The White House is considering making it easier for people to obtain top-secret security clearances by eliminating some time-consuming background checks, says the Bush administration’s point man on clearances. The goal, says Clay Johnson III, deputy director of the Office of Management and Budget, is to speed up a process that, according to a series of government reports, wastes millions of dollars and endangers public safety by leaving thousands of defense, homeland security and intelligence jobs unfilled for more than a year. Full Story