Israel Matzav: Brennan takes questions on national security

Monday, February 18, 2013

Brennan takes questions on national security

Here's a video of a 2010 question and answer session with CIA director designate John Brennan at NYU Law School. The session was entitled "A Dialogue on Our Nation's Security." This public forum was co-hosted by the White House Office of Public Engagement and the Islamic Center at NYU on February 13, 2010.

Let's go to the videotape (it's rather long) and I will add some highlights after the video, which you can follow along as you watch the video. The highlights come from Walid Shoebat (Hat Tip: MFS - The Other News).

2:57 – The second questioner identifies himself as Omar Shahin, Public Relations Director for Islamic Relief and the chairman of the North American Imam’s Federation. This was the same Omar Shahin who was one of the six imams in the “flying imams” case in Minneapolis back in 2006. He was the spokesman for the group. During that incident, a concerned passenger handed a note to a flight attendant after observing suspicious behavior. Based on Shahin’s associations, that passenger was rightly concerned. CAIR quickly came to Shahin’s defense.

In fact, some might remember that the incident took place two weeks after the 2006 midterm elections, during which it became apparent that the very Muslim-friendly Rep. John Conyers (D-MI) would become the chairman of the House Judiciary. Suspicions were raised that the entire incident was to make profiling a top issue during Conyers’ tenure as chairman.

...

5:45 – “I was very concerned after the attack in Fort Hood as well as the December 25th attack, that all of a sudden there were people who went back into this fearful position, that lashed out, not thinking through what was reasonable and appropriate.”

Gee, It’s been well over three years since that attack and Nidal Malik Hasan has waged jihad successfully from his prison cell while still not being convicted despite countless witnesses who saw him murder 14 and injure 32 as he shouted ‘Allahu Akbar’. That sounds like a case for Islamophobia.

29:20 – “I consider myself a citizen of the world.”

38:30 – A man in the audience begins his question by saying that he has a twenty one year-old son and that “every time he passes through an airport security line, he’s pulled aside and frisked.”

Really? Every time your son goes through an airport, he’s frisked? Why hasn’t CAIR filed a lawsuit about this?

48:00 – “The world is not black and white, it’s not divided into good and evil.”

Interesting theory, considering his company that day.

58:38 – “I’m exceeding my welcome here but I could do this all day.” – Brennan commenting about going past his time allotment. Again, can anyone see the Tea Party getting this much time with Brennan? Shortly thereafter, Brennan calls on a man who identifies himself as Assad Aktar (sp?), president of the Congressional Muslim Staff Association (CMSA). Mr. Aktar bemoans the “Unindicted co-conspirator” label. This is an obvious reference to the Holy Land Foundation trial and the label that has been subsequently applied to groups like CAIR and ISNA successfully.