OPINION

Wednesday, November 26, 2008 12:10 PM

Liberal Bloggers Rejoice Over Brennan's Withdrawal

John Brennan, reportedly Barack Obama's top choice for director of the CIA, withdrew his name from consideration in a letter to Obama on Tuesday after the liberal blogosphere erupted in protest. A top adviser to George Tenet when he held the agency's top post under President Bush, Brennan is associated with some of the Bush administration's most controversial policies, including harsh interrogation methods and warrantless wiretapping. The left seems to be responding to the news with jubilation. Here is a sampling of reactions from liberal bloggers.

• Glenn Greenwald calls Brennan's withdrawal "the best political news I've heard since the election." "It's unclear if it was Obama or Brennan who was the catalyst for this decision, but either way, it's to be celebrated," he adds.
• Big Tent Democrat at TalkLeft gloats: "In case people were wondering, THIS is why you do not wait to express your 'concern' about issues and personnel."
• Digby is "gratified that liberal blogs are considered critics with enough stature to sink a potential CIA chief." He acknowledges, however, that this probably "has more to do with Obama's foreign policy. He simply cannot be seen around the world to be backtracking on torture, Gitmo and the rest."
• Daily Kos' mcjoan agrees that "morally and politically, this is an extremely positive development." At a time when the new administration's focus should be on the economy, mcjoan argues, "Brennan is a distraction Obama didn't need to have, and his confirmation hearings would have been ugly, not only over the torture issue, but because Brennan was a full-throated supporter of telco amnesty and warrantless wiretapping."
• Gun Toting Liberal accuses Brennan of "playing victim" and presents a mock version of his withdrawal letter.