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Thank you for continuing to press the Brennan story. Obama's pragmatic-center politics should surprise no one who actually surveyed his career. I, for one, think it will be a huge relief to have someone so intelligent, competent and careful in charge, who is more concerned with solving problems than with ideology. But Brennan? This isn't about left-of-center or right-of-center. It's about core American values and constitutional principles, about human lives and suffering. Brennan's comments on rendition and interrogation should horrify us all, as should the prospect of Obama elevating him to a top intelligence post. For me, the most chilling was Brennan's comment, without any apparent queasiness, that kidnapping a prisoner back to Egypt would helpfully allow friends and family "to be part of the whole interrogation process." Really, Brennan? Care to elaborate? How exactly are family members brought into the interrogation process? With tea and cookies? That Obama is considering appointing someone so comfortable with the abuse and intimidation of prisoners--and their families--terrifies me. For the first time since volunteering for Obama during the primaries, I have taken McCain's advice and wondered, "Who is Barack Obama?"
