Posted on 12/17/2004 7:29:07 AM PST by Tumbleweed_Connection
President Bush (news - web sites) on Friday signed into law the largest overhaul of U.S. intelligence gathering in 50 years, hoping to improve the spy network that failed to prevent the Sept. 11 attacks.
"Our vast intelligence enterprise will become more unified, coordinated and effective," Bush said. "It will enable us to better do our duty, which is to protect the American people."
The 563-page bill, which endured a thorny path to congressional passage, also aims to tighten borders and aviation security. It creates a federal counterterrorism center and a new intelligence director, but Bush did not announce a candidate for that post at Friday's ceremony.
"A key lesson of Sept. 11 is that America's intelligence agencies must work together as a single, unified enterprise," the president said.
Bush was joined at the signing ceremony by CIA (news - web sites) Director Porter Goss, FBI (news - web sites) Director Robert Mueller, members of Congress, leaders of the Sept. 11 commission and relatives of people killed on Sept. 11, 2001.
"Those charged with protecting America must have the best possible intelligence information and that information must be closely integrated to form the best possible picture of the threats to our country," the president said.
The new position of national intelligence director was one of the bill's most controversial aspects. Although the legislation gives the new director strong budget authority, its language is complex enough that there could be continued debate over the exact extent of the director's power.
But Bush attempted to leave no doubt about the sweeping nature of the intelligence director's budgetary authority.
"It will be the DNI's responsibility to determine the annual budgets of all national intelligence agencies and offices and to direct how these funds are spent," he said.
You either keep a sense of humor or you stay home!!!!
Hubba hubba...
You should have been more insistent :)
I understand Bush eschewed the normal bill signing protocol and only used 1 pen.
We must be channeling. My thoughts exactly.
The answer is "NO".
I see Frist...[somebody]...Lieberman...and nobody else I recognize except Dr. Rice in the background.
Where was Dennis Hastert?
Collins in the red......Harmon in the yellow squeezing in.
Oh great, I can't wait for that. Confiscating eyeglass repair kits from little old lady passengers isn't enough?
Tom Kean leaning over.....a bit behind LIEberman.
Sheesh. Maybe there is some "strategery" here, but I was always a straight talker. Rewarding my enemies was always foreign to me.
I'm so thankful that Bush is our President.
The wall came down.
...but the Trojan Horse is still a valid method of destroying one's enemy.
Maye I'm missing this. How does that work against terrorism?
See my tagline...
Me too. I always feel safer when Congress goes home.
"Neither man nor beast is safe when the Congress is in session"
Mark Twain
Another mistake. Not on the scale of CFR because that is blatantly unconstitutional but a mistake nonetheless.
When does he nominate Admiral James Woolsey as head of the new NID?
The Admiral is also former Director of CIA from '93-'95.
Left due to Clinton's neutering of the agency.
Right mix of DOD & CIA experience.
Would work well w Porter Goss.
As Clinton appointee, would have some Dem support.
Ditto that! The USA has now hired Marcus Wolff - former head of the STASI as a consultant. We now have a "Homeland Security" agency which directly mimicks the Russian Interior Ministry & FSB.
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