Dubbed the assassination czar, presumptive CIA nominee John Brennan has played a key role backing some of the nation's most controversial post-9/11 policies from the secret drone war to wireless surveillance.
Brennan was a rumored pick for the job when Obama was first elected in 2008, but was forced to withdraw from consideration amid protests over his role at the CIA under George W. Bush and his public support for the CIA's policies of so-called "enhanced interrogation techniques" and extraordinary rendition.
Shortly after Obama's announcement, Democracy Now! spoke with Marcy Wheeler, an investigative blogger with the website, EmptyWheel.
Wheeler says: "Brennan was considered unacceptable four years ago to lead the CIA. Since then, we've learned about his role in the illegal wiretapping program. We've learned about his role in drone strikes. And yet, now he's supposed to be an acceptable candidate? ... I guess that's a testament to what kind of hard-nosed person Barack Obama has become and the degree to which his policies really are just a continuation of the Bush-Cheney policies."
Click here to read the entire transcript of this interview.
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