It will be during John Brennan's confirmation hearing before the Senate Intelligence Committee on Thursday when President Obama's nominee to head up the C.I.A. is expected to face some tough questions that will most likely center around what has become a controversial U.S. drone policy.
Brennan who is the foremost architect of the drone unmanned aerial war has been Obama's assistant for homeland security and counter-terrorism since 2009 with lots of previous experience in the C.I.A.
However a growing number in Congress are becoming more and more uncomfortable with the Obama administration's use of deadly drones that according to Robert Greenwald, a documentary filmmaker who has an upcoming film, Drones Exposed, say U.S. drones have killed at least 178 children in Pakistan and Yemen.
"During my recent trip to Pakistan as part of our upcoming documentary film, Drones Exposed, I was struck most by the stories told to me by children who had experienced a U.S. drone strike firsthand," Greenwald said in the Huffington Post.
It is the latest video and report from Brave New Foundation that names some of the children who have died in drone strikes and the report that points out the tactics of some American officials who will not disclose the amount of civilian casualties that have occurred.
White House press secretary Jay Carney defended U.S. drone attacks that assassinate Americans who are suspected of consorting with terrorists on Tuesday after NBC News published a Justice Department memo that defended the policy.
The memo stated the rationale for targeting individual Americans as being, "anywhere outside the U.S. for assassination without oversight from Congress or the courts, and even if the U.S. citizen in question is not actively plotting a specific terrorist attack."
White House press secretary Jay Carney defended the U.S. drone policy at a press conference on Tuesday.
"We conduct those strikes because they are necessary to mitigate ongoing actual threats—to stop plots, prevent future attacks and, again, save American lives,”Carney told reporters on Tuesday. “These strikes are legal, they are ethical, and they are wise."
House Intelligence Chairman Mike Rogers, R-Mich., also defended the use of deadly drones.
"When an individual has joined al-Qaida – the organization responsible for the murder of thousands of Americans – and actively plots future attacks against U.S. citizens, soldiers, and interests around the world, the U.S. government has both the authority and the obligation to defend the country against that threat," Rogers said in a statement.
However Rep. Keith Ellison said the new Justice memo is outdated policy.
"We are sort of running on the steam that we acquired right after our country was attacked in the most horrific act of terror in U.S. history," said Ellison, D-Minn. "We have learned much since 9/11, and now it's time to take a more sober look at where we should be with use of force."
Video - Child Casualties As a Result of U.S. Drone Strikes
Comments