Intelligence Failures Have Created Distrust Among Citizens

For years, the Bush administration has not kept the Senate Intelligence committee fully and currently informed of all appropriate intelligence activities. Until recently, for example, for some time now only two Democratic senators were allowed by the Bush administration to be briefed on all these matters that are all over our newspapers.

These failures in my view have put the American people in a difficult spot. Because the committee hasn’t been kept informed, because of these revelations in the newspapers, now we have many of our citizens — law-abiding, patriotic Americans who want to strike the balance between fighting terrorism and protecting liberty, now they’re questioning their government’s word. (from the open hearing of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence-May 18)