“The president has not only confirmed the existence of the program, he has spoken at length about it repeatedly,” while keeping Congress in the dark, said Sen. Jay Rockefeller of West Virginia, the panel’s senior Democrat.

“The administration wants to have it both ways,” said Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich.

(AP) National Intelligence Director John Negroponte, left, with CIA Director Porter Goss, center, and…
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Goss complained that leaks to the news media about the surveillance program and activities such as reported CIA secret prisons abroad had damaged his own agency’s work.

“I use the words ‘very severe’ intentionally. And I think the evidence will show that,” Goss said.

He said not only have these revelations made it harder for the CIA to gather information, but they have made intelligence agencies in other countries mistrustful of their U.S. counterparts.

“I’m stunned to the quick when I get questions from my professional counterparts saying, ‘Mr. Goss, can’t you Americans keep a secret?’” he said.

Goss cited a “disruption to our plans, things that we have under way.” Some CIA sources and “assets” had been rendered “no longer viable or usable, or less effective by a large degree,” he said.

“I also believe that there has been an erosion of the culture of secrecy and we’re trying to reinstall that,” Goss said.

“I’ve called in the FBI, the Department of Justice. It is my aim and it is my hope that we will witness a grand jury investigation with reporters present, being asked to reveal who is leaking this information,” he said.

Rockefeller suggested that the “leaks” Goss talked about most likely “came from the executive branch” of the government.

That brought a terse response from FBI Director Robert Mueller, who said, “It’s not fair to point a finger as to the responsibility of the leak.”

SBD

In all the debate between left and right on national security the left MUST ignore 8 years of Clinton in order for their arguments to partially stand up…yet when 9-11 happened Bush instinctively and wisely choose the “no blame” route, he choose not dwell on the past but make damn sure we changed to meet the new threat and prevent if possible another 9-11 in the future.

This is not to blame Clinton (there were too many variables we didn’t understand and too many Intel change that would have been hard to assume needed changing) but the left NEEDS to act as if time begins with Bush.

Vilsack’s right. The left chose to oppose, therefore diminish the threat, but I think as a defensive prop in order to squirm out of answering many years of failure.

Which is really dumb, because Bush gave them a pass and extended his hand to join him in protecting our country. It was a trap they created themselves.