Christopher Shays: “we are being told that time is running out to pass intelligence reform legislation. The truth is, time ran out on…”

“we are being told that time is running out to pass intelligence reform legislation. The truth is, time ran out on September 11. We are on borrowed time. Prior to September 11, three commissions, the Bremer Commission, the Hart-Rudman Commission, and the Gilmore Commission, all came to Congress and said the same thing, that the terrorist threat is real; that we need an assessment of this threat, a strategy to address it, and a reorganized government to implement that strategy. Sadly, few listened then; and, tragically, no one acted. September 11 was the wake-up call from hell that told us that the terrorist threat is real; that Cold War doctrines of containment, reaction, and mutually assured destruction are totally invalid. And our policy now must be to detect and prevent and, on occasion, preempt those who wish to do us harm. That requires better intelligence. Congress and the administration made significant changes over the last 3 years to improve our security, but today we are taking the most critical step by reorganizing our intelligence community, creating a Director of National Intelligence with budget and personnel authority. Thank you to all who have made this possible. We are changing and improving transportation. And, yes, while we could do more, we are moving forward with immigration reform.”