Deal Said To Clear Way for Revamp of Nation’s Intelligence Agencies

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The New York Sun

WASHINGTON – Two powerful congressional chairmen, one who had opposed legislation to revamp the nation’s intelligence agencies, endorsed a compromise yesterday and moved a bill supported by President Bush closer to approval.


House Armed Services Chairman Duncan Hunter, a California Republican, and Senate Armed Services Chairman John Warner, a Republican of Virginia, announced that they would vote for the bill to implement the September 11 commission’s terror-fighting recommendations.


Now that they have Mr. Hunter’s support, GOP leaders plan to call House Republicans to a meeting this morning to discuss the compromise, the first step toward bringing legislation to the House floor for a vote.


The Senate expects to bring up the bill on Wednesday if the House acts today.


The House had refused to vote on the bill because of opposition by Mr. Hunter and another committee chairman, and it was in serious trouble when the House adjourned for the Thanksgiving holiday. Its defeat by a Republican-controlled Congress would have been a major embarrassment for Mr. Bush.


Mr. Hunter now supports it because House-Senate negotiators added language to ensure that Defense officials would have priority in battlefield areas over the nation’s spy satellites and other intelligence equipment.


The California congressman had worried that a new national intelligence director, a position the legislation would create to coordinate spy agencies, would have been able to insert himself into the chain of command from the president to the combatant commanders.


Now “if there is a question as to whether a combatant commander in Iraq has access to an intelligence aircraft, if he needs it in a battle or another agency has access to that aircraft, it’s very clear now that he has access to that aircraft,” Mr. Hunter said.


Unlike Mr. Hunter, Mr. Warner has been silent through most of the negotiations but said he came forward with his support so Senate Republicans would have no question about where he stands. “They look to the two of us for a degree of leadership” as Armed Services chairmen, said Mr. Warner, pointing to Mr. Hunter. “And we’ve I think shown it, if I may say.”


House Speaker Dennis Hastert, an Illinois Republican, refused to bring the bill up before Thanksgiving because of the opposition from Mr. Hunter and House Judiciary Chairman James Sensenbrenner.


Mr. Sensenbrenner, a Wisconsin Republican, still will oppose the bill in today’s GOP meeting because it does not deal with such issues as illegal immigration and asylum changes.


“Border security and immigration reform are vital components of our homeland security efforts, so why are they not included in this legislation?” Mr. Sensenbrenner said yesterday. “The time to address these issues is now, not next month, not next year,” he added. It was not immediately known how much effect Mr. Sensenbrenner’s opposition will have on the Republican caucus.


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