Is Jim DeMint(R-SC) Damaging National Security?
Yesterday an anonymous Senator blocked the Intelligence Authorization Act for FY2007. Congressional Quarterly has identified that Senator as FSP Golden Boy, Jim DeMint. CQ says:
[Sen. DeMint] is said to be concerned about provisions of the bill that require the Bush administration to report to Congress on its detention policies, such as those pertaining to its secret CIA prisons, as well as a provision to declassify the total intelligence budget.
Secrecy News has the story, but to sum up, there has been no Intelligence Authorization Act for the past 2 years and DeMint wants to keep that going since it ties the hands of the intelligence committees. Because, really, do we need intelligence anymore???
If our faith-based national defense strategy is not working for you, maybe you aren’t praying hard enough.
Is Jim DeMint(R-SC) Damaging National Security?
Do we really need to phrase this as a question?
This is no joke. According to the linked article on fas.org, the IAA is “the principal product of the intelligence oversight committees each year.” Without the IAA the oversight committees are irrelevant.
Just wait and see how fast these bozos will be trying to reimplement Congressional oversight when there is a Dem president.
One thing I don’t get though: The blocked bill appropriated funds for intelligence. The IAA summary states:
“To authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2007 for the intelligence and intelligence-related activities of the United States Government, the Intelligence Community Management Account, and the Central Intelligence Agency Retirement and Disability System, and for other purposes.”
So what funds are they running on now, if there hasn’t been an IAA for two years?
“Will Atkins be suspended, expeled, censured, reprimanded or fined?”
He violated the law and should step down or be thrown out with the trash