Administration Considers a Post for National Intelligence Director
By DOUGLAS JEHL
April 16, 2004
New York Times
WASHINGTON, April 15 -- The White House is weighing whether to pre-empt the Sept. 11 commission's final report this summer by embracing a proposal to create a powerful new post of director of national intelligence, administration officials said on Thursday.
Under the proposal, management of the government's 15 intelligence agencies, and control of their budgets, would be put under the direction of a single person. That authority is now scattered across a number of departments and agencies.
The plan, drafted more than a year ago by a presidential advisory panel headed by Brent Scowcroft, the former national security adviser, was given little White House attention until now. It is being reviewed, the officials said, as a possible answer to the Sept. 11 commission's preliminary conclusion that the current organization of the government's intelligence agencies has left no one truly in charge on intelligence matters.
...
Also being discussed within the White House, the officials said, were possible changes within the F.B.I., including the creation of a new directorate within the bureau responsible for domestic intelligence-gathering and analysis. The alternative of creating a new domestic intelligence agency was also being discussed but was seen as less likely to be embraced, the officials said.
Now, call me stupid, but I thought that's what the National Security Council was for. I mean, if we aren't paying Ms. Rice to gather the principles and coordinate their intel collection, sharing and actions, what are we paying her for?
For a small government Republican, these guys sure like to create new offices, departments and directorates. When they're done we're going to need a new big government Democrat to downsize the directors and force some mergers.
Say, I'd like to volunteer for the new post of NID. I've got a plan: we're going to copy a structure that works from someone else... the Canadians. I'm referring, of course, to that most-shaddowy of intelligence organizations CSIS.
The Canadian Secret Intelligence Service (CSIS, "see-sis"), was Canada's response to a series of scandals that ripped through the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) after the 1960s. Parliament, faced with excesses similar to the FBI's scandals (e.g. COINTELPRO), faced pressure to reign in the RCMP and prohibit a broad range of practices. The parliamentarians, in contrast to American legislators, saw a utility in secret sneak-and-peak searches, warantless roving wiretaps, domestic political espionage and so on. So whereas Congress banned the FBI from such activities, the Parliament split the RCMP into two. One department, still called the RCMP, would be the nation's police force, focusing on criminal investigations and adhering to evidence gathering procedures. The other department, CSIS, would have free reign to gather domestic intelligence on organized crime and terrorist organizations (which might include political dissident groups). CSIS does share intelligence with the RCMP, but it is of limited utility in criminal cases because it does not meet the standards of collection required for criminal trials.
No P.A.T.R.I.O.T. Act. No turf wars over who owns what information.
Does anyone even know what the Canadian's foreign intelligence agency is called? I don't, but you know they have one. Maybe that's the way it should be.
DIA? NSA? Gone. You've got three agencies: the Foreign Intelligence Service, the Domestic Intelligence Service, the National Investigation Service. Combine FBI, ICE, ATF, DEA, the Secret Service, etc. They're all moved to the NIS. Whatever core the President needs for the Secret Service can stay on as the Palace Guards but anyone doing currency work is moved to the FBI. (Besides, this President uses private contractors for his security needs...)
It's a disgrace that FBI agents are scared to enforce immigration laws because they don't understand them. "We think he's a terrorist but we can't arrest him because we don't have just cause to search." Then take him into custody for immigration violations, man! What are you doing reading him Miranda anyway? Do you really want a lawyer there when you're trying to get him to tell you about the rest of the cell?
While I'm at it, I'd like to see at least one super-FBI agent on duty 24-hours a day at every police station in the country. They should be there to provide assistance to local LEOs anyway.
Heh.
That is, as usual, way above my pay grade.