Talent Still Undecided on Need for 'Intelligence Czar'

By Tom Weber, KWMU

St. Louis, MO – Missouri U.S. Senator Jim Talent says he still hasn't decided whether he supports the idea of a so-called 'Intelligence Czar' for the country. But Talent says the risk of such a position is creating a job that's too weak and just another layer of red tape, or a person who stifles discussion by being too powerful.

"If just a few of those people get together and all decide to take one view of something, then that's the view that's going to prevail, and everyone in the apparatus is going to be afraid to say anything different," Talent said Tuesday. "And that's part of the problem that we've had in the past."

Talent sits on the Senate Armed Services Committee, which has met this week to discuss recommendations from the 9/11 Commission.

Talent adds there are a number of other recommendations that have almost universal support, which he says should be passed now.

"Sometimes the Senate does nothing ever, or then occasionally has these fits where it churns out these huge bills without very much examination. And I don't see why we can't have a happy medium."