National Security
“What makes the United States special … is precisely the fact that we are willing to uphold our values and our ideals even when it’s hard, not just when it’s easy, even when we are afraid and under threat, not just when it’s expedient to do so.”
- President Barack Obama, CNN.com, Apr. 20, 2009. Obama defended releasing CIA memos to the public.
http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/04/20/obama.cia/index.html
“What we have described for our enemies in the midst of a war are the outer limits that any American would ever go to in terms of interrogating an al Qaeda terrorist. That’s very valuable information.”
- Michael Hayden, Ex-CIA director, CNN.com, Apr. 19, 2009. Hayden voiced his disgust about Obama’s decision to release four Bush-era memos that compromised national security. Hayden said releasing memos outlining terror interrogation methods emboldened terrorists groups such as al Qaeda.
http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/04/19/cia.torture.chief/index.html