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2004-12-10 Home Front: Politix
Senator backs off spy program complaints
Sen. Jay Rockefeller (W.Va.), senior Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, on Thursday backed off complaints that a highly classified and expensive spy program is ''totally unjustified and very, very wasteful and dangerous to the national security.'' On Wednesday, Rockefeller had called the program, tucked inside Congress' new blueprint for U.S. intelligence spending, ''stunningly expensive.'' Rockefeller backed off his remarks that the program itself was dangerous to national security. ''He was referring to the fact that it was a misallocation of funds,'' his spokeswoman Wendy Morigi said.
That means the program isn't putting any money into his district
Rockefeller and three other Democratic senators -- Richard Durbin of Illinois, Carl Levin of Michigan and Ron Wyden of Oregon -- refused to sign the congressional compromise that provides for future U.S. intelligence activities. The compromise noted that the four senators believed the mystery program was unnecessary, its cost unjustified and that ''the funds for this item should be expended on other intelligence programs that will make a surer and greater contribution to national security.'' ''Independent cost estimates have shown that this program will exceed its proposed budgets by enormous amounts of money,'' said Wyden.
And this is different....how?
The Senate voted Wednesday night to send the legislation to President Bush. The rare criticisms of a highly secretive project intrigued outside intelligence experts, who said the program was almost certainly a spy satellite system.
No hard data on what this is, rumor has it that it's over budget, behind schedule, and doesn't perform as promised.
Posted by Steve 2004-12-10 10:21:16 AM|| || Front Page|| [11134 views since 2007-05-07]  Top

#1 I really hope it's the Aurora follow on. LOL!
Posted by Shipman 2004-12-10 10:55:14 AM||   2004-12-10 10:55:14 AM|| Front Page Top

#2 Ecological shift from blackbirds, huh?
Posted by rkb 2004-12-10 12:00:51 PM||   2004-12-10 12:00:51 PM|| Front Page Top

#3 No hard data on what this is, rumor has it that it's over budget, behind schedule, and doesn't perform as promised

and this is different from other pushing-the-envelope-of-what's-possible programs how?

don't get me wrong - I'm against waste in programs, but I know from experience how hard it is to accurately predict just what it will take to do something that's a big step forward from current systems .....
Posted by rkb 2004-12-10 12:02:32 PM||   2004-12-10 12:02:32 PM|| Front Page Top

#4 Not much in the way aerospace industry in their states. How's it feel to be in the minority, guys? Tough not being at the head table. Get used to it. Have to think that taxpayer money will be more effectively spent by limiting access of guys like these to the trough.
Posted by RWV 2004-12-10 12:06:51 PM||   2004-12-10 12:06:51 PM|| Front Page Top

#5 Green...funny comments!
Posted by anon 2004-12-10 1:30:47 PM||   2004-12-10 1:30:47 PM|| Front Page Top

#6 rumor has it that it's over budget, behind schedule, and doesn't perform as promised.

er....I'll take "US Senate" for $50
Posted by Frank G  2004-12-10 1:48:31 PM||   2004-12-10 1:48:31 PM|| Front Page Top

#7 Satelites? Why not Missle Defense?
Posted by danking70 2004-12-10 2:22:35 PM||   2004-12-10 2:22:35 PM|| Front Page Top

#8 On Wednesday, Rockefeller had called the program, tucked inside Congress' new blueprint for U.S. intelligence spending, ''stunningly expensive.''

"Stunningly expensive" is any proposed Federal program by a Republican administration. Please shut your piehole, Senator.

That means the program isn't putting any money into his district

Good luck catching fellow Senator Pork Byrd. It's like chasing this guy on the all-time passing yards record. Fuggedaboutit!
Posted by Raj 2004-12-10 7:27:42 PM||   2004-12-10 7:27:42 PM|| Front Page Top

#9 rumor has it that it's over budget, behind schedule, and doesn't perform as promised.

I'll take recently built tunnels through Boston for $1,000, Alex.
Posted by Raj 2004-12-10 7:30:32 PM||   2004-12-10 7:30:32 PM|| Front Page Top

#10 I'm just a little offended (on Marino's behalf) that you would bring him into this discussion on an equal of Byrd and Rockefeller. Marino's done much more for the world (maybe less for W. VA)
Posted by Frank G  2004-12-10 7:30:45 PM||   2004-12-10 7:30:45 PM|| Front Page Top

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