Is intelligence reform ... intelligent?

LJWorld.com weblogs Congressional Briefing

Posted by Joel Mathis December 10, 2004 at 7:36 a.m.

We're experimenting with a change in format today. Let us know what you think.Pat Roberts links [Roberts must watchdog intelligence reform:][1] "The U.S. senator who knows the most about the nation's spying apparatus, Sen. Pat Roberts, R-Kan., did not get everything he wanted from the intelligence reform bill that finally emerged from Congress this week," The Wichita Eagle editorializes.[House vote weakened authority of spy czar:][2] "Sen. Pat Roberts (R., Kan.), chairman of the Senate intelligence committee, voted for the bill but warned that it did not make the new director fully accountable for the nation's intelligence," reports The Philadeplhia Inquirer. "I really don't think it went far enough," especially in giving the director "that day-to-day operational line of authority," he said. Sam Brownback links [Space Foundation applauds Congress for passing suborbital launch legislation:][3] "Space Foundation President and Chief Executive Officer Elliot G. Pulham applauded Congress for approving the Commercial Space Launch Amendments Act (H.R. 5382) that provides a regulatory framework for the emerging suborbital launch industry, including space tourism," SpaceRef.com reports. Pullham said: "Many people contributed to the bipartisan passage of H.R. 5382, but Senators John McCain, Ernest Hollings, Harry Reid, James Inhofe, Sam Brownback, and Dianne Feinstein, as well as Representatives Sherwood Boehlert and Dana Rohrabacher deserve special recognition for their leadership efforts."[Senate sends sweeping intelligence reform bill to Bush:][4] "Republican Sen. Sam Brownback, a Kansas conservative who supports Bush's plan to provide legal status to some immigrants, said the president probably would face a divided party on the issue," according to Knight-Ridder. "Immigration is a big fight," Brownback said. "There's more passion to it than a trade fight." [China slams US Senate resolution on jailed monk][5] The US Senate passed a resolution Tuesday urging China to release the jailed monk and other political prisoners, according to Phayul.com. "Their only crime was peacefully serving the community of Tibet," said Senator Sam Brownback, the sponsor of the measure. How to contact As always, you can find information to contact members of the Kansas congressional delegation [here.][6] [1]: http://www.kansas.com/mld/eagle/news/editorial/10379539.htm [2]: http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/news/nation/10381228.htm [3]: http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewpr.html?pid=15654 [4]: http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/news/politics/10370564.htm [5]: http://www.phayul.com/news/article.aspx?id=8516&article=China+slams+US+Senate+resolution+on+jailed+monk [6]: http://ljworld.com/extra/where_to_write.html#fed