SANTIAGO, Chile (Reuters) - President Bush (news - web sites) will renew pressure on Congress to reach agreement on intelligence reforms this year, after a weekend deal collapsed in the face of Republican opposition, the White House said on Sunday.
"It remains a high priority for the president. He will continue to talk to congressional leaders about how to get it done as soon as possible," said White House spokesman Scott McClellan.
"We remain hopeful that Congress will continue to work to get it done," he said in Santiago, Chile, where Bush was attending a leadership summit hosted by the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (news - web sites) forum.
At stake is a plan to overhaul U.S. spy agencies to address weaknesses identified by the bilateral commission that investigated the Sept. 11, 2001, hijack attacks on America.
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http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&ncid=578&e=1&u=/nm/20041121/pl_nm/security_bush_dcIntelligence reform snagged by disputes over Pentagon's roleWASHINGTON (AFP) - A massive intelligence reform bill designed to adjust the US intelligence community to the post-September 11 world hit a snag after key congressional ally of the Pentagon (news - web sites) expressed concern about the measure.
House Speaker Dennis Hastert pulled the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004 off the floor minutes before a scheduled vote, citing objections voiced by Duncan Hunter, the powerful chairman of the House Armed Services Committee. ~snip~
Under the existing system, the National Security Agency, which eavesdrops on electronic communications, the National Reconnaissance Office, a spy satellites operator, and the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, which interprets and analyzes satellite imagery, are managed by the Pentagon.
And Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld has repeatedly expressed concern that the proposed reform would hurt rather than help the US national security if it made more difficult to channel fresh intelligence to troops on the ground.
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http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/afp/20041120/ts_alt_afp/us_attacks_intelligence_041120232106Lawmakers Say Intelligence Bill Not Dead http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=512&ncid=1278&e=1&u=/ap/20041121/ap_on_go_co/congress_intelligenceAll Hastert has to do is put it back on the floor, it has the votes to pass.