Congress sends intelligence bill to Bush (passes Senate 89-2)

[Tab]

WASHINGTON (CBS.MW) -- The Senate on Wednesday passed legislation that makes sweeping changes at the top of the nation's intelligence system, sending the long-stalled bill to the White House where President Bush has promised his signature.

The Senate vote was 89-2, with nine senators not voting. The House passed the bill on a 336-75 vote on Tuesday evening.

The legislation will create a new national intelligence director post to oversee the nation's 15 intelligence agencies. It aims to increase cooperation between military and domestic intelligence agencies, establishes a counter-terrorism center and increases U.S. border security.

Lawmakers said the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks and the intelligence failures that predated the attacks, made the case for a revamp of the nation's intelligence system.

"Just as the National Security Act of 1947 was passed to prevent another Pearl Harbor, the Intelligence Reform Act will help us prevent another 9/11," said Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, the bill's chief Republican sponsor in the Senate.

"Our terrorist enemies today make no distinction between soldiers and civilians, between foreign and domestic locations when they attack us," said Sen. Joe Lieberman, D-Conn., one of the architects of the bill.
http://cbs.marketwatch.com/news/story.asp?guid=%7B9D573830%2D0B35%2D4776%2DB39D%2DFA232E5C6850%7D&dist=rss&siteid=mktw

[OneBlueSky]

1. who were the two who voted against it? . . . n/t

.

[Tab]

2. I'm also curious to know...

I'm also curious to know who the nine were that abstained.

[Freddie Stubbs]

15. They did not abstain

They were not present. Not one of these Senators spoke against the bill. They are:

Bond (R-MO)
Campbell (R-CO)
Harkin (D-IA)
Hatch (R-UT)
Hollings (D-SC)
Inouye (D-HI)
Lott (R-MS)
Nickles (R-OK)
Smith (R-OR)

http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=108&session=2&vote=00216

[Freddie Stubbs]

9. Byrd and Inhofe

http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=108&session=2&vote=00216

[whistle]

3. And no one knows what the bill says or does, it figures

[Freddie Stubbs]

10. The entire text is available online

http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/D?c108:3:./temp/~c108Rv2MIi::

[whistle]

18. No, does not seem like it is....

<snip message>

Please resubmit your search
Search results are only retained for a limited amount of time.Your search results have either been deleted, or the file has been updated with new information.

[Freddie Stubbs]

20. Try this...

http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d108:s.02845:

Click on "Text of Legislation." Then choose #3.

[n2mark]

4. Who were the two?

[rabbit2484]

5. Gotta be Russ

And probably someone on their way out.

[Freddie Stubbs]

11. Russ voted for it

http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=108&session=2&vote=00216

Perhps the bill isn't as bad as some here on DU are making it out to be.

[footinmouth]

6. I think Senator Byrd was one of them

I listened to part of the debate this afternoon and Senator Byrd said he was planning to vote no. He felt there hadn't been adequate debate on a topic of such importance. I'm not sure about the other no vote.

[gratuitous]

7. Well, we know Stupidhead doesn't really want this

I wonder if he can pocket veto it?

[Freddie Stubbs]

13. Nope, he will sign it

And there will be a big ceremony with lots of cameras there.

[countryjake]

8. Byrd & Inhofe voted Nay

Here's the breakdown:

Nay:
Byrd (D-WV)
Inhofe (R-OK)

Not Voting:
Bond (R-MO)
Campbell (R-CO)
Harkin (D-IA)
Hatch (R-UT)
Hollings (D-SC)
Inouye (D-HI)
Lott (R-MS)
Nickles (R-OK)
Smith (R-OR)

[napi21]

12. Don't ya just love the "not voting" list!

Does that mean they weren't there, or they didn't want to have a voting record on this???

[Freddie Stubbs]

14. Most likely that they were not there

None of those Senators spoke out against the bill.

[countryjake]

16. Not there, but some had reasons...

a couple were mad that most of Sensenbrenner's stuff on illegal aliens has been taken out (for further review). Lots of back patting on the Hill today, promising to get the illegals in the next session.
(No driver's license for them, stuff like that)

[jmowreader]

17. I read the bill. On its face it doesn't appear too bad

It has some strange features and one glaring omission.

The strange feature (strange only if you know what the national intelligence structure was before Bush was elected) is the National Intelligence Director. This is a Cabinet-level post that sits above the Director of Central Intelligence. Ever since 1947, when the CIA was founded, the CIA has been considered the top of the intel heap and its director has been the top spook in our government. Now we have a new top spook, and the CIA supposedly sits as an equal member of the community.

Everyone THINKS they know what the CIA does--serves as the government's goon squad. Goonery is just part of what they do. What they are supposed to do, and what they were established TO do, is to serve as a compilation agency. They're supposed to take reports from all of the intel agencies, weed through them and generate one Official Piece of Intelligence--which is why the top guy at CIA is also at the top of the intel food chain.

Now the Director of the Central Intelligence Agency will report to this new National Intelligence Director. Bush wanted this because the DCI wasn't telling him what he wanted to hear. That's not the intel community's job; they are supposed to tell you what you need to know, not what you want to hear.

The glaring omission is that it doesn't require the president to listen to the intelligence community. If this president would have listened to the community on August 6, 2001, September 11 would have been a vastly different day.

[KansDem]

19. This is a "feel good" bill. It's a boondoggle...

The intelligence was there before 9/11; the President chose to ignore it. 9/11 was about incompetence, at best, and complicity at its worse.

No good legislation will/has come out of the 9/11 Commission Report since the committee granted Bush lying privileges.

This is all about covering Bush' ass and making the American people believe something is being done "to make them safe..."