Intelligence Director Urged to Take Charge, House Committee Cites 'Chronic Problems'

[maddezmom]

Source: Washington Post

By Walter Pincus
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, May 11, 2007; Page A04

The House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence wants the new director of national intelligence, retired Adm. Mike McConnell, to assume a greater managerial role to correct what it describes as gaps in what is known about enemies and threats and to close those gaps "as quickly as possible."

In a report released on the eve of a House vote on the roughly $48 billion intelligence authorization bill for fiscal 2008, the committee says it is concerned that McConnell "has not taken a consistent approach on whether will serve as coordinator or executor of intelligence community functions."

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Committee Democrats emphasized the impact that Iraq has had on the worldwide intelligence collection on terrorism. The report says that "as intelligence requirements have grown for Iraq, resources have been drained from the global fight against al-Qaeda." Citing the finite amount of resources that the intelligence community has, the panel believes assets could be better spent rebuilding informant networks and finding links among terrorist cells, according to House sources.

Sen. John D. Rockefeller IV (D-W.Va.), chairman of the Senate intelligence panel, has publicly called Iraq a "distraction" for the intelligence community from the battle against terrorism. During yesterday's debate, Rep. Jane Harman (Calif.), former ranking Democrat on the House intelligence panel, agreed. "We have taken our eye off the ball," she said, adding that al-Qaeda is expanding around the world while the U.S. focus is on Iraq.



Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/05/10/AR2007051002540.html