The more we dig into this scuffle the more dimensions to the story there appear to be — beyond the turf issues between the Senate and the executive, you’ve got issue of intel budgetary reform, the future of the CIA and anti-terror ops, the legacy of torture, the ability of the senate overseers to big foot intelligence operators who lack a clear political power base. Did the Obama team really brief junior members of the intel committee and not the incoming chairman? At each point, the first-bat questions yield more questions than answers.
We’re digging into this in a big way today because beyond the particulars of intel policy (which are of great consequence in themselves), this strikes me as the first story of 2009 that’s a real story rather than mere theater or ephemeral drama. This is going to give us our first read of the interaction between the incoming Obama administration and the senate Democrats.
As I wrote last night, my very preliminary impression is that the people whose opinions I respect most seem open to or in favor of the pick, whereas those opposing it strike me as more motivated by turf and power struggles. But that’s only a very preliminary impression and we’re looking for more data points, more reactions to put together a fuller picture.
Elana Schor is down at the Capitol as I write, probing different aspects of the story. And as usual, I’m eager to hear from knowledgable folks on the Hill and in the Intel world for your read about what’s going on here.
For those interested in more, Laura Rozen has some more details at her new blog at Foreign Policy.
