http://www.house.gov/hunter/
Posted on 11/23/2004 9:25:35 PM PST by crushelits
ANY FEARS that an expanded Republican majority on Capitol Hill would simply become a larger tool for the Bush administration have already been put to rest in the lame-duck session of the past week. Most notably, Reps. Duncan Hunter, chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, and James Sensenbrenner, head of the Judiciary Committee, have exerted their independence in blocking the headlong rush to intelligence "reform" legislation that puts current military operation in Iraq and Afghanistan at risk. For their pains and their real political courage in calling conventional wisdom into question, the two congressmen have been reviled as knuckle-dragging Neanderthals. The imperial Senate and the New York Times editorial page agree: No compromise! No quarter! The time for reasoned argument has past! Yet the proponents of the intelligence bill, propelled by the momentum of the 9/11 attacks, the politically organized 9/11 victims community, and the 9/11 Commission, have no answer for Hunter's criticisms. The nub of which is that the bill, by creating a national intelligence director with tremendously broad powers, would sever the link between "national" intelligence assets--mostly satellites, now bought, maintained and operated by the Defense Department--and troops in the field. The 9/11 panel and the bill made a false distinction between national intelligence gathering and tactical military operations. If this distinction were ever true, it was only in the depths of the Cold War, when the eyes of satellites were to focus on Soviet missile silos. Indeed, much of the purpose of military "transformation" has been to destroy thehierarchical structure of intelligence, to make the most sophisticated imagery, intercepts, and other intelligence "products" as readily available to the lowest level of military organization. This is ever more essential in the kind of wars now being fought in Iraq and Afghanistan; with good reason, the Marine Corps speaks of the "strategic corporal"--the decisions made by infantrymen and their squad leaders in the heat of battle can have huge consequences. In its enthusiasm to "do something" in the wake of the September 11 attacks, the press, politicians, and other purveyors of groupthink have made the demand for accountability in the intelligence community their sole goal. Never mind if the U.S. intelligence system is the correct tool for today's needs--let's be sure we have someone to blame if things go wrong! Let's make him responsible for everything! We need one-stop shopping at finger-pointing time! Duncan Hunter has another agenda: His son is a soldier in Iraq. He has a visceral understanding of how important it can be to know what's around the next corner, whether there's someone in the next room, and how useful it can be to have a satellite telephone close at hand. Hunter has the tacit support of Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld (who has to keep his counsel because of the White House's campaign decision to appear to stand with the intelligence reform movement), and the overt support of JCS Chairman Gen. Richard Myers. Using a time-honored congressional maneuver and knowing that the Joint Chiefs have a legal requirement to provide Congress with unvarnished military advice, Hunter demanded that Myers state in writing his views about the intelligence bill. It's hardly a surprise that Myers thinks the legislation is a bad idea, but this has flummoxed the reformers. John McCain, who sponsored the bill creating the 9/11 Commission, called on the president to get Myers back in line.
Stand fast, Duncan Hunter.
Tom Donnelly is a resident fellow at the American Enterprise Institute and a contributing writer to The Daily Standard.
http://www.house.gov/hunter/
Denying the military direct access to this is INSANE.
Duncan Hunter bump!
I'll see that bump and raise you one. BTTT
We've heard reams about control of the satellites but barley a peep about congress refusing to go along with Bush's illegal alien amnesty/mainstreaming agenda.
The other hold up is because of the absurd idea of shoehorning dealing with Illegals in the anti-terrorism legislation. This issue is important enough to have its own bill not being gratfted onto something to which it is a tangent at best.
I have been saying how proud I am of these two Representatives on the different threads for days, so I won't be repetitive.
I say Duncan/Sensenbrenner 2008!!
"It's hardly a surprise that Myers thinks the legislation is a bad idea, but this has flummoxed the reformers. John McCain, who sponsored the bill creating the 9/11 Commission, called on the president to get Myers back in line."
I agree with you and the media doesn't explain the problems in this bill worth a darn. Can you imagine the Pentagon having to get their information for battlefield from a new czar and bureaucracy?? Hell, they can't manage the ones they've got!
Don't forget Sensenbrenner and Hostettler. They've really stood up to the fire on this.
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Thanks for the post--I wore my fingers to the bone yesterday. I e-mailed Sensenbrenner, Hunter, my Rep. Joe Barton, Senator Cornyn and Senator Kay Hutchison. I also e-mailed the White House.
I didn't know about Hostettler.. I knew there was a Rep. with the name of Peter Hoekstra also involved somehow, but I don't know how.
Any other information or people to write too, just let me know.
New Poll up:
http://www.cnn.com/CNN/Programs/lou.dobbs.tonight/
Do you believe the intelligence reform bill must contain a provision that prevents illegal aliens from obtaining driver's licenses?
Yes 88% 1247 votes
No 12% 177 votes
Total: 1424 votes
The election's over. We WON. Now Bush and Co. can get down to business and make sure that the political hacks in Congress don't go screwing up national security. Bush may as well come clean about his intentions: "Upon further review of this 'hurry-up' legislation which recently came out of Congress in time for the election, it appears that the military experts who have voiced grave concerns about this sweeping, and risky, fundamental change in the way our nation gathers and disseminates intelligence may have legitimate concerns."
The election is over. Back to the drawing board, Congress. Get it right this time.
Congratulations to gutsy patriots like Congressmen Hunter and Sensenbrenner, and President Bush.
Bottom line: If the New York Times likes this legislation "as is", then I surely do not.
Congratulations to gutsy patriots like Congressmen Hunter and Sensenbrenner, and President Bush
In this case Bush is pushing FOR this flawed legislation. He's musseled both congressman to get their cooperation but they've both resisted his pressure.
In this case shame on Bush/Rove.
What's absurd about it? It was in the original house bill to begin with. It's a recommendation of the 9/11 commission itself, as if that was even necessary or important for something this obvious.
The Senate Democrats and RINOs stripped the license requirements out of the original bill under pressure from such upstanding defenders of America as Joe Lieberman and the National Council of La Raza (which is celebrating tonight at the capitulation and humiliation of conservative Republicans).
The Bush adminstration just sold out America and every conservative still left in the Republican party.
This issue is important enough to have its own bill not being gratfted onto something to which it is a tangent at best
There's nothing tangential about border and internal security. Giving licenses to people in the country illegally undermines both, to say the least.
Bump that.
But the problem is that there are usually no good replacements out there. It's been a long time since I went to the polls and voted FOR somebody instead of against somebody.
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