Intel Bill Shifts Resources From Fighting Al Qaeda to Studying "Bugs & Bunnies"

Via email:

On the same day the House takes up legislation rationing funds for our troops and forcing a quick withdrawal from Iraq, lawmakers will be asked to support a proposal that shifts critical intelligence resources from studying al Qaeda to studying climate change.

The 2008 Intelligence Authorization Act (H.R. 2082) includes deep cuts to classified CIA programs and millions in pork-barrel spending. In National Review, Byron York notes the bill forces American intelligence agencies, "normally busy with issues like al Qaeda, Iranian nuclear research, and North Korean missiles... to put aside other projects to create a special National Intelligence Estimate on climate change."

Rep. Peter Hoekstra (R-MI) argues in Congressional Quarterly that diverting scarce intelligence resources to study climate change is "wasteful" and "redundant," and "could drain resources from more conventional spy work." Hoekstra, the Ranking Republican on the House Intelligence Committee, also criticized the bill in an op-ed for the Wall Street Journal:

"The 2008 intelligence authorization bill... diverts CIA and other intelligence resources away from critical terrorism-related missions to study global climate change. ...

"I fear the intelligence authorization being voted on by Congress demonstrates some of the same short-sightedness of the 1990s. ...

"We need to spend our limited intelligence dollars wisely. We need our intelligence analysts focused on threats that require clandestine effort and classified information, such as rogue state weapons of mass destruction programs, al Qaeda and threats to American lives.

"Let other federal agencies, as more than a dozen already do, cover the 'bugs and bunnies.' But let our spies be spies."

Spending money in an intelligence bill doesn't strengthen America 's intelligence capabilities if it cuts critical operations to pay for pork and non-intelligence related matters. House Republicans will oppose this bill.

I wrote about this on WMD last week...