From: "Mark" 

That the internal whistleblower thing worked the way it was supposed to (up
until some ass leaked the letter itself) is a good thing. Hoekstra also
said there's no way that they can/want to be briefed on every single
program, he felt these should have made the cut.

What this tells me, is that we're in a transition phase adjusting to a new
world-wide threat and it's going to take some time to get it all sorted out
(via squabbles such as this one and Supreme Court input in other areas, as
well as continuing adjustments in the way other agencies and departments
communicate).

I just don't see how this transition can be expected to be accomplished
with no missteps at all, but, eh, let's blame Bush. 

This part of his letter, however, is what I found interesting and quite disturbing:

"In fact, I have long been convinced that a strong and well-positioned
group within the Agency intentionally undermined the Administration and its
policies.  This argument is supported by the Ambassador Wilson/Valerie
Plame events, as well as by the string of unauthorized disclosures from an
organization that prides itself with being able to keep secrets.  I have
come to the belief that, despite his service to the DO, Mr. Kappes may have
been a part of this group.  I must take note when my Democratic colleagues
- those who so vehemently denounced and now publicly attacked the strong
choice of Porter Goss as Director - now publicly support Mr. Kappes's
return."
http://justoneminute.typepad.com/main/2006/07/hoekstra_cia_gr.html

What we've got going on, I think, is a plethora of power struggles, and it
ain't purty and it ain't making us safer or expediting the elimination of
terrorist groups around the world. So I wish they'd all swallow their egos
and kiss and make up 


"Rich Gauszka"  wrote in message
news:44b17a2e{at}w3.nls.net...
> Well now the Republican chair of the House Intelligence Committee is
> saying it. Perhaps Bush really likes to play 'Twenty Questions'
>
>
http://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=politicsNews&storyID=2006
-07-09T143910Z_01_N09148126_RTRUKOC_0_US-SECURITY-INTELLIGENCE.xml
>
> WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Bush administration was running several
> intelligence programs, including one major activity, that it kept secret
> from Congress until whistle-blowers told the House of Representatives
> Intelligence Committee, the committee's chairman said on Sunday.
>
> Rep. Pete Hoekstra, a Michigan Republican who chairs the House
> Intelligence Committee, said on Fox News Sunday he had written a four-page
> to President George W. Bush in May warning him that the failure to
> disclose the intelligence activities to Congress may be a violation of the
> law.
>
> In doing so, he confirmed a story that first ran in Sunday editions of the
> New York Times.
>
>
> "I take it very, very seriously otherwise I would not have written the
> letter to the president," Hoekstra said.
>
> "This is actually a case where the whistle-blower process was working
> appropriately and people within the intelligence community brought to my
> attention some programs that they believed we had not been briefed on.
> They were right," said Hoekstra, a close ally of Bush.
>
> "We asked by code name about some of these programs. We have now been
> briefed on those programs but I wanted to reinforce to the president and
> to the executive branch and the intelligence community how important by
> law is the requirement that they keep the legislative branch informed of
> what they are doing," Hoekstra said.
>
> The White House declined to comment directly on the allegations in
> Hoekstra's letter. "We will continue to work closely with the chairman and
> other congressional leaders on important national security issues," said
> Alex Conant, a White House spokesman.
>
> Critics have charged that the Bush administration has a penchant for
> secrecy and has pushed its legal powers to the limit and possibly beyond
> in pursuing its "war on terror." But Hoekstra's complaint
was particularly
> significant since it came from a strong supporter of the administration's
> tactics.
>
> Hoekstra complained in his letter to Bush that the U.S. Congress "simply
> should not have to play 'Twenty Questions' to get the information that it
> deserves under our Constitution."
>
> In the letter and the interview, Hoekstra did not provide details about
> the programs, which presumably remain secret.
>
> Hoekstra had been briefed about both the National Security Agency's
> domestic surveillance program and the Treasury Department's tracking of
> international banking transactions, both of which were leaked to the
> media.
>
> He said he did not expect to be briefed about everything intelligence
> agencies were doing but at least one of the secret activities was a major
> program which Congress definitely should have been informed about.
>
>
> In the letter, Hoekstra said the lack of disclosure possibly constituted a
> "breach of responsibility by the administration, a violation of the law,
> and, just as importantly, a direct affront to me and the members of this
> committee who have so ardently supported efforts to collect information on
> our enemies."
>
>

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