Truespeak

This is actually kind of funny.

According to the director of national intelligence, John Negroponte:

In his first one-on-one interview as the nation's first director of national intelligence, John Negroponte told CNN, "I think our country is safer today" because of better integrated intelligence efforts.

He also rejected criticism that his office may be moving too slowly.

"I think the story is quite the contrary," he said, pointing to a new National Clandestine Service, which includes all the nation's spies, and a new National Security Branch at the FBI.

Negroponte said the nation's intelligence has been improved since December 8, 2004, when Congress approved an intelligence reform law creating his office, despite "the fact that we've been operating from temporary quarters."

"We are scattered a bit here and there and that has made things somewhat difficult to carry out some of our activities, but we've overcome those obstacles," Negroponte said.

"I certainly believe America is safer than it was at 9/11," he said. "I believe from an intelligence point of view that our intelligence effort is better integrated today than it was previously. I think we are doing a good job at bringing together foreign, domestic and military intelligence."

Now, according to the 9/11 panel:

More than four years after the Sept. 11 attacks, U.S. intelligence agencies still are failing to share information while Congress battles over security funding, a panel that investigated the terrorist hijackings will conclude in a new report.

In interviews Friday, members of the former Sept. 11 commission said the government should receive a dismal grade for its lack of urgency in enacting strong security measures to prevent terror attacks.

The 10-member, bipartisan commission disbanded after issuing 41 recommendations to bolster the nation's security in July 2004. The members have reconstituted themselves, using private funds, as the 9/11 Public Discourse Project and will release a new report Monday assessing the extent their directives have been followed.

Overall, the government has performed "not very well," said former commission chairman Thomas Kean, former Republican governor of New Jersey.

"Before 9-11, both the Clinton and Bush administrations said they had identified

Osama bin Laden and al-Qaida as problems that have to be dealt with, and were working on it," Kean said. "But they just were not very high on their priority list. And again it seems that the safety of the American people is not very high on Washington's priority list."

Gee...who to believe? A Bush administration crony or a bipartisan commision? Hmmm... I'm going to have to think that one over this weekend. It's a tough decision.

By the way, it's now been one full day and I have yet to receive a response from Michelle Malkin to the letter I wrote her yesterday. I'm sure she must be very busy and will get back to me as soon as possible.

Have a gret weekend, everybody. I'll be at the Rams/Redskins game on Sunday, so look for me on television. I'll be the guy in the Rams shirt.