[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 2]
[Senate]
[Pages 2410-2411]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                           BRENNAN NOMINATION

  Mr. REID. Mr. President, as America closely observes the unfolding of 
events in Syria and deals with varying threats around the world, it is 
crucial that President Obama has a seasoned national security team in 
place.
  It is often said there is no substitute for experience, so it is 
natural that a 25-year CIA veteran, John Brennan, was reported out of 
the Senate Intelligence Committee by a wide margin on a bipartisan 
vote.
  Mr. Brennan is a highly qualified nominee and should be confirmed 
immediately. As Deputy National Security Adviser since 2009, John 
Brennan has been President Obama's chief homeland security and 
counterterrorism adviser. He has been at the forefront of every major 
national security decision made during the Obama administration. He is 
responsible for the White House response to pandemics, cyber threats, 
natural disasters, and terrorism attacks. He has played an instrumental 
role in finding Osama bin Laden, killing bin Laden, and, in effect, 
decimating al-Qaida.
  His distinguished intelligence career began more than 30 years ago 
when he joined the CIA as a career trainee straight out of graduate 
school. Mr. Brennan worked his way up through the agency to serve in 
senior management roles in the CIA, including as Deputy Executive 
Director under George Tenant. Years spent working on covert and 
analytical missions and as chief of station in Saudi Arabia give him a 
comprehensive understanding of the CIA's capabilities and inner 
workings. His knowledge of the Middle East will be essential as we 
continue to work to defeat al-Qaida and other terrorist threats.
  Mr. Brennan has distinguished himself outside of government as well. 
He spent 4 years in the private sector as president and CEO of the 
Analysis Corporation. His extensive intelligence background and 
executive experience uniquely qualify him to lead the Central 
Intelligence Agency.
  Just as CIA faces the challenges abroad, it also faces significant 
decisions about its future. John Brennan must guide the CIA through a 
series of considerations dealing with the Agency's relationship with 
our military, how the Agency should respond to the conclusions of a 
recent Senate Intelligence Committee report on interrogation techniques 
and practices, and, finally, the Agency's response to demands for 
transparency. These considerations must not be made lightly, and John 
Brennan will give them the attention they deserve in his role as 
Director.
  The Senate must also approach its duty to advise and consent with the 
solemnity it deserves. Unfortunately, the confirmation process has 
focused too

[[Page 2411]]

much this year and the last two Congresses on partisan political 
considerations and not enough on the quality of the nominees.
  I am very disappointed that I am forced to file cloture on John 
Brennan's nomination. What does that accomplish? If someone doesn't 
like him, come here and give a big speech, wave your arms, scream and 
shout, and vote against him. But why hold up the entire Senate over a 
meaningless vote?
  My Republican colleagues have already obstructed several critical 
nominations this year. I hope that pattern of obstructionist behavior 
will not persist. I do hope for the sake of the country the obstruction 
of the last two Congresses will vanish. I feel very certain that in Mr. 
Brennan's case concerns for national security will outweigh the desire 
to grandstand for the weakened tea party.

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