"He who is willing to sacrifice freedom for safety deserves neither freedom nor safety." - Ben Franklin
"One useless man is called a disgrace; two useless men are called a law firm; and three or more useless men are a congress" - John Adams
Politicians and diapers should both be changed regularly and for the same reasons.
"Patriotism is supporting your country all the time and your government when it deserves it."--Mark Twain
When the nation is under attack, citizens normally rally together. Differences are set aside to pursue common goals.
The days after 9/11 provided many such moments. Neighbor joined neighbor. Republicans and Democrats buried politics temporarily. Even rival nations joined Americans in their grief.
But more than three years later on Capitol Hill, a pair of powerful Republican lawmakers still don't seem to grasp that spirit.
Last Saturday, they stood in the way of reforming the nation's broken intelligence system - obstructing a plan endorsed by just about every major player in Washington to address weaknesses that contributed to the 9/11 attacks. Today, because of their stubbornness, the nation remains more vulnerable to terrorism than it could be.
Barely anyone argues that the splintered intelligence system isn't flawed. Fifteen disparate agencies follow their own agendas. No one is in charge. This jumble is overseen by eight congressional committees. And 80% of the budget is controlled by the Pentagon (news - web sites), even though the war on terrorism increases the need for non-military intelligence.
All 10 members of the bipartisan 9/11 Commission, which studied the failings that led to 9/11, endorsed the same fix: a single, director with authority over all of the intelligence agencies and their budgets.
The common-sense changes won support even among usually vehement foes.
In the Senate, the GOP majority joined Democrats to approve the overhaul, 96 to 2. President Bush (news - web sites) endorsed the plan. Groups of 9/11 families plied the corridors of the Capitol to lobby for it. A majority of House members support it, according to several analysts, who say the plan would have passed had it gotten to a vote. But that didn't happen.
Why?
Because Rep. Duncan Hunter (news, bio, voting record), R-Calif., chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, and Rep. James Sensenbrenner, R-Wis., who chairs the Judiciary Committee (news - web sites), insist everyone else has to do it their way.
Both dug in against the overhaul, and House Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., not wanting to see it passed by Democrats, declined to bring it to a vote - a triumph of partisan leadership over national leadership. So Congress left town.
The most scandalous part is that much of the battle is being waged to protect turf. The objections of Hunter and Sensenbrenner are easily dismissed.
Hunter, prodded by the Pentagon, insists that shifting budget control to a new director could jeopardize the flow of intelligence to front-line troops. But the plan has numerous safeguards to prevent that, and Vice President Cheney, a former defense secretary and a longtime military hawk, went to bat for it.
The truth is, Hunter and his committee, which hold sway over the Pentagon budget, might end up ceding power. And some of Hunter's most generous campaign contributors - defense contractors - could be affected, too. A spokesman said Hunter's only concern is for "the war fighter on the ground."
Sensenbrenner balked after he failed to win support for preventing illegal aliens from getting driver's licenses. The controversial measure should stand on its own next year. Intelligence reform shouldn't wait until then.
Before 9/11, the chaotic intelligence apparatus left openings for an attack. Last year, U.S. intelligence insisted that Saddam Hussein (news - web sites) had weapons of mass destruction - a mistake that sent the nation to war.
Congress plans to return next month to take a last, desperate crack at this urgent job. Perhaps by then Bush, Cheney, Hastert and others can persuade the chairmen to let national interests prevail over their own.
END
You if you took control of your own live can do better. There are somethings that you have to do for you. There just too inportant to gave to others to handle.
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