Is John Brennan Trying To Suck Up To Andrew Sullivan?

John O. Brennan, the Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism, gave a speech repudiating the Bush Administration's War on Terror.

Brennan denied the United States was involved in a global war against terrorism nor Islamic fundamentalism and instead said terrorism was driven by "root causes" that were best addressed by global co-operation:

Brennan used that insight to explain the basis for the Obama administration’s approach to global governance, stability and development assistance. “Any comprehensive approach has to also address the upstream factors — the conditions that help fuel violent extremism,” Brennan said. Military, intelligence or law-enforcement actions are unable to confront those conditions, which he said include the “basic needs and legitimate grievances of ordinary people” for prosperity, education, “dignity and worth,” and security. “If we fail to confront the broader political, economic, and social conditions in which extremists thrive, then there will always be another recruit in the pipeline, another attack coming downstream,” Brennan said.

Yet many of the 9/11 hijackers came from middle-class backgrounds and were not deprived of educational opportunities. Mohammed Atta studied architecture in Germany. Satam al-Suqami studied law in Saudi Arabia as did Majed Moqed. Ziad Jarrah grew up in a wealthy family in Lebanon. So Brennan's analysis is simply wrong.

But one must remember that Brennan was due to be pegged as Obama's CIA Director but was forced to withdraw when the Left squawked. The only thing left to ask is if Brennan has finally succeeded in pleasing Andrew Sullivan?