Return to Transcripts main page

American Morning

America's New War: Home Defense Appointment Finds Opposition in Congress

Aired September 21, 2001 - 11:23   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
JOHN KING, CNN ANCHOR: Tom Ridge, a trusted friend of the president, and as he said, a veteran of the House of Representatives, a Vietnam veteran as well.

CNN's national security correspondent David Ensor joins us now.

David, in public, a great show of unity, but already, on the morning after, some disagreement about what this position should be.

DAVID ENSOR, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Well, not that position so much, but how the general fight against terrorism should be conducted, yes, John. The Democrats wanted to stress their loyalty. They are loyal opposition. Sen. Graham -- Democrat, Florida chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee -- and other senators are today proposing bills which would do things a little bit differently in some ways than the Bush administration is proposing.

Senate intelligence staffers understand there's a plan afoot to appoint a deputy national security adviser for counterterrorism. They think that instead there should be a coordinated for counterterrorism who has money, who has budget authority, and thus has more power. They think that person should be confirmed by the Senate.

They want this thing done as a higher level. They don't disagree with the Tom Ridge that handles, basically, the homeland defense issues like railroads and aircrafts and ports, INS, customs, those types of things. They're concerned on the counterterrorism coordination with U.S. intelligence as well. For example, Sen. Graham things thinks that the director of central intelligence should have bigger role in the future in helping to decide and convince -- there's a secret court that has to review these matters -- when there should be wiretaps, what are called American persons. And American persons doesn't just mean citizens of the United States; it also means anyone who is living in this country, no matter what citizenship.

There are a number of changes that Sen. Graham and others are proposing the current law. Some of them disagree somewhat with the way the Bush administration is proposing to proceed. They are a loyal opposition, but have their own views. They like to have counterterrorism tackled in perhaps a more robust fashion bureaucratically than the Bush administration is apparently planning to do -- John. KING: David, help our viewers understand. One of the reasons many believe such a position or positions plural, are necessary is because of past turf battles, the FBI perhaps not sharing information with the CIA, the federal government perhaps not sharing information with state and local government.

ENSOR: There's the feeling there are too many agencies, they don't communicate well enough with each other, and that has to be put under someone who can knock heads if he or she needs to.

The other thing is the Mohammed Atta example. Mohammed Atta, suspected to be one of the hijackers who committed suicide and rammed a plane into the World Trade Center, was being tracked by U.S. intelligence, with the help of liaisons with other agencies, as held meeting with other suspected terrorists believed to be members of the bin Laden organization overseas. But somehow Mohammed Atta got back into the United States, and was still, apparently, able to take part in this plot.

There's a feeling that there was communication breakdown there between, on the one side, U.S. intelligence, on the other side, law enforcement and the other agencies in the United States -- that we simply cannot allow that kind of thing to go on longer.

Of course, they feel that in the administration too. The argument is simply over how to make sure it doesn't happen again -- John.

KING: National security correspondent David Ensor.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com