U.S. intelligence agencies weren't stirred, but now may be shaken

0 Comments | Insight on the News, Nov 19, 2001 | by Sean Paige

Every "crisis" hitting Washington goes through a highly predictable cycle of stages: crisis, indignation, accusation, calls for action, acts of contrition, promises of change, return to complacency. Then there's a long pause before the next crisis cycle begins.

On the matter of who missed possible warnings of impending terrorist attacks, and why an estimated $30 billion spent annually on U.S. intelligence activities left the nation clueless, Washington already is well into the accusation stage and on its way to the calls-for-action phase. Rumors are circulating that CIA Director George Tenet's days are numbered, that calls have been made for an overhaul of the U.S. intelligence community and that investigations into what went wrong are almost assured.

"There are rumblings that there were many warnings in advance of Sept. 11," grumbled Sen. Arlen Specter (R-Pa.), former chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence. "That has to be looked at." Specter was among many who questioned why coordination seemed lacking between government agencies and suggested that the work of intelligence gatherers and law enforcers be synchronized. "There are gaps in the coordination of the intelligence agencies where you have people on the FBI watch list who are not communicated to the airlines," Specter said.

"We are working under a management structure that comes out of the Cold War," added Sen. Richard Shelby (R-Ala.), ranking member on the Select Committee on Intelligence. "This new war will be won or lost on information." Calls are being heard to appoint a commission to study a possible reorganization of the intelligence community. This suggests that we overlooked one important stage of the crisis cycle -- appoint a commission. Although open to suggestions, we think it should fall between calls for action and acts of contrition.

SEAN PAIGE IS A WRITER FOR Insight.