Washington Post [...]
May 27, 2001
Senate Committee Chair Changes Likely To Alter Priorities
Intelligence Committee
Florida Sen. Bob Graham's replacement of Richard C. Shelby (R-Ala.) should not lead to major change in the panel's agenda, since both are strong supporters of the U.S. intelligence community.
Graham is said to have a solid, if not close, working relationship with Director of Central Intelligence George J. Tenet. Shelby, by contrast, has been far more combative toward Tenet, although tensions have abated since Bush announced he would be keeping Tenet on at Langley.
One key difference between Graham and Shelby, noted last week by the Federation of American Scientists' Steven Aftergood, is that Graham favors public disclosure of the intelligence community's overall budget -- thought to be about $ 30 billion a year -- while Shelby believes it should remain a secret. --Vernon Loeb
Copyright 2001 Washington Post