Bush Set to Act on Advice of 9/11 Panel - May Not Wait for Congress

[papau]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A14011-2004Jul25.html

Bush Set to Act on Advice of 9/11 Panel
President May Not Wait for Congress

By Mike Allen
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, July 26, 2004; Page A01


CRAWFORD, Tex., July 25 -- President Bush plans to begin making decisions about restructuring the nation's intelligence machinery within days and may enact some changes by executive order or regulatory action without waiting for Congress, White House officials said Sunday.

Aides suggested for the first time that despite the opposition of some in the administration, Bush is headed toward backing some variation of the Sept. 11 commission's call for a national intelligence director who would report directly to the president. Some White House officials have questioned whether the intelligence director would be considered independent if the position were under White House control. Aides said Bush is considering mechanisms to make the job less political, such as a term that does not overlap the president's.

The commission investigating the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the Pentagon and World Trade Center delivered its recommendations Thursday for broad changes to intelligence agencies, and aides said Bush began reading the report on Friday as he flew to his ranch in Crawford, where he will spend the week of the Democratic National Convention. Bush will discuss the options with his national security team via videoconference on Monday, a White House official said.

"We will move on all fronts very aggressively in the coming days and weeks," the official said. "We're going to focus on all the recommendations and determine which ones can be done through executive branch action. The president said he wants this on a fast track."<snip>

The urgent pace, and the White House's willingness to discuss it, reflects the realization by Bush's aides that he is now vulnerable to charges that he could be doing more to protect the nation against terrorism, when claiming leadership on the issue was central to his reelection strategy, Republican advisers said.

Democratic presidential candidate John F. Kerry released his plans for intelligence reform six days ahead of the commission report, and he plans to argue at the convention that he would be more effective than Bush at guarding the nation against terrorism.

Kerry sent a letter to the commission's leaders Saturday endorsing their blueprint, calling for "immediate action" and identifying 16 recommendations on which he said the "president can act alone."<snip>

[MrBenchley]

1. Is he going to start reading the Daily Briefings?

[trotsky]

2. Congressional Democrats missed a prime opportunity.

They could have stayed behind and made a statement that the nation's security was more important than breaking for the summer. It would have reflected very poorly on the Repubs.