Posted on 12/07/2004 4:49:31 PM PST by West Coast Conservative
The House voted Tuesday to overhaul a national intelligence network that failed to prevent the Sept. 11 attacks, combining under one official control of 15 spy agencies, intensifying aviation and border security and allowing more wiretaps of suspected terrorists.
"We have come a long way toward taking steps that will ensure that we do not see another September 11th," said House Rules chairman David Dreier, R-Calif. Now "we have in place a structure that will ensure that we have the intelligence capability to deal with conflicts on the ground wherever they exist."
The House voted 336-75 to send the Senate legislation to create a new national intelligence director, establish a counterterrorism center, set priorities for intelligence gathering and tighten U.S. borders. The measure would implement the biggest change to U.S. intelligence gathering and analysis since the creation of the CIA after World War II to deal with the newly emerging Cold War.
The new structure should help the nation's 15 intelligence agencies work together to protect the country from attacks like the ones that killed nearly 3,000 people in New York, Washington and Pennsylvania, lawmakers said.
"I have always said that good people need better tools. Here come the tools to help good people succeed," said Rep. Jane Harman of California, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee.
The GOP-controlled Senate plans to pass the bill Wednesday and send it to President Bush for his signature.
May I be the second to say the whole thing is CA CA
They'll be added right after airline pilots are allowed to carry guns. (Remember that doozie of a promise?)
Kucinich voted no. :) Does he vote yes to anything?
I don't get this knee jerk reaction to support the 9/11 commission's recommendation. That said, I don't know much about what these changes are and the media hasn't informed me of anything, besides to demaguage these 2 Republican chairmen. So I have no opinion.
There are powerful lobbies against the US doing anything about illegal immigration.
One is the banking lobby. Banks stand to profit greatly by opening up new accounts for these immigrants. And the driver's licence will help them do it.
Pr. 10:19
Promises, promises...
I believe nothing out of Dreier's mouth.
If he told me the sky was blue I'd check outside to verify it.
Go back to The Day in Photos...
It's not your daddy's republic anymore....unless your daddy is highly placed in the shadow govt. that ignores the constitution....that is..
Just when you thought the other shoe had dropped... you find you are waiting on a centipede
imo
It's not just intel but border security! Those 19 bastards had state drivers licenses and plenty of their pals abused asylum and visa programs and THOSE have nothing to do with intelligence!
Fixing illegal immigration requires more than this bill alone would have dealt with if it had muscle in it, but damn it, it would have taken the right steps.
"we need to filter out the idiots in them and replace them with true patriots who will work to defend this country, "
Now, you're being practical again! I caught a bill pushed through on the house floor yesterday that gives federal employees more dental, optometric and hearing benefits......
Weren't we told the provisions that would have discouraged states from giving drivers licenses to illegal aliens needed to be removed because they had nothing to do with intelligence gathering?
What do BP agents and more beds for illegal alien detention facilities have to do with intelligence gathering?
If I understood the bill correctly, it was 2k USBP agents per year for the next 5 years, or, 10,000 new USBP agents by 2009.
I'm sorry, Aunty, I won't do it again! =P
Follow the money, my friend.
If DeMint and Toomey voted for it, it was probably wasn't that bad a bill. Unless they all of a sudden became sell-outs.
The President pressured them....
That's what happended here.
I've tried to think of anything...everything! A couple of the House of Reps guys said they were told it was totally ideological on Bush's behalf. He likes open borders and illegals. I just can't believe he's that blind to the problems he's perpetuating.
First I had heard of that....
That's the question. I'm sort of surprised if no one has the answer. What's the deal? Why doesn't anyone want to do anything?
Why aren't Republicans trying to bust the little devils? And why aren't the Democrats trying to tax them?
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.