DOBBS: Well, joining me now to discuss the controversy over these CIA interrogations, the Obama administration's response is Congressman Pete Hoekstra. He is the ranking Republican on the House Intelligence Committee and Congressman, let me start by saying the National Director of Intelligence Admiral Dennis Blair, saying that much -- that there were positive results in the intelligence that was gained through these techniques, creates some problem for the Obama administration here, does it not?

REP. PETE HOEKSTRA (R-MI), HOUSE INTELLIGENCE CMTE.: Well, I think what the director said is consistent with what Director George Tenet said, Director Hayden said is that these interrogation methods provided information that helped keep America safe. It's pretty consistent. It's been a consistent message for the last seven years.

DOBBS: It's consistent. It's also consistent with what CIA Director Leon Panetta (ph), what Admiral Blair himself apparently told the administration last week that there should be no -- there shouldn't be any prosecution on this basis and that it would not be wise to have these memoranda come to light.

HOEKSTRA: You know you're right. That's exactly what they said because I think they recognize that if they did this, they would send a chilling effect throughout the intelligence community. And I think that's exactly what's happened in the CIA over the last five days. They are now becoming more cautious, risk averse and they are going to lawyer up.

DOBBS: And you have long-standing in the intelligence community, you have watched over the nation's intelligence operations. Is this a blow, potentially, against the very agents and operatives who we expect to defend this nation? HOEKSTRA: Oh, I think so. I mean take a look at what's happened in the last 90 days. The first day that the president comes into office he says that he's going to release or transfer 250 of perhaps the most dangerous terrorists in the world. He's going to shut Gitmo down and he has no place to put them.

And now 90 days later he opens up the possibility that the people that have been keeping America safe for the last seven or eight years, jeopardizing their lives, risking their lives on the battlefield that these people may be prosecuted by their own government. I mean this is -- this is -- this is some reckless behavior on the part of this administration.

DOBBS: The politics of this -- of this controversy, this conflict between the Republicans and Congress, and Democrats and the White House, and the leadership in Congress, this is a national security issue. One of the few places where we expect to see bipartisanship and some retreat from party interest, we're seeing, it seems, from both the left and the right, an aggressive press of partisanship where we, most of us, would expect to see the national interest be supreme.

HOEKSTRA: I think that's exactly right. And I think as more information comes out, we found this with the terrorist surveillance program that the Bush administration really tried to do this on a bipartisan basis. The terrorist surveillance program, Republicans and Democrats on Capitol Hill were briefed continually over seven years on the terrorist surveillance program.

I think you're going to see the same thing here on the interrogation process that Republicans and Democrats on Capitol Hill knew exactly what was going on. They bought into it and they signed off on it. And only now that we have a new administration are people coming out who were aware of these programs saying wait a minute, these were terrible programs. In reality, two, three years ago, they signed off on it, they voted for legislation that funded these programs, and now all of a sudden these are terrible practices.

DOBBS: And all of this is going to emerge -- the truth will ultimately emerge here. What possible motivation can there be within the administration to do that, if indeed, as you describe it, those are the facts?

HOEKSTRA: Well, I think those facts will come out. I don't know what the motivation is. I believe that the president really didn't think through all the ramifications of these decisions. I know that my staff met with people from the DNI's office, Director of National Intelligence last week, laid out many of these questions, never got a response. Still haven't gotten a response and president just moved forward without, I think thinking through some of these issues.

DOBBS: Let me quickly turn to Pakistan, a nuclear state. In which the Taliban, radical Islamist terrorists reportedly 60 miles from the nation's capital. Have you been briefed by the situation? Secretary of state Clinton of referring to it as a mortal threat to Pakistan. HOEKSTRA: We've been briefed continually on Pakistan. We've known Pakistan in certain characterizations is close to being a failed state. They've never gone after Taliban, after radical jihadists in a way to protect that nation's state. They are a failed state and they need to step up and they need to address this challenge.

DOBBS: We appreciate you being with us, congressman as always and look forward to your return.

HOEKSTRA: Great, thank you.

DOBBS: Congressman Hoekstra, thank you very much.