[wagglebee]

IMHO, the problem is not the department that handles intelligence -- the problem is the leftists who continually gut the intelligence budgets. I don't see how that will change based on it being a separate department, changing the name does nothing.

[coconutt2000]

I think the competition between the intelligence agencies is a good thing. Combining them would be more efficient, but will it be more effective?

I seriously doubt it will be.

[MikefromOhio]

Damn there go all of my Tom Clancy books!!!!

These people keep debating on whether the changes should happen fast or slow....IMHO, I dont care how fast or slow they take place, just so long as the changes work. Considering how our government sometimes screws things up, I am a bit wary of this entire process.....

[Republic_of_Secession.]

Great point. It just seems like another version of changing the deck chairs while changing nothing.

[Wolfhound777]

"Senate Intelligence Committee Republicans proposed removing the nation's largest intelligence gathering operations from the CIA and the Pentagon and putting them directly under a new national intelligence director."

Just one more example helping form my opinion that all incumbents on both sides of the aisle must go. We no longer longer have anyone in Congress with the ability for rational thought (or they are hiding it in favor of politics of the moment and polls)and I can not tell the difference between republicans and the Rat party anymore. This will solve absolutley nothing at all and if our current lot of politicians are served up as example, it will make everything worse by having one person at the whim of the current administration and majority party in congress. I for one want my intelligence people to distrust all politicians and not have to fear their wrath. We don't need an intelligence czar and one stop shopping for the intelligence community either. We need a variety of approaches and unique capabilites of each organization that is currently involved in the process. Each organization should not fear external meddling or pressure from some "czar". What needs to happen is that the current agencies need the freedom to do their jobs within the scope of the law without worrying about being politically correct and an atmosphere of constant sharing, collating, and dissemination of information must be fostered between the CIA, NSA, FBI, HLS, and the Pentagon. If they are to become formidable intelligence sources again, they need to rebuild their humint capabilites and that means working with some unsavory characters no matter who it offends. Another solution to this problem that I have seen scant mention of is that we need to reign the State Department back in and remind them that their sole job is to further the interests of the United States and not act as a liason to further the interests of the countries they are posted to. I have the suspision that numerous intelligence failures can be blamed squarely on the State Department as they worked hard to hinder intelligence operations as it might cause some consternation with their host countries and probably feared not getting invites to the next wine tasting or cocktail social.

[Tiger6]

In other words, the want to rename the CIA.

[Chode]

for what it's worth i think we should put ALL intelligence operations under the NSA and make that a cabinet position

[Bobby777]

We have the information, we just have to use it wisely. Reorganizing departments and shuffling personnel is something managers do when they don't know the right thing to do.