Monday, February 15, 2010

Mind boggling idiocy and pandering...

King, Graham Call for Brennan's Head After Comments [Daniel Foster]
Obama counter-terror chief John Brennan is drawing criticism for comments he made Saturday about the recidivism rate of detainees released from Guantanamo Bay.
During a Q&A following remarks Brennan delivered at the Islamic Center of New York University, Brennan defended the administration's estimate that one in five foreign nationals released from the prison at Guantanamo Bay since its opening return to terrorist activities.
"People sometimes use that figure, 20 percent, say 'Oh my goodness, one out of five detainees returned to some type of extremist activity,'" Brennan said. "You know, the American penal system, the recidivism rate is up to something about 50 percent or so, as far as return to crime. Twenty percent isn't that bad."
Brennan added, "Many of these detainees have returned, have engaged not just extremism, but terrorist attacks. It is something that we have to look at very carefully."

The comments have caused two prominent Congressional Republicans to call for Brennan's ouster.
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R., S.C.) told Fox News Sunday that Brennan's casualness about the 20 percent rate was "mindboggling and unnerving," and said Brennan had "lost my confidence."
"I don't see how most Americans can feel safe when the head of counterterrorism tries to tell us you can get all the information you need within 50 minutes of an interview of a guy right off the airplane who tried to blow it up, and tries to tell us that the process did finally work, and say that a 20 percent recidivism rate's OK in the war on terror."
Rep. Peter King (R., N.Y.) the ranking Republican on the House Homeland Security Committee, said he "strongly" believes Brennan "ought to resign immediately or be fired because of his incompetence and inability to do his job."

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