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President Obama Visits CIA; NATO Thwarts Pirates
Aired April 20, 2009 - 15:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RICK SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): The beauty contestant that has everyone talking about what she said about same-sex marriage.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's devastating. It's just been devastating.
SANCHEZ: Drop dead, gorgeous animals, more than 20 polo horses dead on the same grounds. What happened?
What you say during this original first network national conversation, which begins right now.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SANCHEZ: And hello again, everybody.
I'm Rick Sanchez with the show that has taken news into the next generation. It's a dialogue, not a speech. And it's your turn to get involved.
So, here we go. The president of the United States is about to make an appearance at the CIA just a week after revealing President Bush's so-called secrets on torture.
You're looking at a live picture now of where the president will meet with CIA agents and CIA officials and CIA bureaucrats.
Now, should he have been that transparent when he did what he said or revealed last week? Well, here's what you have been saying about this, two perspectives.
Let's get started right away with your reaction. Let's go to the Twitter board, if we possibly can, Robert.
We're going to start with Vishanti. He says: "It was the correct action to release the reports. Open and honest wins out over closed and sneaky any time."
But wait a minute. Look at Moondrops. He's watching, too, and he says: "I" -- she, I should say -- pardon me, Moondrops -- "I defend Barack Obama when I need to, but that was wrong. You don't sell out your country, just like you wouldn't sell out your parents."
So, there you go, two opinions as we get started on this.
And we await the president of the United States and his comments from the CIA on a controversial subject.
But the big news, big, happening story today, of the day, is this attempted hijacking of a Canadian airliner in Jamaica. Have you been watching this thing? A man armed with a gun gets on to a plane. He fires a shot on the jetway as he enters, and then demands to be flown to Cuba.
Now, here's what is so sad about this story. There was a time when this request would have been granted. Oh, yes. As a reporter in Miami in the late 1980s and '90s, I would sometimes personally as a reporter cover several hijackings a week and they had become almost like routine, I can tell you.
Hijacker tells a pilot where he wants to go. He's flown there, no questions asked. But then came 9/11, and everything changed. Now back to today, here's the Canadian charter. It's a 737. You're looking at it. It's at Montego Bay Airport in Jamaica today.
A man 20 something years old gets a gun through a terminal. He gets on to the plane. He takes hostages. He demands to be flown to Cuba. It's over now, but listen to this Jamaican official describing this scene in the moment it was happening.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
DARYL VAZ, JAMAICAN INTERNATIONAL MINISTER: I can say that the hijacker is young Jamaican, estimated at about 20 years of age, who seems to have mental challenges. And his father has actually come to assist with the negotiators to get the hostages freed.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: Our law enforcement analyst, Mike Brooks, joins us now.
You know what is interesting about this? I thought this was some crazy guy on the runway who somehow managed to -- this guy got through security with a gun.
(CROSSTALK)
MIKE BROOKS, CNN SECURITY ANALYST: I was thinking the same thing. Maybe he came up and came up the steps, and got into the jetway, and then got on that way from the secure area.
SANCHEZ: Yes.
BROOKS: But, no, he apparently just ran right through security. And, again, U.S. carriers fly out of this airport, Rick, and the security there is supposed to be on par with the security we have here in the United States.
SANCHEZ: What are your sources telling you about this? As we look at the pictures of this plane when it was there on the jetway, maybe you can describe to us what you have learned so far...
(CROSSTALK) BROOKS: He apparently came on and as he was going down the jetway, fired one round.
Two of the eight crew members locked themselves in the cockpit, which is good.
SANCHEZ: Right.
BROOKS: And so, they had started to negotiate with him. The government of Jamaica actually called the United States' FBI and requested the crisis negotiation unit to assist them on that, so they did get some assistance with that.
But then they decided that negotiations weren't going anywhere. They brought in his father, which is sometimes unusual. As a former hostage negotiator, that is kind of a last resort to bring in family members. You coach them on what to talk about, what to stay away from, depending on what their relationship was.
But they decided to go ahead and end it with a tactical result, a tactical resolution. But apparently no one was injured.
SANCHEZ: This is your expertise. You have dealt with this. You have been on committees that have gone through this.
BROOKS: Yes.
SANCHEZ: I made a point awhile ago, I don't know if you heard it, I was telling our viewers that, listen, when I was a reporter, or correspondent, in Miami, a guy knocked on the door and said, listen, I want to go to Havana, fine, come on in, where do you want to go, no questions asked. Don't harass the guy, don't get in his way, right?
(CROSSTALK)
BROOKS: Right. You and were talking about that before. It used to be, OK, sit back, we're going to Cuba. You get to Cuba, he gets off, the Cuban officials take him into custody and they fly back to the United States.
But everything changed after 9/11. In fact, I was with Delta Air Lines, with the corporate security.
SANCHEZ: Right.
BROOKS: And I was part of the group that put together it's called a common strategy. It was common strategy, now common strategy two, on dealing with hijackings.
Everything changed after 9/11.
SANCHEZ: You know, like the guy in the cockpit...
(CROSSTALK)
BROOKS: No. And that's why, if you look now, you have got reinforced cockpit doors. You have got other security measures.
SANCHEZ: But here's the question. Shouldn't it have been called commonsense strategy?
BROOKS: Absolutely. But see...
SANCHEZ: Why were we -- people always make this point. And pardon me for going here.
BROOKS: Yes.
SANCHEZ: But as a correspondent who covered this for many years, it frustrates me when I heard people during the Bush administration and still and even prior say that 9/11 was this sophisticated plan akin to what happened to us in Honolulu during -- that started World War II.
BROOKS: Pearl Harbor, right.
SANCHEZ: Pearl Harbor.
You know what? It was not so sophisticated. It was a bunch of guys who decided to go on a plane and we let them in because we were stupid.
BROOKS: But it was a bunch of guys who did their homework. They went and they flew on U.S. carriers, Rick, on a number of U.S. carriers, and watched the security procedures that were in place at the time.
Two knocks on the door, two rings on the intercom, and then they -- somebody would open the door.
SANCHEZ: They watched how the flight attendants would get in and they copied them.
BROOKS: Absolutely. And copied it. And they looked at the cockpit entry and when the pilot comes out to use the lavatory. They looked at all of this. Yes, they were not that smart, but they took their time, they made their plan, and it succeeded.
SANCHEZ: But sometimes you just have to say, you know what? That was dumb. What we were doing was dumb.
We got used to being hijacked, so we made it OK for people to hijack planes. And it sent a message to these bad guys, these guys who really do want to hurt us and kill us, hey, there you go, they're opening the door.
(CROSSTALK)
BROOKS: And, keep in mind, prior to 9/11...
SANCHEZ: And the key is to make sure it doesn't happen again.
BROOKS: Absolutely. It's concentric rings, this layers of security.
But keep in mind before 9/11 there were only 32 federal air marshals in existence. And they flew only international flights. Now you have thousands. You have got the Federal Flight Deck Officer program, pilots flying armed. So, I guarantee you there are more pilots flying armed than you would ever know.
SANCHEZ: Yes.
BROOKS: And you have got citizens who are going to step up now and do what they did on the flight, that United flight, because they are not going to let that happen again, Rick.
SANCHEZ: That's why we do this, too.
BROOKS: Absolutely.
SANCHEZ: It's good that the story turned out the way it did in Jamaica. And that's the way it's supposed to be.
BROOKS: Yes.
SANCHEZ: And, by golly, never open the cockpit door and let these guys in, because then they control the situation.
BROOKS: Sometimes, it's complacency but I think we have gotten past that with 9/11. And with all the other security I think we're a lot safer flying than we were prior to 9/11.
SANCHEZ: I think you're probably right.
Mike Brooks, as usual, thanks so much for being with us.
BROOKS: Thank you, Rick.
SANCHEZ: All right.
This video is must-see, and you will, NATO forces taking down a group of pirates trying to hijack a cargo ship, only to let them go again because they can't make arrests. We will take you through it.
All right, there's a little piece of that, how it happened, how it went down. We want you to see this for yourself. Nat sound up, as we like to say. Was President Obama wrong for shaking the hand of Venezuela President Hugo Chavez? What would you have done, by the way? I want to know.
Oh, and did Miss California lose the Miss USA contest because of her answer about same-sex marriage? We are going to let you hear it and decide for yourself.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hey, Rick, it's Jim in Alabama.
I don't mind that Barack shook Hugo's hand, but he just didn't have to be so gleeful about it.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SANCHEZ: Welcome back. I'm Rick Sanchez here in the world headquarters of CNN.
One of the big stories that's popping, at least as far as you guys are concerned, is a story about George Bush and Barack Obama and their treatment of Hugo Chavez.
So, let's go right to MySpace, if we can, all right? Couple of quick comments, and then we will get the next story.
"President Obama did the right thing, shaking Chavez's hand. Last year, Bush ran around all over the summit trying to avoid Chavez. Laugh out loud."
Boom. Flip it. Let's go to Twitter, and we will get a reaction there as well. This was from Kim. Kim says: "Was I supposed to refuse -- "or was O.," as in Obama, "supposed to refuse Hugo's handshake? Come on. Are we going to criticize him for everything? He's diplomatic. And that's not bad." That's according to Kim.
Thank you, Kim, for that response.
Now this. Those pirates off the coast of Africa, you would think that they would back off after the Maersk Alabama incident, where Navy SEALs shot three pirates dead. But they're still out there and bolder than ever, it seems.
Just yesterday, NATO troops opened fire and chased down a boatload of pirates off of Somalia. And guess what they did to them? Nothing. They let them go. Wait until you hear why.
But, first, I want you to take a look at this piece. It's been put together for us by CNN's David McKenzie.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Shots ring out at sea, a NATO warship in hot pursuit of Somali pirates in the Gulf of Aden. The Canadian frigate spotted the pirates trying to hijack a Norwegian cargo ship. After a seven-hour chase, they grabbed the pirates, questioned them, then released them.
Canada's prime minister defending the tactics:
STEPHEN HARPER, CANADIAN PRIME MINISTER: We obviously act within our legal authorities and also within our capacities, and in this case, as you know, we did briefly detain pirates and disarm them. And I think that was the appropriate -- those were the appropriate measures under the circumstances.
MCKENZIE: NATO says that arresting pirates is not within their mandate, despite international conventions clearly stating that any warship can detain pirates.
Earlier in the weekend, a Dutch ship stopped a pirate attack, freed 20 hostages, and also released the pirates. The leadership of Somalia's transitional government is not impressed with the international help.
ABDURRAHMAN HAJI ADAM, SOMALI DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER: This is something that we could have done something about it, but the international community still actually giving less concentration of support in Somali government to help the international community in this piracy.
MCKENZIE: Coalition and NATO forces do have scores of boats off the coast patrolling against piracy. But despite their recent aggressive tactics, pirates continue to attack ships seemingly at will, hijacking a Belgian dredger ship, the Pompei, way off the coast of East Africa near the island atoll of the Seychelles some 800 miles from Somalia.
Pirates are reportedly sailing the ship back to their coastline, where more than 200 sailors remaining hijacked waiting for ransom to be paid.
David McKenzie, CNN, Nairobi, Kenya.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SANCHEZ: There you're going to have it. We are going to translate it for you. If your critic comes up and he offers you his hand, do you shake his hand? Two things you can do. And guess what? There's two ways you are going to get slammed on this no matter what you do. Hello.
And then, while we're asking questions, is the president tipping his hand to the enemy by releasing so-called torture secrets? He's visiting the CIA. That is going to happen at any moment now. We Gates be taking you there. And it's expected that he will make comments on that in just a couple minutes.
No, what is that? OK. I will fill you in. What did this contestant say that may have cost her the Miss USA crown?
All right, let's do this. As we go to break, let's take a tweet. This is CurtieMan. He is watching our show. He's apparently a regular, because he knows what my faith is. "You are a Christian man, Rick. It's Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve. Let's follow the Bible, what the Bible teaches, for Pete's stake -- Pete's sake." I misspoke.
All right, I will take you through this and let you know what both sides are saying, if you stay with us. And Miss California did say something. We will be back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SANCHEZ: We welcome you back. I'm Rick Sanchez. I had a feeling this would be a conversation that was going to pop, this whole thing about same-sex marriage and the Miss USA pageant and Miss California, who may have lost. All right, I'm going to give you that story in a minute.
But, even before we do that, let's go to the commentary, if we can. You want to do that, Robert? Take me over to Twitter.
And on Twitter, people are angry about the guy who just tweeted us moments ago who said the whole Adam and Eve and Adam and Steve thing.
"You self-righteous Bible-thumpers kill me. How do gays hurt your marriages? They don't threaten mine," he writes or she writes.
All right, let's get the next one on that. "Ah, yes, but were Adam and Eve married? Discuss."
We will.
OK, let's get to the story now, if we possibly can. When beauty pageants make news, you know that it's because somebody said something, right? OK. Here we go. That young lady is your Miss USA, Kristen Dalton. That's Miss North Carolina you're looking at right there.
But she's not the reason that we're showing you pictures of very beautiful women. No. She is the reason. See her right there on the right? The lady on the right, that's Miss California, Carrie Prejean. She was the runner-up.
And this is where you help me decide if something that she said cost her the tiara. Watch this. You ready? It's the fascinating question and it's the answer as well that made part of this competition so interesting and now newsworthy. Here it is.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PEREZ HILTON, JUDGE: Vermont recently became the fourth state to legalize same-sex marriage.
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
HILTON: Do you think every state should follow suit? Why or why not?
CARRIE PREJEAN, MISS CALIFORNIA: Well, I think it's great that Americans are able to choose one or the other.
We live in a land that you can choose same-sex marriage or opposite marriage. And you know what? In my country and in my family, I think that I believe that a marriage should be between a man and a woman, no offense to anybody out there. But that's how I was raised and that's how I think that it should be, between a man and a woman. Thank you.
HILTON: Thank you very much.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: Did you see the expression on Perez Hilton, who was asking the question?
By the way, we just got a call from Perez Hilton. He wanted to be on the newscast, but we have got the president at the CIA. So we're going to hold him for tomorrow. So, there's a programming note for you. We will pick up on this with Perez Hilton tomorrow, the newsmaker, because he was the one who asked the question.
Now back to her comment. She thinks it's great that Americans are able to choose one or the other, that we can choose same-sex marriage or -- quote -- "opposite marriage," is I believe what she said, quoting her correctly. And then she says again opposite marriage.
They asked the opinion. She gave it. Would Carrie Prejean Miss USA today if she said something different, if she had been maybe a little more political? By the way, she's getting a whole lot of credit by a lot of people as well, even though she's also getting a whole lot of blasting, a lot of people also saying she said what she thought. She was being honest and she wasn't trying to be politically correct about this.
We are getting a ton of reaction on this story. I don't know what you think, but I would like to know. Go to my blog and tell us, and we will let you watch this again there. And you can parse her words as you choose. It's, by the way, in case you forgot, it's CNN.com/ricksanchez. It's CNN.com/ricksanchez. I welcome your responses.
Did President Obama make the U.S. a weaker nation by releasing documents detailing how the U.S. interrogated terror suspects?
And there's that pic again that so many people are talking about, certainly on both sides of the border. Should the president of the United States have been shaking hands with Hugo Chavez in that instant?
And notice the smile. That's something that's been generating a lot of heat as well.
And there's this story. Did you hear about this one? Twenty-one polo horses are dead, and it happened on the same polo grounds, probably for the very same reason. The problem is, nobody knows what that reason is. What is it?
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hey, Rick, Anderson from Richmond Hill, New York.
I think what the Jamaican hijack attempt says about September 11 is that other countries are not as vigilant as we are in terms of their security. And that is a major concern.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SANCHEZ: Lot of comments, lots to talk about. Welcome back. I'm Rick Sanchez.
On the heels of President Obama's world tour that could probably be summed up with four words, "I'm not George Bush," the president is now moments away from making a statement at the CIA. And you will see it right here as it plays out.
There's that live pic we always like to show you, just to fill you with anticipation. The topic of the un-Bushing, the U.S. torture policy, will likely come up. You remember that from last week. Well, now he's there, talking to the people who may have been in some ways responsible for either favoring or disfavoring that policy.
In fact, name an issue, from CIA interrogations, to his willingness to talk, even shake hands with people like Hugo Chavez, who once called President Bush the devil, and what you get really is a completely different game plan for this president. It's like one guy was running the wishbone and this guy seems to be trying to run the West Coast offense.
All right, here's the president, by the way, describing his new way forward at the Summit of the Americas. Take a listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: If we are practicing what we preach and if we occasionally confess to having strayed from our values and our ideals, that strengthens our hand. That allows us to speak with greater moral force and clarity around these issues.
And, again, I think people around the world appreciate that we're not suggesting we are holding ourselves to one set of standards, and we're going to hold you to another set of standards.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: And here we go. The president of the United States is going to be coming out.
But let me introduce you to somebody else. Cheri Jacobus is standing by. Can we put up a shot of Cheri? And David Sirota is going to be joining us as well. They're going to take us through this conversation.
Do you expect the president -- Cheri, let me start with you. I understand you were up first. A quick answer, because I think the president is going to be coming on in seconds.
Do you expect the president is going to address his controversy about revealing Bush's so-called torture secrets?
CHERI JACOBUS, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: I don't think he will address it properly.
I noticed that during your break, you showed a reenactment of water-boarding. The new information that came out in these memos is that Khalid Sheikh Mohammed was water-boarded something like 186 times, in addition to being the 9/11 mastermind.
(CROSSTALK)
SANCHEZ: So, what does it say? It doesn't work.
JACOBUS: I think what you need to show and what the president needs to address is that this is also the guy that kidnapped Danny Pearl, United States journalist, slit his throat, decapitated him. And, yet, we don't see that preceding any information about what water-boarding is.
We have really lost a lot of our memory since the early days after 9/11. And I think that's a shame. And I think it's dangerous.
SANCHEZ: OK. All right, Cheri.
David, give it a crack.
DAVID SIROTA, SYNDICATED COLUMNIST: Well, I mean, just because one terrorist did something bad doesn't mean that we should be violating the law, that we should be stretching the law.
We're a country that's supposed to respect the rule of law. If you water-board somebody 183 times, you can be pretty confident that what he's going to tell you might not have a lot of credibility. And the point here is to restore that credibility and to restore the rule of law. I think the president was right to release these memos, absolutely.
SANCHEZ: Hey, David, let me ask you something. This is about transparency in many ways.
And if any show on this network and possibly many others stands for transparency, it's us. That's what social media is all about, talking to people, talking truth. But is this president, with his whole transparency agenda, maybe a little bit ahead of the curve politically, if you know what I mean?
SIROTA: Well, I see what you're saying, but I don't think he is.
What I think is that we're a country that suffers from too little transparency in our government, not too much. The president made promises to make this government one of the most, if not the most, transparent in history. And I think he's just fulfilling a campaign promise. I think the public wants to know. The public has a right to know.
JACOBUS: You know what? You just said a mouthful. He's fulfilling a campaign promise. And that's all this is about, is about his own personal P.R. He's putting this country...
(CROSSTALK)
SIROTA: Making a promise. Doing what he promised to do.
(CROSSTALK)
JACOBUS: The only transparency here is transparency to our enemies, who now know exactly what we will and won't do.
And I think this puts the country at grave, grave danger.
(CROSSTALK)
SIROTA: That information is already out in the public. That information is already out. It was already out.
JACOBUS: Well, most of it was. But you know what? It didn't have the stamp of approval from the president of the United States by him officially reversing -- reversing the policies...
(CROSSTALK)
SIROTA: The information was already out. You said our enemies learned something from him. But the information was already out in the public.
(CROSSTALK)
JACOBUS: The information was already out in the public, but now they know for absolute certain what we will and won't do. That puts all of us at risk.
(CROSSTALK)
SIROTA: Oh, so, they didn't know for certain when it was reported in "The New Yorker" and "The New York Times" and when it reported in "The New York Review of Books"? They didn't know then? They're just that stupid? I don't think so. I don't think terrorists are that stupid.
(CROSSTALK)
JACOBUS: They were using it for training purposes.
(CROSSTALK)
SANCHEZ: Guys, I have got to stop you, because the president's on his way in. Let's watch it. And we can continue this conversation.
Let's dip in and take a listen as he walks in first.
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
SANCHEZ: Wow. That's a roaring ovation for the president. He's going to be there, by the way, with CIA Director Leon Panetta, Deputy Director Stephen Kappes.
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
LEON PANETTA, CIA DIRECTOR: Thank you. Thank you.
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
PANETTA: Thank you. Thank you very, very, very much.
This is a very loud welcome...
(LAUGHTER)
PANETTA: ... from a group that's supposed to be silent warriors.
(LAUGHTER)
PANETTA: Mr. President, it is a great honor and pleasure to welcome you to the CIA.
We are all very proud that you have taken the time out of your very busy schedule to come out to Langley and to meet with the men and women who perform the difficult, but essential work of intelligence for our nation.
Those who founded this agency some six decades ago, President Harry Truman, inspired by General Bill Donovan, whose statue's here in the lobby, understood that they were creating something essential to the security of the nation. An agency that would largely operate in the shadows of secrecy to provide crucial and accurate intelligence to our nation's leaders. The times demanded it then. The times demand it now.
CIA is on the front line of the defense of this nation. As we speak, CIA officers are spread out across the globe in some very dangerous places, putting their lives on the line. Tackling the threats of our times -- from terrorism and nuclear proliferation to narcotics trafficking, and espionage, and every other global challenge and threat.
Their skill and ingenuity and dedication are working to keep the nation safe. And that work doesn't come without risk or without cost. The wall of stars behind us is the ultimate testament to their sacrifice. Each star represents an officer who gave his or her life to this country. And some whose names remain secret, because they were operating under cover.
But the officers of the CIA do it because they love this country. We believe in a free and open society. And we deeply believe in upholding the laws and the values of this society. That's why we defend it. So that in the words of my immigrant father, we can pass those values on to our children.
Mr. President, when you asked me to take this job, you made clear that you wanted honest, direct and straightforward assessments. I've tried to do that and will continue to do so. In that spirit, let me make some important points to the people of America. First of all, the CIA of today will implement our mission under the guidelines that you have established for detention and interrogation. I share your beliefs and make clear that this agency will operate under your executive orders. We believe that we can fully protect this nation and our values at the same time. And we are doing exactly that.
Second, we are a nation at war. You've made clear that the core goal of the United States must be, and I quote, "to disrupt, dismantle and defeat al Qaeda and its extremist allies," unquote. That is and must be our primary mission.
As a former member of Congress like you, I understand and appreciate the role of the legislative branch in reviewing what happened, to hopefully learn the lessons from the past. And I have made clear that we will fully cooperate with these efforts.
But as you have said, this is a time for reflection, not retribution. We must be careful not to spend so much time and energy in laying blame for the past that it interferes with our ability to focus on the fundamental mission we have for today and for tomorrow -- that of defeating our enemy and keeping our nation safe.
Lastly, as director, I believe we have an opportunity for the CIA to begin a new and great chapter in our history of service to the nation. You have made clear your loyalty and support for our mission and for our employees, and for that, I thank you deeply. In return, I want you to know that you have our full loyalty and support in your efforts to protect America.
Mr. President, again, thank you very much for joining us today. We are greatly honored to have you.
Ladies and gentlemen of the CIA, I am proud to introduce the president of the United States.
(APPLAUSE)
OBAMA: Thank you, everybody. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
Thank you, everybody. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Well, thank you for the extraordinary welcome. And thanks for those of you who prepared from the CIA gift shop the T-shirts, the caps, the water bottles.
(LAUGHTER)
Michelle and the girls will appreciate that very much.
It is a great honor to be here with the men and women of the CIA. I've been eager to come out here to Langley for some time, so I can deliver a simple message to you in person on behalf of the American people -- thank you.
Thank you for all the work that you do to protect the American people and the freedom that we all cherish. The CIA is fundamental to America's national security. And I want you to know that that's why I nominated such an outstanding public servant and close friend, Leon Panetta, to lead -- to lead the agency.
He is one of our nation's finest public servants. He has my complete confidence. And he is a strong voice in my national security team, as well as a strong advocate for the men and women of the CIA.
I also benefit from the counsel of several agency veterans. Chief among them, Steve Kappes, who stayed on to serve as Leon's deputy. He's done outstanding work.
(APPLAUSE)
I have to add just as an aside, by the way, I just met with a smaller group of about 50 so we could have a dialogue, and all of you look really young.
(LAUGHTER)
And so to have a gray beard literally and figuratively like Steve Kappes here I think is absolutely critical.
I also want you to know we have one of your own, John Brennan, who is doing a terrific job as my advisor for counter terrorism and homeland security. And we are very grateful for the work that he does and the insights that he brings from his long years of service here at the CIA.
And I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the extraordinary former CIA officer and director of Central Intelligence, Bob Gates, who is also part of our cabinet, and every once in awhile gives me a few tips.
(APPLAUSE)
Let me share with you just a few thoughts about the situation in which we find ourselves. First, I want to underscore the importance of the CIA. When the CIA was founded, you were focused on one overarching threat, the Soviet Union. And for decades, the CIA carried out a critically important mission. And with the end of the cold war, some wondered how important the CIA would be to our future. Now we know.
Here in the 21st century, we have learned that the CIA is more important than ever. For as Leon mentioned, we face a wide range of unconventional challenges. Stateless terrorist networks like al Qaeda, the spread of catastrophic weapons, cyber threats, failed states, rogue regimes, persistent conflict and now we have to add to our list piracy.
The CIA is unique in the capabilities of collection, analysis and operation that you bring to bear. So you are an indispensable tool, the tip of the spear, in America's intelligence mission and our national security. It is because of you that I can make good decisions. And you prove that the key to good intelligence is not simply technology. It's the quality of the men and women who have signed up to serve. You're on the front lines against unconventional challenges. You help us understand the world as it is.
You support the work of our troops and our diplomats and law enforcement officers. You disrupt terrorist plots and you're critical to our efforts to destroy terrorist networks. You serve capably, courageously and from here in Virginia, the dangerous outposts around the globe, you make enormous sacrifices on our behalf. So you should be proud of what you do.
Second, you need to know that you've got my full support. For decades, the American people have counted on you to protect them. I know that I've come to personally count on your services. I rely on your reporting and your analysis, which finds its way on to my desk every single day. And I know you've got a tough job. I know there's no margin for error. And I know there are endless demands for intelligence.
There is an urgent necessity to collect and analyze information, and to work seamlessly with other agencies to act on it. And what makes it tougher is when you succeed as you so often do, that success usually has to stay secret. So you don't get credit when things go good, but you sure get some blame when things don't.
(LAUGHTER)
I got an amen corner out there.
(LAUGHTER)
In that context, I know that the last few days have been difficult. As I made clear in releasing the OLC memos as a consequence of a court case that was pending and to which it was very difficult for us to mount an effective legal defense.
I acted primarily because of the exceptional circumstances that surrounded these memos. Particularly the fact that so much of the information was public -- had been publicly acknowledged. The covert nature of the information had been compromised. I have fought to protect the integrity of classified information in the past and I will do so in the future. And there is nothing more important than protecting the identities of CIA officers. So I need everybody to be clear. We will protect your identities and your security as you vigorously pursue your missions. I will be as vigorous in protecting you, as you are vigorous in protecting the American people.
Now, I have put an end to the interrogation techniques described in those OLC memos, and I want to be very clear and very blunt. I have done so for a simple reason, because I believe that our nation is stronger and more secure when we deploy the full measure of both our power and the power of our values, including the rule of law. I know I can count on you to do exactly that. You know, there have been some conversations that I've had with senior folks here at Langley in which I think people have expressed understandable anxiety and concern. So I want to make a point that I just made in the smaller group.
I understand that it's hard when you are asked to protect the American people against people who have no scruples and would willingly and gladly kill innocents. Al Qaeda is not constrained by a constitution. Many of our adversaries are not constrained by a belief in freedom of speech or representation in court or rule of law. So I'm sure that sometimes, it seems as if that means we're operating with one hand tied behind our back, or that those who would argue for a higher standard are naive. I understand that. You know, I watch the cable shows once in awhile.
(LAUGHTER)
What makes the United States special and what makes you 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. That's what makes us different. So yes, you've got a harder job. And so do I. And that's OK. Because that's why we can take such extraordinary pride in being Americans. And over the long term, that is why I believe we will defeat our enemies, because we are on the better side of history.
So don't be discouraged by what's happened the last few weeks. Don't be discouraged that we have to acknowledge potentially we have made some mistakes. That's how we learn. But the fact that we are willing to acknowledge them and then move forward, that is precisely why I am proud to be president of the United States, and that's why you should be proud to be members of the CIA.
(APPLAUSE)
Third point -- third point, I want you to know how much the American people appreciate your service. Sometimes it's hard to acknowledge sacrifices made by the people whose work or even identity must remain secret. And that's part of the enormous burden that you carry when you sign up.
But you make extraordinary sacrifices giving up parts of your life in service of your country. Many of you take long deployments overseas. You miss seeing your families. You miss weekend barbecues and the birthday parties. Watching your children grow up. You can't even exchange in the simplest pleasures of talking about your job or complaining about your job openly.
(LAUGHTER)
There are few signs of patriotism more powerful than offering to serve out of the limelight. And so many of you have signed up to serve after 9/11. That's partly why you're all so young. Fully aware of the dangers before you. You serve courageously, but your courage is only known to a few. You accomplish remarkable things, but the credit you receive is the private knowledge that you've done something to secure this country. That's a sacrifice that's carved into those marble walls.
Those 89 stars stand as a testament to both the men and women of the CIA, who gave their lives in service to their country and to all who dedicate themselves to the mission of this agency. Now we must look forward to the future with confidence. All that you've achieved, I believe that the CIA's best days are still yet to come. And you will have my support and appreciation as you carry on this critical work.
We live in dangerous times. I am going to need you more than ever, precisely because we're seeing changes in our foreign policy. And we want to send a new message to the world. That requires better intelligence, not less of it.
That means that we're going to have to operate smarter and more effectively than ever. So I'm going to be relying on you and the American people are going to rely on you. And I hope that you will continue to take extraordinary pride in the challenges that come with the job.
Thank you very much. God bless you. And God bless the United States of America.
SANCHEZ: And there you have the president of the CIA talking to, well, bureaucrats and agents and officials of the Intelligence gathering community of the United States of America.
We expect the president will do what he normally does when he visits an agency. He's probably going to hang around for a little bit, maybe shake some hands, meet some people. Let's see.
That's what he usually -- yes, there he goes. He can't control himself. He's going to go over and say hello to some folks. And he's going to get a lot of adoration as presidents often do.
But it did seem Cheri Jacobus, if you're still with us as we watch this, that he got an extraordinarily rousing applause at the very beginning from these folks.
How do you explain that?
JACOBUS: Well, as he mentioned several times, this is a young crowd so it was certainly his demographic from the campaign. But I would expect any time any president of the United States goes and speaks to government employees, we saw the same response that the military gave to President Bush many, many times. So I think it would be a little bit strange if any president did not get a very welcoming reception from (INAUDIBLE)
(CROSSTALK)
SANCHEZ: But David, did you think that that was -- it almost seemed like it wasn't a polite applause. It seemed like it was -- well, you describe it. I'll be the journalist here. You describe it. SIROTA: Boisterous?
SANCHEZ: Yes. Yes. There you go.
SIROTA: It sounded boisterous and ruckus, and I think he deservedly so. And I think the president's message of appreciation and of thanks. And putting by the way the context of his decisions to release these memos in the context of the CIA's mission, I think was right on point.
I mean, he really, really made the point that what he's done and what he's doing by outlawing torture is good for the agency and good for the country. And I think that was a very, very smart way that he put it.
SANCHEZ: Let me quote him, Cheri, it seemed like he was probably watching our newscast before he started talking. He said, "I watch the cable shows." I almost felt like he was listening to our discussions and who knows, he may very well have been listening on Sirius radio or something, in the car, on the drive over that.
JACOBUS: Oh, good, I have a few more things I can say to him.
(CROSSTALK)
SANCHEZ: Well, fine. But here's what I think he was saying to you and to others who disagree with him. And, quote, I'll quote him here. He says, "We should uphold our ideas when it's hard, not when it's easy."
He seemed to be saying that those who equate idealism with naivety(ph) are wrong. Are you?
JACOBUS: No, and he also is lumping everybody who agrees that there is an occasional and very important need for what we term is torture for these interrogation methods. It's somehow not upholding the ideals.
We have president -- our last president who went out as an unpopular president, but when he was taking very strong measures against the terrorists, he was the most popular president in history. He kept us safe for nine years. And when I -- for many years it was since 9/11. And now we have a very popular president whose popular personally going in and sort of riding that wave of optimism.
And we have been kept safe so we have been lulled in to a bit of a sense of false security. I think he is putting us at danger. I don't think President Obama means to, but I do think that there is some very, very good arguments for those out there who are nervous about the fact that he seems a bit naive. And I think their fears cannot just be written off as being unfounded.
SANCHEZ: You know, you got to be careful with that, "He kept us safe for nine years," though, because as I recall, there was an attack on 9/11 that happened under not Clinton's watch, but President Bush's watch, right? JACOBUS: Well, and he had been in office for only a few months. And I think that the response was swift. It was strict.
(CROSSTALK)
SIROTA: (INAUDIBLE) warning them about the attacks.
JACOBUS: It was a very, very swift and hard response, but the American people supported it wholeheartedly.
(CROSSTALK)
SANCHEZ: OK. All right. Just want to be fair about that.
JACOBUS: I just want to say that if we were going to have Barack Obama be president at any time, you know, over the course of a few decades, I would rather he be there now rather than him having been our president in 9/11.
SANCHEZ: Well, I get --
SIROTA: You mean like a first term Texas governor who was warned about the attacks through memos and ignored them.
JACOBUS: No.
SANCHEZ: We'll stop there. We'll stop. David, David, David...
JACOBUS: A president who is willing to do everything necessary to keep his country safe. I think that's what we've all --
SANCHEZ: David, Cheri, you guys are champing at the bit to get your points out, and you should.
SIROTA: I'm just pointing out the facts, man.
SANCHEZ: No, no, it's a good thing. Stay right there, because we have to take care of some housekeeping. We got to get a break in. When we come back, we'll pick it up exactly where you guys left off. And it will be a good and spirited conversation. I'm sure our viewers will weigh in, and they will appreciate it as well. Stay with us. We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SANCHEZ: And welcome back. We got Cheri Jacobus. She's a Republican strategist, and she's been making her points. And we also have David Sirota. He's a syndicated columnist who is joining us.
And this -- at least on this occasion, defending the president's positions because I've also seen, David, you in the past be very critical of this president. But on this occasion, you seem to be saying what?
SIROTA: Well, I think on the issue of the CIA memos, I think he was right. I think it fulfilled his campaign promise to be the most transparent administration in history. I think that a lot of the information as he said that he has released is already out in the public, and so why not fulfill a campaign promise. And I think most importantly that in asking the CIA to follow the rule of law, he is asking the CIA to do its job of defending our country in a way that we need to be defended, in a way that makes us Americans. I think his speech today was right on point when he made that point that to defend our country is to uphold our values.
SANCHEZ: What do you make of the point moments ago, and I saw that you were beaming to get in, so I'll give you the opportunity to do so now, and then I'll let Cheri respond, about the fact that -- an off quoted remark that George Bush kept us safe. You were going to say what?
SIROTA: Well, what I was going to say is that he didn't keep us safe on 9/11, and he was warned with pretty explicit memos that there was going to be an impending attack. And that I think he didn't keep us safe. And thousands of Americans have died in Iraq. And I think that that has made this country less safe. It's made the world less safe. And by the way, that's not me talking, that's our Defense and Intelligence agencies, which issued Intelligence report saying that the war in Iraq made us less safe. That's our Intelligence agencies talking.
JACOBUS: You know, actually, it is absolutely ridiculous. There is a very small sliver of people in this country who believe that George W. Bush is somehow responsible for 9/11 and could have prevented it. I think this is a ridiculous conversation.
SIROTA: I'm just stating as a matter of fact, he was warned. There were memos that were sent to the ranch in Crawford that he was warned.
(CROSSTALK)
JACOBUS: Look, you've got the Obama administration -- excuse me. We have the Obama --
SIROTA: Bin Laden threatening to strike in the United States. That's the headline of a memo.
(CROSSTALK)
JACOBUS: You have the Obama administration, and the president of the United States himself trying to blame President Bush for everything. And then we have people who knows...
SIROTA: There was a memo sent to Condoleezza Rice that said Bin Laden determined to strike in the United States. She said that. She acknowledged that at her 9/11 hearing.
(CROSSTALK)
JACOBUS: (INAUDIBLE). It happened also. It also happened when Bill Clinton...
SIROTA: That's a -- that's a matter of fact. I'm actually shocked that you would say that that didn't happen.
(CROSSTALK)
JACOBUS: I'm shocked that you're sitting here on CNN trying to blame President Bush for 9/11. We've seen people do this, in turn they get laughed off the air.
(CROSSTALK)
SIROTA: I'm saying he was warned. I'm saying he did not keep us safe on 9/11.
(CROSSTALK)
SANCHEZ: To be fair, let me just cut in here.
Cheri...
SIROTA: I said he didn't keep us safe on 9/11.
SANCHEZ: Cheri, to be...
JACOBUS: (INAUDIBLE), and for a while when he was the strongest, he was the most popular president in the history of the world because of his effort.
SANCHEZ: Cheri to be fair, the point he makes is that there was an adequate warning that was released later on that did say that the United States was warned about this.
JACOBUS: You know, I don't know why you people...
SIROTA: And that we were not kept safe on 9/11 by the Bush administration.
SANCHEZ: Hold on.
SIROTA: Let me ask you this question -- do you think that we were kept safe on 9/11?
Cheri, do you think that we were kept safe on 9/11? Do you think the Bush administration kept us safe on 9/11?
(CROSSTALK)
JACOBUS: What I have said. Excuse me -- listen...
(CROSSTALK)
SIROTA: Answer the question. Do you think the Bush administration kept us safe on 9/11?
JACOBUS: Will you let me respond for just a moment, because we only got couple of minutes.
SIROTA: Answer that question. SANCHEZ: David, let her respond.
SIROTA: Answer that question.
JACOBUS: Rick, can you get the guy...
SANCHEZ: David, let her respond.
SIROTA: OK, answer the question.
SANCHEZ: Let her respond.
JACOBUS: What I and so many have said is that he has kept us safe since 9/11. And looking at the event...
SIROTA: What about on 9/11?
JACOBUS: Clearly, we know what happened in 9/11.
SIROTA: What about on 9/11?
JACOBUS: We were attacked.
SIROTA: What -- did he keep us safe on 9/11? Was he -- was the administration warned about the imminent attack?
JACOBUS: And after that, this president, George W. Bush took very, very strong measures, made it clear to our allies and those that were on the fence about being our allies around the world that we were going to go after the terrorists...
SIROTA: Did he keep us safe on 9/11? And was the administration sent memos warning about that attack?
JACOBUS: His first commitment -- excuse me -- his first comment was to this country and keeping the members of this country, the citizens of this country safe. He did that from 9/11 on. President Obama is now getting rid of all of those policies that kept us safe since then.
SIROTA: Did he keep us safe on 9/11? Did he keep us safe on 9/11? OK, if you don't want to answer the question, that's fine.
SANCHEZ: Well, here's the point. Here's the point. Here's the point.
JACOBUS: I think it's an idiotic question since we all know what happened on 9/11.
SANCHEZ: This is the thing. This is the thing. Well, hold on, guys. Guys...
(CROSSTALK)
JACOBUS: And to a larger point, because you're trying to blame the president for something and that's pretty obvious. SANCHEZ: I want to stop you real quickly, because we run out of time. But you know, it's interesting as you listen to these arguments. There's a point that David makes about everything that happened pre-9/11...
JACOBUS: And that's the only point he's making.
SANCHEZ: And there's a point that Cheri makes about everything that happened post-911.
SIROTA: Well, 9/11 is only the biggest terrorist attack in our history.
SANCHEZ: Well, we're down to five seconds. We got Wolf Blitzer standing by. He's been listening to this conversation. I'm sure enjoying it as well.
Wolf, he's in "THE SITUATION ROOM," I think.
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Thanks very much, Rick. And we're going to have a lot more on this story coming up.
Also happening now, racism and outrage. Diplomats walk out on a speech by Iran's president. A word the Obama administrations worst fears about this U.N. conference realized.
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