Final 9/11 Bill Unlikely Before Election
The Senate prepared Wednesday to fulfill an election year promise by approving a massive reorganization of the U.S. intelligence network in line with some recommendations the Sept. 11 commission suggested after finding widespread failures.But differences between the Senate bill and a House version, which includes additional anti-terrorism and illegal immigration powers, could preclude getting the recommended changes to President Bush before the election. Senators planned to pass a bill pushed by Sens. Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Joseph Lieberman, D-Conn. The legislation would create a national counterterrorism center and also a position of national intelligence director who would coordinate most of the nation’s nonmilitary intelligence agencies.Full Story