CNN Lou Dobbs Tonight - Transcript

CNN Lou Dobbs Tonight - Transcript
Monday, October 17, 2005

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DOBBS: In the midst of all our troubles in this country, violent crime in the United States is continuing to decline. Good news! The FBI announced today that the violent crime rate in this country fell more than 2 percent last year, continuing what has been a decade long plunge in the rate of violent crime. Experts say the declining crime rate can be contributed to an aging population and harsher punishments for criminals.

Workers at the Department of Homeland Security have the lowest morale of any federal government agency. According to a just released survey. The survey was carried out by the office of personnel management last year before the widespread criticism of the federal government's slow response to Hurricane Katrina. Tonight, a Homeland Security spokesman tells us the results of this survey reflects the challenge of integrating 22 different government agencies into the DHS.

The CIA will be in charge of all U.S. spying overseas in one of this country's biggest intelligence shake-ups. A long serving CIA officer will be the director of a new national clandestine service. CIA director Porter Goss. The service will coordinate spies from the Defense Department and the FBI as well as the CIA.

Joining me now, the vice chairman of Senate Intelligence Committee, Senator Jay Rockefeller. Senator, good to have you here.

SEN. JAY ROCKEFELLER, (D) WEST VIRGINIA: Thank you, Lou.

DOBBS: Is this more shuffling of chairs or is this in point of fact a substantive decision made by Director Negroponte?

ROCKEFELLER: It is a profoundly substantive movement made by Director Negroponte.

Look, a lot of us worked very, very hard to get the Director of National Intelligence in place to be sort of the general manager -- general of intelligence. And he has now specifically said directed, that he wants the CIA to be in charge on a functional basis of all human intelligence, that's the collection of intelligence from folks overseas. I think that's exactly the right decision.

DOBBS: Some critics have suggested that the CIA being in charge of human intelligence means that Donald Rumsfeld who has just about 70 percent of the intelligence budget over at the Department of Defense is losing control of a substantial part of his department. What's the truth?

ROCKEFELLER: He has control of his department. But frankly, thanks to the president, he lost control of 80 percent of the intelligence budget including his department, six or seven months ago.

DOBBS: Right.

ROCKEFELLER: There's basically the CIA, the Defense Department and the FBI, which collect human intelligence. And CIA is the one to be in charge of it, which, hence the new national clandestine service.

DOBBS: And, of course, in the wake of all of the 9/11 commission, all of the investigations, including, by your committee, the result of all of that assessment of the intelligence leading up to September 11 and the failures, and there were many as you and your committee have established, no one has been fired, no one will be fired. There will be no one held accountable for those obvious intelligence failures. How do you feel about that?

ROCKEFELLER: I regret that. , But let me tell you, Lou, very honestly, that I have spent a lot of time overseas visiting our folks associated with the agency there. There is such a world of difference between them and the extraordinary work they do. The extraordinary intensity they have and the backbiting that goes on here in Washington.

A national clandestine service in which the CIA has not only the functional control of its own human intelligence collection, but cooperation with the Defense Department and the FBI is the right solution.

DOBBS: George Tenet, former CIA director, and Porter Goss, the current CIA director, later confirming his statement. Tenet said five years to create an effective covert service, clandestine service. Are we still on about roughly that time schedule?

ROCKEFELLER: It takes five to eight years, including the language and experience and trade craft training. It's very, very hard. Intelligence does not move quickly, but at least on the right glide path. It makes sense. There will be a lot of people who criticize it as another layer of bureaucracy. But, in fact it's the right way to do human intelligence. Put CIA in charge of it just like the National Security Agency is in charge of listening. And the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency is in charge of imagery. It's the right solution, it really is.

DOBBS: It's reassuring hearing it from you. Senator Jay Rockefeller, vice chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee. Thank you, sir.

ROCKEFELLER: Thank you, Lou.

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