Bush Signs Intelligence Overhaul Bill
Yahoo ^ | Dec 17, 2004 | Nedra Pickler
 

President Bush (news - web sites) on Friday signed into law the largest overhaul of U.S. intelligence gathering in 50 years, hoping to improve the spy network that failed to prevent the Sept. 11 attacks.

"Our vast intelligence enterprise will become more unified, coordinated and effective," Bush said. "It will enable us to better do our duty, which is to protect the American people."

The 563-page bill, which endured a thorny path to congressional passage, also aims to tighten borders and aviation security. It creates a federal counterterrorism center and a new intelligence director, but Bush did not announce a candidate for that post at Friday's ceremony.

"A key lesson of Sept. 11 is that America's intelligence agencies must work together as a single, unified enterprise," the president said.

Bush was joined at the signing ceremony by CIA (news - web sites) Director Porter Goss, FBI (news - web sites) Director Robert Mueller, members of Congress, leaders of the Sept. 11 commission and relatives of people killed on Sept. 11, 2001.

"Those charged with protecting America must have the best possible intelligence information and that information must be closely integrated to form the best possible picture of the threats to our country," the president said.

The new position of national intelligence director was one of the bill's most controversial aspects. Although the legislation gives the new director strong budget authority, its language is complex enough that there could be continued debate over the exact extent of the director's power.

But Bush attempted to leave no doubt about the sweeping nature of the intelligence director's budgetary authority.

"It will be the DNI's responsibility to determine the annual budgets of all national intelligence agencies and offices and to direct how these funds are spent," he said.