"The CIA gets what it needs"

Which President told his advisors, "The CIA gets what it needs," Obama or Bush? According to this long article in the NYT Sunday Magazine, it was Obama. He has authorized 53 drone attacks on "high-value targets," (more in one year than in Bush's entire Presidency) as well as a helicopter attack in Somalia, next door to Yemen. Which brings me to this interesting quote referring to "Obama's two wars" -- against Al Qaida and within the U.S. -- and how Yemen has become a focus for both of them.

Yemen in many ways is where Obama’s two wars come together. It is a breeding ground for extremism, the home of the radical cleric who inspired Maj. Nidal Hasan before he opened fire at Fort Hood last fall and, the president has stated, the origin of the Christmas Day bombing plot involving Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab. At the same time, it is the place where roughly half of the remaining detainees at Guantánamo come from, making it the central focus for efforts to close the prison.

The Obama administration certainly has its hands full in fighting off terrorism both internationally and in the U.S. I pray against enemies within and without in these dangerous times.