Tuesday, August 03, 2004

That new intelligence czar?

I said it wouldn't work.

Somebody seems determined to make sure it doesn't.

Bush said the new director "will serve as the president's principal intelligence adviser and will oversee and coordinate the foreign and domestic activities" of the intelligence community. He said the counterintelligence center "will become our government's knowledge bank for information about known and suspected terrorists," coordinating counterterrorism plans across the government and preparing the daily terrorism threat report for the president and other senior officials.

...Rather than adopting the commission's idea of making the position part of the White House structure, Bush proposed making the director a free-standing office of Cabinet rank but not actually in the Cabinet.

... Bush and Chief of Staff Andrew H. Card Jr., who later briefed reporters on the plan, made it clear that the director would not control the nation's $40 billion-a-year intelligence budgets. That power would remain with the individual Cabinet departments and agencies.

Bush said the director "ought to be able to coordinate budgets," and Card said that the director would have "significant input" and "tremendous clout" in developing the intelligence budget but that "it would have to be a developed budget consistent with other agencies."

...As for authority to hire or fire top personnel within the 15 agencies in the community...[t]he Bush proposal does not include giving the new intelligence chief power over personnel.

...Where the Sept. 11 commission would give its national counterterrorism center and other national intelligence centers the power to order clandestine operations and collections, Bush's proposal would apparently give its counterterrorism unit only the authority to gather intelligence from other agencies and prepare coordinated threat information.
  WaPo article

An executive summary writer.

Just out there, not actually in the Cabinet, not part of the White House, and with no authority. I think that takes care of everything.

"Now watch this drive."

Bush's proposals drew a generally favorable response on Capitol Hill.

But, of course! Was there ever any question?

Actually, the initials work pretty well: National Intelligence Director - NID.

It sounds like a NID, doesn't it? I'll just use the alternative spelling of czar and make him (or her) the National Intelligence Tsar.

Update 08/05:

Pat Oliphant

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