VICTORY

John Brennan, the explicitly pro-torture head of intelligence policy in Obama's transition team, has today removed himself from consideration for being the CIA Director or Director of Intelligence or any other intelligence-related post in the administration.

Glenn Greenwald has the details.

The backstory is that while most of the traditional media yawned, Greenwald and several other bloggers objected vehemently. As the AP put it, "Obama's advisers had grown increasingly concerned in recent days over online blogs that accused Brennan of condoning harsh interrogation tactics on terror suspects, including waterboarding, which critics call torture."

Of course, the truth is not that they "accused" him of "condoning" torture, it's that they criticized his condoning of torture. The facts of his statements on torture aren't actually in dispute, unless maybe you're the AP. And waterboarding specifically isn't at issue; Brennan has said in recent years that he opposes that specific form of torture.

Anyway, the NYT notes: "The opposition to Mr. Brennan had been largely confined to liberal blogs, and there was not an expectation he would face a particularly difficult confirmation process."