CNN Lou Dobbs Tonight - Transcript

CNN

SHOW: LOU DOBBS TONIGHT 18:00

HEADLINE: Bush Backs Spy Czar Recommendation; New York, New Jersey Step Up Security

GUESTS: Bruce Hoffman, Joseph Lieberman, Susan Collins

BYLINE: Kitty Pilgrim, Elaine Quijano, Ed Henry, Bill Tucker, Kelli Arena, Dana Bash, William Schneider, Peter Viles, Lisa Sylvester, Christine Romans

HIGHLIGHT:
President Bush has announced that he's backing the 9/11 Commission's recommendation to create the post of a national intelligence director. Then, New York and New Jersey step up security.

BODY:
PILGRIM: And my next guest last week called a rare Senate hearing during the summer recess to address the 9/11 commission's findings. Senator Susan Collins of Maine is the chair of the Governmental Affairs Committee, and she joins me now from Washington.

Senator Collins, thanks so much for joining us.

SEN. SUSAN COLLINS (R-ME), GOVERNMENTAL AFFAIRS COMMITTEE CHAIR: My pleasure.

PILGRIM: The president proposed the creation of a national intelligence director, also a counterterrorism center. How do you feel about these measures today?

COLLINS: I'm delighted that the president has taken such swift and decisive action in response to the commission's recommendations. I believe that the president has taken the right steps in endorsing the national intelligence director and in creating the national counterterrorism center. Both are key recommendations of the commission and build upon reforms that the administration has already implemented.

PILGRIM: Let me ask you a question I asked Senator Lieberman. Do-are you satisfied now at the pace at which we are moving? You were very forthright in saying we had to move very quickly. Are you convinced we're doing-we're on track at this point?

COLLINS: We are on track. Senator Lieberman and I held the first congressional hearing to receive testimony from the chairman and the vice chairman of the commission last Friday. We have another hearing scheduled for tomorrow. We have two more hearings scheduled for later this month.

And that's appropriate because the threat is an urgent one, and we need to act without undue delay. We have to be careful that we get this right. We have to move, however, with speed, but not with haste.

PILGRIM: Some of the Senate committee members-most of them-voice support for the 9/11 panel recommendations, but there were some sticking points. What are the problem areas, and where will you have trouble? What areas will you have trouble getting done?

COLLINS: Well, I think this task in many ways is a challenging one. Massive reorganizations are always met with resistance among those who are being reorganized, but the stakes are really too high to let power struggles or turf battles doom these needed reforms.

There are, however, a lot of thorny issues. For example, should the new intelligence director be located in the White House, in the executive Office of the President as recommended by the commission, or should there be some distance there to ensure independence as the president has proposed?

That's one of the very difficult philosophical and practical issues that the committee will be dealing with.

PILGRIM: One of the things touched on in today's discussion over this was how much should an executive order play into this? How much power do you think the President should have independent of any congressional forum?

COLLINS: I'm pleased that the President is proceeding with implementing as many of the recommendations as he can through executive orders and other administrative actions.

However, I agree with my colleague, Joe Lieberman, that it is important to enshrine in law many of the major reforms, and indeed the President specifically asked Congress to pass legislation creating the national intelligence director. I think we need to do that with the national counterterrorism center as well.

PILGRIM: All right. Thank you very much for joining us tonight. Senator Susan Collins, and good luck with your work, Senator.

COLLINS: Thank you.