JGM to GG

Thanks for the link to my CT Blog item.

One clarification and one observation:

I'm a Washington correspondent for the New York Daily News. I'm merely a volunteer "guest expert" contributing occasional items to the Counterterrorism Blog -- which are always posted first on the DN's Mouth of the Potomac Blog. The CT Blog has my bio:

http://counterterrorismblog.org/experts/james_gordon_meek/bio/

As for John Brennan, I don't think you made your case that he's "an ardent supporter of torture." The quotes you found raise legitimate questions but wouldn't convict Brennan.

Being in favor of rendition is not the same as being an ardent supporter of torture. I know plenty of people in counterterrorism (a beat I've covered for the past decade) who are anti-torture but have participated in renditions. Very few ended up in detainees being dropped into foreign torture chambers, and before 9/11 the purpose was to capture fugitive terror suspects and bring them to trial. Obviously Team Bush should be held accountable for any renditions gone awry and the rendition program should have been thoroughly reviewed and limited after the botched Italian operation and the Arar case, to name two scandals.

You were right, though, I offered no citation to my statement about Brennan being anti-torture. I won't get into my sources and methods, but I stand by my reporting.

Feel free to post my full e-mail.

Cheers, JGM

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GG to JGM

I appreciate your reply and will post it. I knew you were a NY Daily News reporter but wasn't sure in what capacity you were writing there.

The most incriminating aspect of Brennan's views, in my opinion, is his support for the Bush administration's "enhanced interrogation techniques." Since he says he opposes waterboarding and isn't on record opposing anything else, one can reasonably assume that must include some combination of things like stress positions, forced nudity, hypothermia, sleep deprivation, exploitation of paranoias, extreme isolation, hanging by the wrists, threats, and other previously forbidden techniques authorized by the Bush administration.

I suppose it depends on what one means by "torture," but in my view, waterboarding is only a small part of that -- probably the most infrequently used part of it. Expressed support for the CIA interrogation program under Bush is extremely strong evidence of support for torture.