3620 quotes by public servants for you to enjoy

When I became director of CIA, it was just clear to me intuitively, without a whole lot of science behind it, that we had expanded rapidly and inefficiently. So I arbitrarily picked a number, 10 percent, and I said over the next 12 months, we are going to reduce our reliance on contractors by 10 percent. Michael Hayden

Me Director Science CIA Our Months Reliance Rapidly Intuitively Percent Had Picked Clear Over Became Without Said Reduce Lot Contractors Going Behind Just Next Whole Number

Our nation counts on us to have the expertise and the insight to flag the risks and the opportunities that lie ahead, and to keep our eye on all the critical international concerns that face our nation right now. Michael Hayden

Risks Lie Opportunities Face Nation Our Eye Critical Insight Counts Concerns Flag Expertise Us International Keep Now Right

Responsibility demands action, and dealing with the immediate threat must naturally be a top priority. Michael Hayden

Responsibility Action Top Immediate Must Threat Demands Dealing Priority Naturally

What Edward Snowden did amounted to the greatest hemorrhaging of legitimate American secrets in the history of my nation. Michael Hayden

History Nation Secrets Greatest Edward American Did Snowden The History Of Legitimate

Access to the security clearance database would disgorge even more detailed personal information, including the foreign contacts of American officials. Michael Hayden

Security Would Detailed Database More Contacts Clearance Access Foreign American Personal Officials Personal Information Information Even Including

I blame the Russians for a lot, but pinning the creation of ISIS on them is a murky, tenuous, triple-carom bank shot at best. Michael Hayden

Best Blame Creation Russians Lot Bank Them Shot Murky

A significant U.S. troop presence in Afghanistan has been continuous since October 2001, and President Obama's short-lived 'surge' in 2009 was a continuation of his predecessor's buildup there. Michael Hayden

President Has-Been Significant Obama Troop Since Surge October Continuation Been His Continuous Afghanistan Predecessor Short-Lived Presence

President Obama came to office with a strong belief that America had overreached, that we had become too involved. It matched the national mood, and indeed, there was some evidence that it was true. Michael Hayden

Strong Become National Too President President Obama Indeed Evidence Mood Obama Some Had True Involved Matched Came Office America Belief

I've often said that the ISIS-Syria-Iraq mess is about as bad as it could be. Michael Hayden

Bad About Could Mess Said Often

My life experience confirms that the U.S. government frequently overclassifies data. But that's a stronger argument for not dumping large volumes of government traffic on an unclassified personal server than it is a justification for retroactively challenging classification decisions. Michael Hayden

Politicization - the shading of analysis to fit prevailing policy or politics - is the harshest criticism one can make of an intelligence organization. It strikes beyond questions of competence to the fundamental ethic of the enterprise, which is, or should be, truth telling. Michael Hayden

Dissenting analysts passionate about their positions are not unusual in the American intelligence community. Their presence - or even the rejection - of their favored positions is not prima face evidence of politicization. Michael Hayden

Intelligence Face Intelligence Community Community Rejection Positions Analyst Evidence Favored About Prima Unusual Passionate American Even Presence

In the Cold War, a lot of Soviet actions could be explained as extensions of Czarist imperial ambitions, but that didn't stop us from studying Marxism in theory and Communism in practice to better understand that adversary. Michael Hayden

The CIA held about a hundred detainees from 2002 to 2008; about a third of them underwent interrogations that have been variously described as enhanced, tough or torture. The toughest technique was water boarding, used on three detainees, the last in early 2003. Michael Hayden

CIA Water Three Tough Hundred Torture About Toughest Underwent Been Boarding Them Held Used Enhanced Technique Early Last Third

Intelligence collection is not confined to the communications of adversaries or of the guilty. Rather, it's about gaining information otherwise unavailable that would help keep Americans safe and free. Michael Hayden

Intelligence Free Otherwise Guilty Collection Would About Rather Adversaries Safe American Confined Information Gaining Communications Help Keep

Presidents get to decide how their intelligence is served up to them, and it's the job of intelligence to adjust. Michael Hayden

Intelligence Job Presidents Adjust How Up Get Decide Them Served

When the intelligence is making a policymaker too happy, he ought to challenge it, and even if he doesn't, the intelligence briefer needs to launch a red team against his own conclusions to see if he can hold his ground. Michael Hayden

Needs Happy Intelligence Challenge Own Too Ought Launch See He Red Conclusions Making His Hold Against Ground Team Even

I know that there is a near unanimous view in Congress that state or local taxes on Internet access would directly deter the ability of consumers to obtain and utilize the Internet. If that is an accepted premise, as it should be, the same concept should apply to the net neutrality debate and its certainty to increase consumer bills. Michael O'Rielly

Debate Internet Neutrality Congress Increase State Local Unanimous Would Ability Deter Net Directly Consumer Consumers Know Concept Obtain Accepted Access Same Taxes Should View Certainty Premise Bills Utilize Near Apply

Quotes by Public Servants