lives and let's not these are hardened terrorists who were involved in 911 9/11 and showed no remorse. hehe was opposed in 2009 that he know longer is opposed. what are your thoughts on that. >> i think his views have evolved. probably have mine as well. shortly after before 9/11 i would not have approved of torture. i gatherwe tend to think torture is productive and i gather in some cases it is, but i guess the use of mind-changing drugs that soften up people and pre- keep them unable to lie consistently and effectively. it's horrible. but in extreme circumstances let's say the life of your family, the lives of your kids wives, and you had a moment which to make a decision to use violence against someone to obtai

brennan or mr. hagel or mr. donelan? >> you know, it seems to me that john kerry has been much more in the mainstream and sort of closer to where the administration has been. i think he has gone out as a troubleshooter for the administration on several occasions. >> rose: syria, for example. >> pakistan, syria, other places. and i suspect that president obama is not gng to see in senator john kerry as much of an independent operator as we saw with, say, secretary clinton who pressed very hard with bob gates for a much more muscular expansion of the surge in afghanistan. she pressed very hard for the libya intervention. and i'm -- it's not clear to me yet that secretary kerry, if he is confirmed, would necessarily press as hard as she did on those issues. he may well surprise us on that. >> rose: she has high public marks for wh she did as secretary of state. among the foreign policy people, what do they look at as her principal accomplishment? >> i think that the public marks have been a little bit higher, charlie, than

we are talking about john brennan. he's been instrumental in devicing the strategy for wage what can is no longer called officially the war on terror but is something. you know, activities in a whole bunch of countries and a lot of targets killing. and one of the questions i think on the table is -- what role he has played in that. and also this kind of accountability question. i wanted to bring into the conversation, we were talking about the kill list. i also wondered when we talked about accountability, to bring in the story offen. >> -- i think it's important, these two things are happening in the same week. which he's the cia agent on the 25th and he agreed to serve 35 months. he e-mailed the name of a covert cia officer to a reporter and in the midst of a. >> reporter:ing out what was going on with the torture regime in the cia. he's the first current or former cia officer of disclosing classified information to a reporter and he is, as of now, the only person that's going to do jail time for their involvement in

brennan was the first u.s. official to publicly acknowledge their use and that acknowledgment has drawn criticism as well. megyn. >> megyn: back to you in moments. thank you. chris stirewalt, our digital edit editor, and let's start with hagel. you think that a democratic president picks even a moderate republican and granted, this is a guy who says he voted for obama twice, but you know, okay. so the best moderate of republicans, but still, he's a republican so you'd think he'd go through, but you think that this is actually controversial even according to liberal democrats? >> well, two categories here and the thing that wendell was talking about with pro-israel groups is a big deal. the things that he's said, he referred to the jewish lobby, which is a charged phrase when talking about groups in the united states that support israel, they're strong opposition among conservative pro-israel factions in the united states, but there's also among liberals misgiving and they want to hear from hagel, bowing and scr

brennan has great relations on capitol hill. look for this as all nominees as an exploration of policy, some people will air the questions and grievances. not so much about him but the bigger picture and expect him to be confirmed easily in the end. >> thanks so much. >>> we are expecting a formal announcement on the nominations of former senator chuck hagel and john brennan. wolf blitzer will start at 12:30 p.m. eastern time and the president's remarks live. >>> secretary of state hillary clinton getting back to work this morning at the state department. on the agenda today, a meeting with assistant secretaries. past few weeks have been tough for clinton. battled the flu, concussion, hospitalized for a brain clot. still unclear how to affect the plans to testify before congress about september's deadly attack in benghazi, libya. >>> the man accused of using three guns to murder people in a colorado movie theater will be in court for a key preliminary hearing this morning. and the evidence unveiled today is expected to be graphi

confidence and trust in john brennan. thank you, john, for your service. to mike, who i have got tone know over the years. not just serving on the senate intelligence committee but also the president noted coherring the -- co-chairing the president's advisory board. i am grateful for this opportunity serve our country again. especially the men and women and their families. these are people that give so much to this nation every day with such dignity and selflessness. this is particularly important at a time we complete our mission in afghanistan and support the troops and military families that sacrificed so much over more than a decade of war. i am grateful for an opportunity to help to continue to strengthen our country and our country's alliances and advance global freedom, decencies and humanity as we help to build a better world for all of mankind. i will do my best for our country, for those that i represent at the pentagon and for all of our citizens. mr. president i will always give you my honest and most informed

america's senator braces for confirmation battle as obama picks a so-called assassination saw the john brennan and surprise maverick the pacifist chuck hagel a top security jobs. adama in downing street britain's coalition government tries to trumpet its midterm success on its future plans leave the public unimpressed. north korea lives that's why wolf will a visit of a hit although it's a giant google amid reports the secretive state is inviting german economists to help it open up foreign investment. and if it's not of writing in belfast flags up of the social and political divide the mildren island has police use non-lethal force on loyalists angered by restrictions on displaying the union flag. it's five pm in moscow and you're watching r t with me to bomb would say all top story this hour now a pacifist are accused of being anti israeli in charge of the military and an apparent supporter of. those in charge of intelligence that president obama's recommendations to run the pentagon and the cia and she can pull the nominees. by appointing chuck hagel as defense secretary president obama is

cia director isn't brennan would have to be the worst. he is an open advocate of what is called extraordinary rendition kidnapping torture black prisons illegal eavesdropping and kill list from these drones that they're so proud of flying over places like pakistan i'm almost compelled to conclude that either he's really dumb or he sees real profit as the corporations do in the profiteering on these and less wars the difference between hale and his predecessors is this hey girl has been there done that ok hagel served in war he was an infantry noncommissioned officer wounded twice to two purple hearts he knows what war is like that means a difference and when hable says he would be very very careful about employing our forces in fool's errands such as afghanistan god help us iran he's going to be a worthy stand up against people like brennan who don't know the half of it and who never served our countries on forces higgle famously said one time i'm not the senator from israel i'm the senator from america now. does that make good sense on t

you have brennan. i mean, i think that is also part of the pitch that they're going to make on the hill to -- for these nominations is that this is going -- think about this as the team not just the individual. >> one thing, though, i would add -- >> it's a lot of white men, but that's okay. >> what i would add is the reason they were -- part of why they were not willing to have the fight over rice, which is they areotology have this fight, the issue with susan rice is benghazi. that ties back to the president and hillary clinton. there is -- it's not a perfect scenario. whereas here it's you're opposing hagel and that has nothing do with me. >> susan rice went to the hill, and it did not go well. there was some sort of a dry run, and it did not go well, and there's some sense that she took herself out of the nomination as well. we can't with stand this. how much do you think hagel's comments about richard hormel, i believe, who was going to serve as the u.s. ambassador to lucks emberg and questioned h

. >> reporter: brennan wrote "new grou brennan broke new ground last year. he became the first official to publicly explain how the government uses drones to target terrorists. >> john brennan is somebody who was in the room when the obvious decision was made and is one of the principal architects of this campaign. this is surely going to come up in his confirmation hearing. >> reporter: so will accusations brennan helped manipulate leaks to boost the administration's national security credentials. and unlike the adviser job, which does not need congress' approval, this time, brennan will have to face his critics head on. chris lawrence, cnn, washington. >>> forced to flee their homes. now living in dire circumstances. winter compounds the misery of tens of thousands of syrian refug refugees. >>> now there's a desperate search for a famous designer. there are a lot of warning lights and sounds vying for your attention. so we invented a warning you can feel. introducing the all-new cadillac xts. available with a patented safety alert seat. when there's danger