Compromise clears way for intelligence overhaul vote

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The House is poised to vote Tuesday on an overhaul of the nation's intelligence apparatus, with the Senate likely to follow suit Wednesday. House and Senate negotiators reached agreement Monday on the most sweeping changes to U.S. intelligence agencies in decades, following several phone calls involving President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney.

House Republican leaders planned to discuss the measure with members at a morning conference meeting, then draft a rule for a floor vote Tuesday afternoon.

To help bolster support for the bill, which largely incorporates recommendations of the 9/11 Commission, Bush wrote Monday night to House and Senate leaders and conferees, urging lawmakers to act this week.

"An overarching principle for these needed reforms has been to create a strong director of national intelligence with full budget authority while preserving the chain of command within departments and agencies," Bush wrote. "We are very close to a significant achievement that will better protect our country for generations to come, and now is the time to finish the job for the good of our national security."

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