Jack wants the secrecy of CTU out in the open so he can seek public approval for his actions. It's not an act of moral conscience. He openly admits he doesn't regret a thing. And Kurtwood Smith's character is being played up all too much as a villain for his statements to be confused with those of the show. Combine that with the scene in the car where the FBI officer expresses his admiration for Jack, and you're not seeing much of a "liberal" bent at all. At least I'm not.
I'm not getting that at all, about Jack seeking public approval for his actions. If he openly admits no regret for those actions, what does it matter what the general public thinks? He simply seems to want the secret operations to be made public, because he feels the public has a right to know. And I get the impression he feels it's not right in some way, that things were done in such an underhanded way.
I definitely DO agree with you about the portrayal of Kurtwood Smith's character. Granted he's onscreen all too briefly for much else to happen, but he's too stereotypically the uptight self-rigthteous senator looking for a fall-guy.