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| Home Front: Politix |
| Bond sez Risen's disclosures have compromised US intelligence |
| 2006-01-16 |
| Sen. Christopher "Kit" Bond argued Friday after returning from Iraq that recent disclosures about American intelligence gathering had blown the cover of key sources and made them targets for assassination. Bond, R-Mo., is a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee. He said defense and intelligence officials also had told him that potential sources of information were refusing to cooperate because they fear for their lives. "Sources that they've approached to work with them have said, 'I'm not going to work with you because you all can't keep a secret, and if it's known I'm working with you, it's a death warrant,'" Bond said. Bond was referring to New York Times reporter James Risen's book "State of War" and other disclosures that included the Bush administration's wiretapping and domestic spying. He added, "There have been some serious impacts that make us much less safe because our intelligence has been compromised drastically." Bond spoke a day after returning from a weeklong trip to the Middle East. He also visited Afghanistan, Pakistan, Kuwait and Qatar. Bond traveled with three Democrats - Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois, Sen. Evan Bayh of Indiana and Rep. Harold Ford of Tennessee. Bond said he had seen progress in Iraq but also continued challenges. Among them is the need for more training of Iraq security forces. "We understand that we're going to be there for a while," he said. "But our presence there is absolutely essential if we are to avoid the area slipping back into a haven for terrorists." On the trip, Bond met with his son Sam, a Marine first lieutenant who has been in Iraq for 11 months. The senator said that shortly before his trip, five members of his son's unit had been killed by an explosive device planted by insurgents. In western Pakistan, where al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden may be hiding, the delegation traveled along the perimeter of hostile territory. They witnessed at a roadblock the impediments to outsiders entering the region. "It's extremely difficult to go into Osama's neighborhood," Bond said. |
| Posted by:Dan Darling |