yes...and no....
While it does appear that the choice (among the members of the intell committees) regarding how many would be briefed has the possibility of being reduced, given the nature of the beast it is unlikely. I hope that I'm wrong! I don't see it as probable though.Originally Posted by marct
Hi Victoria,
You may be right - at least on the surface it would appear that the Executive is loosing power. However, let me note that there are, I believe, two committees involved and if they each have their own rules, I would bet that those rules will contradict each other on some points. I also have a suspicion that by freeing the choice up this way, it is now more possible for the number in the need to know pool to be restricted to, say, the chair of each committee.
Those, like locks, rarely do more than to keep the honest people honest.
I agree wholeheartedly. As JTF mentioned, our Congress is the most powerful branch of our government. The inherent fractiousness within that body tends to prevent its ability to fully exercise that power. The current D:R ratio, however, may push the fulcrum a bit further to their advantage. Again, I hope I'm wrong. I just don't trust committees as a rule...they tend to have rather short success lists of well-designed horses...I'm pretty inquisitive myself. I've always preferred the 50 years rule rather than "in perpetuity" myself. Then again, I think that politicians (or their memories) should be held accountable for their actions.
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