I read the piece in WSJ today and I had to look up the Democratic congresswoman who apparently co-wrote it with McConnell. I thought it was such a load of hooey I wrote her this note:
It's odd that "Intelligence" is not one of the issues that can be selected, especially since you're a subcommittee chair.
Although I am not someone who voted to put you in office your opinion piece in the Wall Street Journal today addresses every American's future and I feel that all of us should respond in kind.
The first point you raise: "...Stopping an adversary that hides its activities, blends into the local population, and moves easily across borders requires more than just overhearing what our adversaries are saying. It requires monitoring them, pursuant to a legal framework...". I couldn't agree more, especially when we find today that the DoD has been using FBI National Security Letters to achieve illegal domestic spying. This is on top of the fact that illegal wiretapping has been taking place for more than 5 years now. When the Office of Legal Council can hide its activities, plans, and product (secret memos), the FISA court can issue secret warrants, on secret evidence, the FBI can issue NSLs that prevent recipients from even talking about them, and the Solicitor General can have courts throw out cases on some ill-defined "states secrets" privilege, and so on ad nauseam I'm wondering who really needs to be monitored.
Your second point about the need to give them "...access to this information when necessary, and protect the rights of Americans." sounds like an oxymoron. When you give them access to this information you've already given away our privacy rights, without any real benefit. Unbreakable encryption is available for all those who care to use it; all the NSA would get are the angry letters to those Congressional representatives who aren't doing their job.
Your third point I can agree with, but to get a professional crew in place I assume that all of the current political appointees will be removed and all of their politically correct hires will be sent home with them. I don't see how you can clean house otherwise.
Finally your last point "...our adversaries can penetrate those networks and cause great disruption and harm...". I've been working with networks, computers, and security for the last 3 decades. Yes, worms and viruses and DDOS attacks take place all the time. Some cause damage, some place large loads on the Internet backbones and these "cyber attacks" as you call them take place all the time. The statement you make: "Preventing a cyber attack will require tremendous cooperation between the government and the private sector", is patently false. The IETF and the NOCs of the various telecom companies handle these network threats efficiently right now; no additional government intrusion is needed, in fact it would be counter productive.
If and when you demonstrate that there is any "effective congressional oversight" of the intelligence community then perhaps we the people will consider granting them some more tools.