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CNN Saturday Morning News
Bush Signs Homeland Security Bill Into Law
Aired November 30, 2002 - 08:15 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.
KRIS OSBORN, CNN ANCHOR: On the homeland security front, there is no shortage of things to discuss. The new bill, of course, signed by the president -- signed into law this week, along with the 9/11 investigation commission to be headed by former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger.
Our security analyst Kelly McCann joins us now from Washington with his insights. Good morning, Kelly.
KELLY McCANN, CNN SECURITY ANALYST: Hi Kris.
OSBORN: Certainly the bill has been signed but it's a far cry from being operational. A lot that stands between now and then.
MCCANN: Absolutely. I mean, a department this size is going to be a little bit like turning a battleship at sea. It doesn't turn on a dime. It's going to take some time. And of course the concern is that in that ensuing time, do we have good enough control on the situation.
OSBORN: You know I wanted to ask you about something that's been debated and discussed at great length related to the Homeland Security. I understand the department will have its own intelligence unit but what -- will they have access to the raw field data or not? And if not, how can that entire process be coordinated?
MCCANN: Well, I think collection, of course, is out of the question. I don't think they're going to have a collection duty or a role. Whether they get already collated information that is intelligence, or whether they get that information is key to its success because remember that, you know, the agencies right now have been accused of, anyway, not being able to quote/unquote connect the dots.
This organization, this job, it's purpose is to connect those dots so it's -- it's arguable if you get in -- intelligence already that that intelligence was made by the same standards that this organization is supposed to apply to it. So, I think that we'll see some interesting battles coming up in just what role they take.
OSBORN: And also there's been some criticism that the attempt to create the Homeland Security Department will invariable create more bureaucracy by virtue of its effort to combine all these different federal agencies under one roof.
MCCANN: I mean it can't not. I mean, obviously it's another organization. And I think the critical key there will be does it reduce duplicitousness or duplicitous efforts. Right now, there are so many agencies that have as a responsibility and duty counter terrorism or antiterrorism that some of those jobs have to go away or we'll still have disparate efforts going on in the same direction which again this department is meant to correct so also a problem.
OSBORN: I wanted to ask you about the decision, the announcement, that former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger will head the investigation into intelligence lapses prior to 9/11, a lot of reaction to this on both sides of the aisle. Your thoughts on it.
MCCANN: Left field choice. I mean, I don't think anybody would have predicted that. He's certainly connected and those in office seek his counsel routinely so he is very, very much in tune with what's going on in the world. The critical question will be what perspective he brings to it. In other words, from his previous life experience, is he able to maintain the centerline on this issue. I don't believe that he would not be able to do that, but I think that's what everyone's going to be interested in seeing.
OSBORN: Well you mention his previous experience; it is very significant of course involved in a national security apparatus from the days of President Kennedy, Johnson and then of course Nixon and the Vietnam era.
MCCANN: Absolutely -- I mean he's seen the way we did business before the Church Committee and the whole assassination issue; he's seen, you know, wars. He has seen obviously and executed shuttle diplomacy. I mean, he is ingenious and genius at the same time. Phenomenal mind here. But the big thing is, is is he now in step with the way the organization is in the current world problems. I think that we'll be surprised if he's not.
OSBORN: Now what about this process now -- obviously the administration has changed its feeling about this commission but initially they were very concerned about protecting methods of intelligence gathering. How do you see that playing out?
MCCANN: Well that -- that's always going to be sacrosanct because obviously unless you're putting out disinformation, you know, it means people's lives, especially in the human area. However, also it can attack our technological means.
If, for instance, people knew the acuity of some of the overhead imagery we could get they would move things so that you couldn't see them and that's in fact what some people think moved some of the al Qaeda people down to the Tri-River Valley region in South America. You have triple-canopy jungle down there; it's very difficult to track people's camps, what they're doing, training, weapons, etc.
So, I think that we're going to see an increase in protecting that but I think that you'll see also an increase with people who have access to it.
OSBORN: CNN security analyst J. Kelly McCann live from Washington, thank you for your perspective on a number of developments -- thank you along with, of course, their implications.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired November 30, 2002 - 08:15 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KRIS OSBORN, CNN ANCHOR: On the homeland security front, there is no shortage of things to discuss. The new bill, of course, signed by the president -- signed into law this week, along with the 9/11 investigation commission to be headed by former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger.
Our security analyst Kelly McCann joins us now from Washington with his insights. Good morning, Kelly.
KELLY McCANN, CNN SECURITY ANALYST: Hi Kris.
OSBORN: Certainly the bill has been signed but it's a far cry from being operational. A lot that stands between now and then.
MCCANN: Absolutely. I mean, a department this size is going to be a little bit like turning a battleship at sea. It doesn't turn on a dime. It's going to take some time. And of course the concern is that in that ensuing time, do we have good enough control on the situation.
OSBORN: You know I wanted to ask you about something that's been debated and discussed at great length related to the Homeland Security. I understand the department will have its own intelligence unit but what -- will they have access to the raw field data or not? And if not, how can that entire process be coordinated?
MCCANN: Well, I think collection, of course, is out of the question. I don't think they're going to have a collection duty or a role. Whether they get already collated information that is intelligence, or whether they get that information is key to its success because remember that, you know, the agencies right now have been accused of, anyway, not being able to quote/unquote connect the dots.
This organization, this job, it's purpose is to connect those dots so it's -- it's arguable if you get in -- intelligence already that that intelligence was made by the same standards that this organization is supposed to apply to it. So, I think that we'll see some interesting battles coming up in just what role they take.
OSBORN: And also there's been some criticism that the attempt to create the Homeland Security Department will invariable create more bureaucracy by virtue of its effort to combine all these different federal agencies under one roof.
MCCANN: I mean it can't not. I mean, obviously it's another organization. And I think the critical key there will be does it reduce duplicitousness or duplicitous efforts. Right now, there are so many agencies that have as a responsibility and duty counter terrorism or antiterrorism that some of those jobs have to go away or we'll still have disparate efforts going on in the same direction which again this department is meant to correct so also a problem.
OSBORN: I wanted to ask you about the decision, the announcement, that former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger will head the investigation into intelligence lapses prior to 9/11, a lot of reaction to this on both sides of the aisle. Your thoughts on it.
MCCANN: Left field choice. I mean, I don't think anybody would have predicted that. He's certainly connected and those in office seek his counsel routinely so he is very, very much in tune with what's going on in the world. The critical question will be what perspective he brings to it. In other words, from his previous life experience, is he able to maintain the centerline on this issue. I don't believe that he would not be able to do that, but I think that's what everyone's going to be interested in seeing.
OSBORN: Well you mention his previous experience; it is very significant of course involved in a national security apparatus from the days of President Kennedy, Johnson and then of course Nixon and the Vietnam era.
MCCANN: Absolutely -- I mean he's seen the way we did business before the Church Committee and the whole assassination issue; he's seen, you know, wars. He has seen obviously and executed shuttle diplomacy. I mean, he is ingenious and genius at the same time. Phenomenal mind here. But the big thing is, is is he now in step with the way the organization is in the current world problems. I think that we'll be surprised if he's not.
OSBORN: Now what about this process now -- obviously the administration has changed its feeling about this commission but initially they were very concerned about protecting methods of intelligence gathering. How do you see that playing out?
MCCANN: Well that -- that's always going to be sacrosanct because obviously unless you're putting out disinformation, you know, it means people's lives, especially in the human area. However, also it can attack our technological means.
If, for instance, people knew the acuity of some of the overhead imagery we could get they would move things so that you couldn't see them and that's in fact what some people think moved some of the al Qaeda people down to the Tri-River Valley region in South America. You have triple-canopy jungle down there; it's very difficult to track people's camps, what they're doing, training, weapons, etc.
So, I think that we're going to see an increase in protecting that but I think that you'll see also an increase with people who have access to it.
OSBORN: CNN security analyst J. Kelly McCann live from Washington, thank you for your perspective on a number of developments -- thank you along with, of course, their implications.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
