Bush urges Congress: OK intelligence reform bill

WASHINGTON — President Bush called upon Congress Saturday to pass this week a wide-ranging intelligence-reform bill he believes will help "to do everything necessary to confront and defeat the terrorist threat."

His comments, made during his weekly radio address, were apparently an effort to dislodge balking members of his own party in Congress — including members of the Utah delegation — who harbor doubts about the bill, which tackles and incorporates recommendations of the Sept. 11 commission and would create a Cabinet-level national intelligence director.

Congress is actually returning after a holiday break to tidy up unfinished business on a mammoth spending package. But there is also pressure for the House to take a vote on the critical — and highly controversial — 9/11 measure.

A related bill earlier passed the Senate in a 96-2 vote — Sens. Orrin Hatch and Bob Bennett, both R-Utah, voted for it — but the proposals have deeply divided the House, including Utah's delegation "How do I put this nicely?" said Rep. Rob Bishop, R-Utah. The conference report reconciling the House and Senate versions of the reform "has some problems."

The biggest, he believes, is "there appears to be a haste to do something that really needs more time" to consider the ramifications. "There is a rush to do something, not a rush to do something about reforming intelligence."

Rep. Chris Cannon , R-Utah, agrees, saying the rush toward intelligence reform should not be done without careful deliberations as to the impacts on basic freedoms guaranteed to all Americans.

"I would hope we could be judicious and improve it significantly," he said. "We can look at it more carefully next year."

Rep. Jim Matheson, Utah's lone Democrat in the delegation, finds himself at odds with his Republican colleagues. He supports the Senate bill, which incorporates the recommendations of the 9/11 Commission, as "remarkably bipartisan" and one that would pass in the House if put to a vote.

"We are talking about the most fundamental issue we face in this generation," he said. "President Bush supports it, Vice President Cheney supports it, and there are clearly enough votes to pass it without consensus. I don't understand why the House (Republican) Caucus has made it partisan."

Matheson said some can argue the bill goes too far and others will argue it doesn't go far enough. But on the whole, it is balanced and deserves to have a vote, he said.

Legislative battle