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Research tells me the nation is not going to be safer with James R. Clapper Jr. as DNI, because his track record is one of a bureaucrat, not a problem solver.

I’ve never been a huge fan of Admiral Dennis Blair as Director of National Intelligence—nor of the institution of DNI, for that matter. A fine naval officer, Blair seemed out of his milieu as DNI, often unaware of basic facts that someone in his position should know. Part the problem is inherent in the DNI concept—the conceit that some all-seeing super-bureaucrat could, simply by virtue of high rank, a big staff and an even bigger budget, fix all the problems with America’s intelligence community. But some of the problems resided with Blair himself. The Obama administration has come to...

BREAKING: President Obama will replace his Director of National Intelligence, Dennis Blair, POLITICO has confirmed. "We expect Admiral Blair to offer his resignation tomorrow," an official said. "We have been interviewing several strong candidates to be his replacement. "

(CNSNews.com) - Rep. Pete Hoekstra of Michigan, the ranking Republican on the House intelligence committee, says the resignation of Director of National Intelligence Dennis Blair “is the result of the Obama administration’s rampant politicization of national security and outright disregard for congressional intelligence oversight.” ABC News reported today that President Barack Obama would be accepting Blair’s resignation tomorrow, and the Associated Press reported that the administration has already interviewed several candidates to replace him. Hoekstra, who formerly served as chairman of the intelligence committee, issued a written statement saying that Blair’s readiness to step down, considering his record of service...

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Michael McConnell, former director of national intelligence, warns that the threat of a cyberattack rivals nuclear weapons in terms of seriousness.The risk of a catastrophic cyberattack is approaching the gravity of the nuclear risk, according to the Bush administration's top spy. "The cyber risk has become so important that, in my view, it rivals nuclear weapons in terms of seriousness," Michael McConnell, former director of national intelligence, said Tuesday at a hearing of the Senate committee on commerce, transportation, and technology. McConnell warned in striking terms that the United States was not prepared either for cyber warfare or cyber criminals....

First, [he] would have gathered [his] entire national-security team, not just the Justice Department ... Second, assuming Abdulmutallab had been designated as an enemy combatant, the interrogators would have thoroughly interrogated him to learn if he had information that could prevent a future attack. ... Third, once they were satisfied that he had no additional intelligence to provide, he would have been transferred for prosecution to either the civilian or the military system. ... But don’t take our word for it. Let’s briefly review what the Bush administration actually did after 9/11. (Warning to all leftist drones: Do not click...

KAILUA, HAWAII -- Before heading to a luau on Wednesday, President Obama did something much more somber, his aides said: He called CIA Director Leon Panetta to discuss the deaths of seven agency officers in a suicide attack in Afghanistan.

Source: 9/11 Terror Detainees Face Trial in N.Y. Friday, November 13, 2009 WASHINGTON — Self-proclaimed Sept. 11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and four other Guantanamo Bay detainees will be sent to New York to face trial in a civilian federal court, an Obama administration official said Friday. The official said Attorney General Eric Holder plans to announce the decision later in the morning. The official is not authorized to discuss the decision before the announcement, so spoke on condition of anonymity.

Note: The following text is a quote: Home • Briefing Room • Presidential Actions • Executive Orders The White House Office of the Press Secretary For Immediate Release October 29, 2009 President Obama Signs Executive Order to Amend Executive Order 13462 THE WHITE HOUSE Office of the Press Secretary __________________________________________________________________________ For Immediate Release October 28, 2009 EXECUTIVE ORDER ---------------- AMENDING EXECUTIVE ORDER 13462 By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, it is hereby ordered as follows: Section 1. Executive Order 13462 of February 29, 2008, is amended...

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The United States has determined that the nuclear test conducted by North Korea last month yielded an explosion of a few kilotons, the U.S. Office of the Director of National Intelligence said on Monday. "The U.S. intelligence community assesses that North Korea probably conducted an underground nuclear explosion in the vicinity of Punggye on May 25, 2009," the office said in a statement. "The explosion yield was approximately a few kilotons." North Korea's first nuclear test, in 2006, was about one kiloton. Shortly after this year's blast, Russia said it estimated the explosion at about 20 kilotons,...

The US government has endorsed a plan to build a new generation of spy satellites, although funding to boost the Pentagon's imaging capacity still needs congressional approval. Director of National Intelligence Dennis Blair said Tuesday that his agency and the Department of Defense had finalized a plan to modernize the fleet of US observation satellites. "Imagery is a core component of our national security that supports our troops, foreign policy, homeland security and the needs of our intelligence community," Blair said in a statement. He said the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (DNI), which oversees all US spy...

SNIPPET: ""The country is fortunate that Ambassador Freeman has agreed to return to public service and contribute his remarkable skills toward further strengthening the intelligence community's analytical process," Blair said. But statements that the former ambassador made over the last three decades on U.S. peace efforts in the Middle East and Iran's threat to the international community have prompted some to question his objectivity in a role that requires it. For example, in a speech to the Pacific Council on International Policy in October 2007, Freeman said the U.S. has "abandoned the role of Middle East peacemaker to back Israel's...

WASHINGTON, (AFP) - The White House and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence on Tuesday said the House of Representatives was drawing up a new wiretap law that would hamper their job of protecting the people. The bill is a new attempt at reviving a post-September 11 law that expired last month allowing government spying on foreign telephone calls and electronic correspondence without first seeking a warrant. The White House and the Democrat-led Congress are at loggerheads over the issue of liability for telecommunications companies participating in the wiretap program. The House let the law expire on February...

The U.S. intelligence chief said Sunday that internal Hezbollah groups or Syria may be to blame for the killing of a Hezbollah commander that has led the FBI to put domestic terror squads on alert in the United States. Director of National Intelligence Mike McConnell said the United States is still reviewing the case following the death last Tuesday of commander Imad Mughniyeh. Hezbollah blamed Israel and has pledged to attack Jewish targets worldwide in retaliation. That led the FBI last week to be vigilant for possible threats in the U.S. against synagogues and other potential Jewish targets.

WASHINGTON, Feb. 5, 2008 – Al Qaeda and its affiliates remain the most pressing terrorist threats to the United States and its allies, the nation’s top intelligence official told the Senate Intelligence Committee today. Director of National Intelligence Michael McConnell gave the senators the intelligence community’s annual unclassified threat assessment. He said the top success of the past year was “there was no major attack against the United States or most of our European, Latin American, East Asia allies and partners.” The retired Navy vice admiral said the fact that there were no attacks was not an accident; rather,...

The federal agency responsible for national intelligence estimates yesterday defended its report on Iran against charges that it was crafted primarily by former State Department officials who infused their personal politics into the report to undercut the Bush administration. "It's not as if there are two or three people who craft this and then it's just put out there," said Vanee Vines, spokeswoman for the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (DNI). The response came after The Washington Times reported yesterday that the National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) was heavily influenced by three former State Department officials who dislike President...

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Bush administration said it had spent $43.5 billion on spying in fiscal 2007, as it bowed on Tuesday to a law ordering disclosure of a figure the government has kept secret for most of the past 60 years. "Disclosure of the amount of the budget is a good first step toward accountability," said Steven Aftergood of the Federation of American Scientists, which has campaigned for publication of the annual intelligence budget. The figure, which is roughly equal to the entire economy of Croatia or Qatar, dwarfs the estimated intelligence budgets of any other country including the...

WASHINGTON - President Bush said Friday that Congress must stay in session until it approves legislation modernizing a U.S. law governing eavesdropping on foreigners. "So far the Democrats in Congress have not drafted a bill I can sign," Bush said at FBI headquarters, where he was meeting with counterterror and homeland security officials. "We've worked hard and in good faith with the Democrats to find a solution, but we are not going to put our national security at risk. Time is short." The president, who has the power under the Constitution to keep Congress in session, said lawmakers cannot leave...

Subject: Modernization of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) WASHINGTON, Aug. 3 /PRNewswire-USNewsire/ -- I greatly appreciate the significant time many Members of the Senate and the House of Representatives have taken to discuss with me the urgent need to modernize FISA. I also appreciate the bipartisan support for ensuring the Intelligence Community can effectively collect the necessary intelligence to protect our country from attack. In view of the significance of this issue, its impact on the Intelligence Community's ability to be effective and the continuing dialogue to come to closure on an effective bill, it is important for...