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Everyone in the blogosphere — Glenn, I’m looking in your direction — who may have thought that John Brennan was kneecapped just because he didn’t become CIA director should check out what Barack Obama had to say about Brennan during the Blair/Panetta rollout:
I’m pleased to announce that John Brennan – a close advisor, CIA veteran and former leader of the National Counter-Terrorism Center – will be my Homeland Security Advisor and Deputy National Security Advisor for Counterterrorism, serving with the rank of Assistant to the President. John has the experience, vision and integrity to advance America’s security.
The point isn’t just that Obama hugged Brennan. ("A close advisor… experience, vision and integrity.") Assistant to the President" is the highest rank that any White House staffer can hold. Anyone with that rank has the right to walk into the Oval Office and get a sit-down with the president. At the beginning of the Bush administration, Dick Cheney fought to ensure that Scooter Libby held that rank.
Now, what’ll that mean? At a minimum, it’ll mean that when Obama is unsure of something he’s hearing from CIA, or from Dennis Blair as Director of National Intelligence, he’ll turn to Brennan for a second or third opinion. It’s way too early to know — not that that’ll stop me — but one wonders if Brennan at the White House and Kappes at CIA might be the actual centers of power for the intelligence community.
Crossposted to The Streak.
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Team of Fucking Rivals Indeed.
I don’t know if Greenwald will be upset about this announcement. When you think about it this post is a lot better place to put Brennan inspite of his justifications of some of the funny business at the CIA. Nobody ever said he wasn’t smart or didn’t know his business. The concerns were always that as head of the CIA he could always do an end run around on Obama if he felt so inclined. And or it might have sent the wrong message (torture/rendition). As an Advisor to Obama yes he will have the President Elect’s ear but he won’t be able to effect or affect policy. And Obama always has the option of rejecting Brennan’s advice. Hell I think Obama has some foreign policy souljas around him anyway so I don’t see Brennan being able to lead him far off course. And to reiterate he DOES know his shit from what I understand. That damn Obama is a chess master of the highest order.
There can be no doubt of Brennan’s continued influence, but (unless Rahm is radically changing things) this is incorrect:
Assistants to the President generally have distribution rights; they get to review documents going out in the President’s name before they are signed. They obviously have an easier time than lower ranking staff getting a meeting, plus other perks. But they do not have walk-in privileges.
The number of principals with walk-in privileges can generally be counted on one hand with room to spare; something like: the Chief of Staff, the First Lady, and (a unique case) Dick Cheney. It is not all ~70 Assistants to the President.