WASHINGTON, Jan 10, (AFP) -Barack Obama has vowed to observe Geneva Convention’s bans on torture and outlawed the tweaking of intelligence data for political gain, naming new US spy chiefs in a clean break from the Bush years.
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| Leon Panetta |
Completing the top ranks of his national security team, the president-elect named retired admiral Dennis Blair as director of national intelligence and veteran Washington player Leon Panetta to head the Central Intelligence Agency.
“We know that to be truly secure, we must adhere to our values as vigilantly as we protect our safety -- with no exceptions,” Obama said Friday, 12 days before he is sworn in as president. The president-elect also appointed veteran intelligence operative John Brennan as his chief counter terrorism adviser inside the White House.
Brennan had been a candidate for another top intelligence job but faced criticism from human rights groups over his stand on some “war on terror”tactics like forced renditions and tough interrogation practices. Obama said the national security crises and controversies during President George W. Bush's administration had delivered “tough lessons” in a clear reference to Iraq and the debate about how to treat “war on terror” suspects.
“We have learned that to make pragmatic policy choices, we must insist on assessments grounded solely in the facts, and not seek information to suit any ideological agenda,” Obama said at a press conference.
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