On Thursday, February 7th, John O. Brennan, President Obama's nominee for director of the Central Intelligence Agency , faced members of the Senate Intelligence Committee to discuss the usage of drone strikes. The Senators raised concerns regarding the level of covertness of these operations, the legal repercussions associated, as well as the pandemonium the strikes have brought about in Pakistan and Yemen.
Brennan was pummeled for hours by the Senators, who used the opening of dialogue with Brennan to not only discuss the previously mentioned drone strikes, but to address many long-standing afflictions that had been held against the C.I.A. and the President. Through Brennan's opening statement, it seems that he was aware of what he was in for, as he relates his understanding that there is a "true deficit" in the lines of communication between the Senate and C.I.A., that he later deemed "wholly unacceptable." This article is exemplifies the state of the government when those involved are not informed. The animosity between different governmental groups can be solely attributed to the feeling of being left in the dark and having pertinent information withheld. The main grievance of the Senators seemed to be not so much about the drones themselves, but the "lack of transparency" that the C.I.A. and President maintained against the Intelligence Committee. The article is worth reading, as it not only is informative about the recent discussion between Brennan and the Senate, but sheds light at the internal turmoil within the government and raises important questions about what should and should not be classified information.
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