[Tolik]

I also could not understand how adding another layer of bureaucracy can accomplish anything. Many things that Bush does can be characterized as a common sense approach. I think it is his strong point. Where is common sense here? Was he pressured somehow to give in to the commission recommendation?

I wonder if you read Tom Clancy's "The Teeth of The Tiger".  As literature, its very average. But he brings in a few ideas, as always, that are very good. He describes something that you might like: a "private" company (a brokerage firm in the daylight -- an intelligence/operations in black) headed by a retired senator that takes on the enemies while government agencies have complete deniability. The company is unofficially supported by some key figures in the official agencies. And if something really goes wrong, they have blank pre-signed presidential pardons made-up by Clancy's favorite spook/President -- Jack Ryan.

[marron]

a "private" company (a brokerage firm in the daylight -- an intelligence/operations in black)... while government agencies have complete deniability...

I think this was Casey's vision, in effect, that the public CIA would be like the above-water portion of an iceberg, the rest of it would be private and self-supporting, not dependent on congressional funding except for startup capital. They would operate as businesses with normal civilian clientele, developing contacts in a normal way, while at the same time doing "company" business.

And if something really goes wrong, they have blank pre-signed presidential pardons made-up by Clancy's favorite spook/President -- Jack Ryan.

Now you're talking... Starring Harrison Ford, with Angelina Jolie as the pistol-packing First Lady...