House chairman stands firm on intelligence overhaul
Hunter says he wants to keep 'chain-of-command structure'
From Joe Johns
CNN
 |  Rep. Duncan Hunter is shown in Washington in this file photo dated March 25, 2003. |
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WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The Republican chairman of the House Armed Services Committee insisted Saturday that proposed intelligence overhaul legislation must allow the Pentagon to control battlefield satellite information.
Opposition to the overhaul bill by Rep. Duncan Hunter of California has prompted the House GOP leadership to block it from a floor vote, fearing dissension in the party ranks.
Hunter said he wants to preserve the current "chain-of-command structure" so U.S. military field commanders don't have to consult with the bill's proposed national intelligence director to get satellite information critical to American forces.
He said the current bill would create a new bureaucracy that might allow agencies outside the Defense Department to slow the flow of critical intelligence to battlefield commanders. Hunter wants the bill to rule out any such interference.
The bill is meant to follow recommendations of the bipartisan commission that investigated the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.
The commission backs the legislation, as does President Bush and many family members of the victims.
In Saturday's weekly presidential radio address, Bush said the commission's recommendations "chart a clear, sensible path toward needed reforms." (Full story)
In October, after the Senate and House came up with different versions of the bill, a conference committee hammered out a compromise that sailed through the Senate in a 96-2 vote. On November 20, as Congress headed toward adjournment for the year, House Speaker Dennis Hastert, an Illinois Republican, pulled the bill from the floor after opposition appeared within his own ranks. The legislation has been held from a floor vote ever since.
Hunter gains support
On Friday, Hunter won support from his fellow 17 fellow Republicans on the House Armed Services Committee, who signed a letter to Hastert saying they "stand in solidarity" with their chairman.
"We understand the critical importance of the intelligence reform bill," the letter stated. "With this in mind, we hope Chairman Hunter's concerns can be addressed so this legislation can be signed into law in an expeditious manner."
Hunter said he and his House supporters are insisting only on language the White House offered earlier this year that would preserve the existing chain of command. Hunter blamed the Senate for the problem, saying senators believe preserving the existing chain of command "guts the bill."
He said the Senate should have allowed its experts on defense -- including Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman John Warner of Virginia -- to participate in bill negotiations.
"That's what happens when you don't put your expert on the case," Hunter said.
Although he voted in favor of the bill, Warner also is backing changes to preserve the intelligence chain of command. (Full story)
The White House has said the president would send a letter to congressional leaders outlining his concerns that the Pentagon chain of command be "preserved" and pressing Congress to pass the bill when lawmakers return for a short lame-duck session next week.
If an agreement cannot be worked out and the issue is declared dead for the year, Hunter said, there is "a strong compelling interest to reform intelligence" and that it should be done quickly and early in the calendar next year.
