national security

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Ex-CIA Chief: Congress' Sudden 'Amnesia' a Joke
Ex-CIA Chief: Congress' Sudden 'Amnesia' a Joke
OPINION
Apr 25, 2009 2:46 PM CDT

Ex-CIA Chief: Congress' Sudden 'Amnesia' a Joke

(Newser) - The outrage on Capitol Hill against Bush-era interrogation policies is nothing more than a disingenuous “circus,” former CIA chief Porter Goss writes in the Washington Post. Goss, also a former congressman, says he and other senior lawmakers were briefed more than once about CIA tactics. “I do...

Poll: 72% Disagree With Cheney About Obama Policy

72% disagree with former VP that Obama increased security threat

(Newser) - Most Americans disagree with Dick Cheney’s scathing view of President Obama’s security policies: 72% of those polled by CNN say the Democrat’s softer global approach is not putting the nation at greater risk of attack. The survey also shows that 67% back the controversial Afghanistan troop surge,...

Critics Blast Obama's 'State Secrets' Court Fight

White House seeks to kill lawsuit by Islamic charity over FBI wiretaps

(Newser) - Civil liberties activists are accusing President Obama of going back on his word and behaving like George Bush when it comes to protecting administration secrets, reports the Washington Post. The harsh criticism comes in the wake of a lawsuit brought by an Oregon Islamic charity seeking damages for the alleged...

Intel Pick's Ouster a Victory for Lobbyists
Intel Pick's Ouster a Victory for Lobbyists
OPINION
Mar 12, 2009 9:26 AM CDT

Intel Pick's Ouster a Victory for Lobbyists

Loss of excellent public servant a loss for country: Broder

(Newser) - When Charles Freeman withdrew from consideration to chair the National Intelligence Council, the Obama administration “suffered an embarrassing defeat at the hands of the lobbyists the president vowed to keep in their place,” writes David Broder of the Washington Post. Freeman boasted “one of the most distinguished...

Obama Loses High-Level Intel Pick
Obama Loses High-Level
Intel Pick
Mar 10, 2009 7:26 PM CDT

Obama Loses High-Level Intel Pick

Freeman, criticized as anti-Israel, withdraws from NIC post

(Newser) - Relentless criticism has forced another of President Obama's high-level appointees to drop out, the Hill reports. Charles Freeman, in line to be head of the National Intelligence Council, drew strong opposition for perceived anti-Israel views and financial ties to Saudi and Chinese governments. Freeman dropped out just hours after his...

Spy Chief: Economic Crisis a Greater Threat than Terror

Security assessment warns that downturn could cause widespread instability

(Newser) - The new director of national intelligence warned Congress yesterday that the global economic crisis poses a graver and more immediate threat to the US than international terror, the New York Times reports. The crisis could undermine national governments and cause widespread civil unrest as it spreads and deepens, causing serious...

Obama to Broaden National Security Council Power

Prez will boost group's authority on wider range of issues

(Newser) - The decades-old National Security Council will undergo sweeping changes under President Obama, who is expected this week to issue a directive increasing its membership and broadening its authority, the Washington Post reports. The move is part of a strategy to modernize the agency and integrate supervision to cover a wide...

Obama Sneaks Power Back Into the Mix
Obama Sneaks Power Back
Into the Mix
analysis
Jan 30, 2009 1:01 PM CST

Obama Sneaks Power Back Into the Mix

Adviser who called Clinton 'monster' lands national security role

(Newser) - Barack Obama’s national security team seems to consist entirely of people known for speaking their minds, observes Ben Smith of Politico, and none moreso than new NSC staff member Samantha Power, best known for calling Hillary Clinton “a monster.” She was booted for the incident, but that...

Obama Turning to McCain for Advice

Former rival is honored guest at inauguration party

(Newser) - Not only is John McCain in town for Barack Obama's inauguration, he's the guest of honor at an event celebrating it, reports the New York Times. In fact, the president-elect has been discreetly consulting his former rival—the one Obama said America can't trust on the Iraq war—on Iraq,...

Ex-CIA Chief, McCain Man Praises Panetta Pick

Leon Panetta's 'breadth of experience' will serve him, US well: Woolsey

(Newser) - James Woolsey, a former CIA director and adviser to John McCain, tells the Huffington Post he’s “impressed overall by the quality” of Barack Obama’s national-security picks, dismissing criticism that Leon Panetta is a poor fit for his former job. Though an intelligence novice, Panetta is amply qualified,...

Obama Not Looking Back on Torture
Obama Not Looking Back
on Torture
TALK SHOW ROUNDUP
Jan 11, 2009 11:46 AM CST

Obama Not Looking Back on Torture

Bush says GOP 'got whipped;' Burris claims seat, 'no question'

(Newser) - Saying his administration will be “looking forward,” Barack Obama suggested he won’t pursue criminal charges against national security officials accused of committing crimes in President Bush’s war on terror. The president-elect also told ABC’s This Week that closing Guantanamo Bay—a key tenet of his...

Kissinger High on Obama-Clinton Team
 Kissinger High on 
 Obama-Clinton Team 
OPINION
Dec 5, 2008 10:35 AM CST

Kissinger High on Obama-Clinton Team

Obama's sound choices pose cooperative challenges

(Newser) - Barack Obama wasn’t afraid to take risks in choosing his national security team, and the outcome has left Henry Kissinger optimistic, he writes in the Washington Post. Each member comes to the “team of heavyweights” with well-established views and an “autonomous constituency.” That could mean a...

Obama Unveils Security Team Starring Clinton, Gates

Security not a partisan issue, president-elect declares

(Newser) - Barack Obama officially announced his national-security team today, a group including primary rival Hillary Clinton as secretary of state and Bush holdover Robert Gates as defense secretary, the AP reports. “One of the dangers in a White House, is that you get wrapped up in group-think,” Obama said,...

Obama Finds Intelligence Posts Tough to Fill

Intelligence posts next, but harder to fill

(Newser) - No surprises are expected as Barack Obama formally nominates his national security team today, leading with Hillary Clinton, Gen. James Jones, and Robert Gates. But the president-elect is having trouble with intelligence positions, the Wall Street Journal reports, as he looks for experienced hands not tainted by service in the...

Obama Foreign-Policy Team Signals Shift to Diplomacy

Clinton, Gates, Jones will lead diplomatic reform

(Newser) - The three lead players on the national security team Barack Obama will announce today have each historically been more hawkish than the president-elect—but all have embraced his plan for a sweeping foreign policy shift, the New York Times reports. Hillary Clinton, Gen. James Jones, and Robert Gates will work...

Ga.'s Chambliss on Runoff: 'We'll Win Again'
Ga.'s Chambliss on Runoff: 'We'll Win Again'
TALK SHOW ROUNDUP
Nov 30, 2008 12:48 PM CST

Ga.'s Chambliss on Runoff: 'We'll Win Again'

Fellow GOP senators praise Obama picks, pledge bipartisanship

(Newser) - Despite failing to muster 50% of the vote Nov. 4, Sen. Saxby Chambliss said he would prevail in Tuesday’s runoff against Democrat Jim Martin. “We’ll win again,” the Georgia Republican declared on Fox News Sunday. But Chambliss declined to say he would benefit from the lower...

Obama Girds for 'Unprecedented' Economic Crisis

President-elect focusing on security, trust, downturn and Gitmo, he tells 60 Minutes

(Newser) - National security, the economy and breaking America's addiction to fossil fuels are Barack Obama's key priorities, he revealed in his first sit-down TV interview since becoming president-elect. He's focusing first on security because "transition periods are times of vulnerability to a terrorist attack," he explained on 60 Minutes ...

Global Economic Crisis Threatens US Security

(Newser) - The global economic crisis is raising the threat to national security, the Washington Post reports. Experts and intelligence officials worry that mounting inflation and unemployment in Third World countries could spark radical movements and destabilize friendly governments. What’s more, strained budgets in the West mean less money to spend...

Obama Gets First Taste of Commander-in-Chief Role

Gets first national security briefing, assembles staff

(Newser) - Barack Obama receives his first top-secret national intelligence briefing today, and with it his first taste of life as commander-in-chief, reports Time. Already international concerns are vying for Obama’s attention—Hamid Karzai is demanding the president-elect reduce civilian casualties in Afghanistan, and Pakistan’s PM wants him to end...

Mac Should Muzzle Staffers, Drop Robocalls, Talk Security

Remind voters why they admired him: Kristol

(Newser) - William Kristol has some advice for John McCain: “When you’re in a hole, stop digging.” In a recent poll, 64% of respondents said they believe McCain spends more time attacking Barack Obama than making his own case. The senator ought to pull his negative ads, robocalls, and...

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