Posted on 12/13/2006 8:37:55 PM PST by STARWISE
Missouri Sen. Christopher "Kit" Bond will become the top Republican on the Senate Intelligence Committee.
Incoming Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., announced Wednesday evening that Bond, who has served on the intelligence committee since 2003, will be vice chairman. West Virginia Sen. John Rockefeller will become chairman when Democrats take over Congress in January.
Elected in 1986, Bond made his reputation in the Senate as an ardent watchdog for Missouri's interests. But in the last few years he's gained an increasingly high profile on intelligence issues.
(snip)
As bipartisan comity on the intelligence committee deteriorated over the war in Iraq, Bond frequently became the GOP's sound-bite bad cop, accusing Democrats of excessive partisanship, while outgoing chairman Pat Roberts of Kansas took a more reserved approach.
Despite that partisan edge, Bond pledged bipartisan cooperation no less than three times in a written statement issued late Wednesday.
"I look forward to working with Chairman Rockefeller to advance our national security interests by strengthening the intelligence community," Bond said in the statement.
The selection of Bond as vice chair indicates that Republican leaders want a tough voice to counter Democrats. The intelligence committee must complete three reports on intelligence leading up to the war in Iraq, including a potentially explosive one comparing prewar statements of government officials to the intelligence available at the time.
Bond, 67, also is writing a book, due out next year, on the threat of Islamic terrorism in Indonesia.
He has defended the Bush administration's warrantless surveillance program and was one of only nine senators - including Roberts - to vote against a Senate measure banning the use of torture in interrogations of terrorism suspects and establishing rules for their interrogation.
(Excerpt) Read more at realcities.com ...
He has a backbone most of the time.
PING
Ding!
Finally some GOOD news out of the Senate...I just hope he keeps his "attitude"...because he is going to need it.
One thing is for sure...if they do finish that report about pre-war intelligence, comparing statments made with the intelligence...they better do what the GOP demanded when it was first suggested..
They said that ALL statements made...even those of Senators..and perhaps ex-POTUS's be included..with what they said dompared to the intel.
The dems said NO...because they know that most of them made very strong statements on the record for taking out Saddam..and most of them came before 9/11 and Pres. Bush.
007 is back.
How awful and frightening it is that Jay Rock will chair said committee.
Beyond horrible.
Truly.
Check your pings.
Yes Ma'am --- but I have almost a page of pings. The Johnson update?
Yes
ping
The question is does he know if al qaeda is sunni or shia?
Oh, Kit. I was thinking maybe James.
I wish the admin would give fake intel to Rocky just to see if he'll leak it.
THAT is such a GOOD idea!
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