Former CIA Director and Longhorn alumnus John Brennan made his first appearance at the University of Texas since accepting the honor to return as a Distinguished Scholar. He will serve as an advisor to the Intelligence Studies Project, a joint initiative of the Robert S. Strauss Center for International Security and Law and Clements Center for National Security.
The conversation, held at the Blanton Museum of Art, centered on the “Ethos of Public Service”. With decades of experience serving the interests of the United States, Brennan provided the audience with personal insights on an array of issues:
Brennan began by highlighting the solemn duty carried by those who are called to interpret, defend, and enforce the law. In safeguarding American exceptionalism, such individuals must be devoted to the welfare of all citizens, irrespective of party alliance. In fact, the first time Brennan voted in a presidential election, he supported Gus Hall, the Communist candidate.
As someone who has served directly under four presidents, Brennan stressed that the American people should carefully weigh the credibility of public officials and hold them accountable. He went on to say that like those most superior to him, he realizes he has made plenty of mistakes but that it is critical that no decision was ever made out of self-interest, a trait necessary of any successful leader. Brennan did not, however, directly acknowledge the current president even though earlier this year he provided testimony before the House Intelligence Committee on efforts by the Russian government to influence the campaign.
Rather, Brennan warned that we are at an important juncture to define what it means to be ethical on behalf of your fellow American and fellow man. An important recommendation he had was mainstreaming diversity initiatives, something he made a priority while serving as Director of the CIA. There is no institutional durability, he countered, in merely employing women and minorities to senior positions. Such individuals need training and mentoring to be sustained and allow for their success. Above all, whoever accepts the role of a public servant must realize that they represent the United States while home and abroad, a responsibility Brennan characterized as “most humbling”.
To further his point on what it means to inhabit the role of a public servant, he referenced his recent re-watching of the 1960 Presidential Debate between John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon. He said that he was both shocked and refreshed to observe the degree of civility between these two public figures. In a final appeal to convey the great weight and privilege it is to serve the United States, Brennan echoed the words of Kennedy in his 1960 Inaugural Address:
“In the long history of the world, only a few generations have been granted the role of defending freedom in its hour of maximum danger. I do not shrink from this responsibility-I welcome it. I do not believe that any of us would exchange places with any other people or any other generation. The energy, the faith, the devotion which we bring to this endeavor will light our country and all who serve it-and the glow from that fire can truly light the world… And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you-ask what you can do for your country. My fellow citizens of the world: ask not what America will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man… Finally, whether you are citizens of America or citizens of the world, ask of us here the same high standards of strength and sacrifice which we ask of you. With a good conscience our only sure reward, with history the final judge of our deeds, let us go forth to lead the land we love, asking His blessing and His help, but knowing that here on earth God’s work must truly be our own.”
By: Jacquelyn Clark, current Brumley Next Generation Scholar
To see what Jacquelyn and other Scholars are up to, check out this previous post.
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