House, Senate panels agree to remove two provisions from intelligence bill

[alp227]

Source: The Washington Post

Leaders of the House and Senate intelligence committees have reached an unusual bipartisan agreement to remove from the fiscal 2012 intelligence authorization bill two provisions that had drawn a veto threat from the White House.

One provision would have required the Obama administration to give the committees potentially sensitive information, including State Department cables relative to the transfer to other countries of detainees held at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Another would have required Senate confirmation of the director of the National Security Agency, which collects electronic intelligence.

Both provisions were added by the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence when it approved its version of the authorization bill on Aug. 1. Because these provisions were included in a draft bill scheduled to be taken up by the House on Friday, the White House spelled out its objections in a memo sent to the House Rules Committee on Wednesday.

In it the administration said the disclosure of “sensitive diplomatic discussions and negotiations, including commitments made by foreign governments relating to the handling of transferred detainees,” would have “a significant adverse impact” on any such future discussions.

Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/house-senate-panels-agree-to-remove-two-provisions-from-intelligence-bill/2011/09/08/gIQAP1HEDK_story.html

[Solly Mack]

1. k/r

[midnight]

2. Wow 80 billion for 16 spy agencies...

[dotymed]

3. Open government...,.,Please Bernie!

[saras]

4. Bad move in both cases, which is no surprise

If what we were doing with detainees were legitimate under international law, there would be nothing but benefit from publicizing the details.

If the Senate were allowed a voice in the NSA, someone might raise questions of substance about their mission and their performance of it. Can't have that, now.

[villager]

5. so *now* Obama threatens a veto. Figures.

n/t

[deacon_sephiroth]

6. unwise at best, we'll jsut see them on wikileaks

it'll only look worse if you didn't disclose yourself, but we have to find out the ussual way.

[Bluesbreaker]

7. Must . . not . . stop . . rendition

Obama doubles down on Bush policy.