Jay Rockefeller: “I rise to offer, along with Senator Hutchison, and also Senator Roberts and Senator Mikulski, this amendment. I will…”

“I rise to offer, along with Senator Hutchison, and also Senator Roberts and Senator Mikulski, this amendment. I will explain it in further detail. But the main objective of our amendment is to institutionalize much needed reform, based upon our recent experience, which is, namely, the practice of alternative analysis, or, as we say, ``red teaming,'' in the production of significant intelligence assessments. As to this Rockefeller-Hutchison amendment, I am very pleased to say I believe the distinguished chair and ranking member of the Committee on Governmental Affairs have indicated their support for this amendment--that is my hope--and that, therefore, the amendment will be accepted by them and supported, obviously, by our colleagues without the need for a vote. Section 123 of the Collins-Lieberman bill provides for placement of the National Intelligence Council within the office of the national intelligence director. The Council is currently under the Director of Central Intelligence. As the Senate Intelligence Committee report on prewar intelligence on Iraq explains, National Intelligence Estimates are the intelligence community's most authoritative written judgments--they are the golden standard--on national security issues. The Collins-Lieberman bill reforms the work of the National Intelligence Council, based in significant part on the findings of the Intelligence Committee's Iraq review.”