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Panel chief: 'Long way to go' in domestic terror fight
(CNN) -- A homeland security commission is expected to recommend creating an independent counterterrorism agency to help gather intelligence about domestic terror threats. James Gilmore, chairman of the Gilmore Commission and a former Virginia governor, spoke Monday to CNN Anchor Bill Hemmer about some of his panel's proposals. HEMMER: Answer the question first off here: Is the U.S. better prepared in the event, God forbid, of another 9/11? GILMORE: Bill, the United States is better prepared. After 9/11, aggressive action has been taken at federal, state and local levels. A lot of reforms have been made. A lot of preparation has been made. But the key message, I think, to the American people is that while we're better prepared, we have a long way to go, and our commission will be reporting ... HEMMER: Tell us how we are better. GILMORE: We're better prepared because people at state and local levels, as well as private enterprise, have taken individual initiatives in order to protect their citizens and their employees. But ... HEMMER: How so? What methods have changed? What programs have been initiated that will prove that? GILMORE: Well, because the states, for example, have -- and I was the governor of a state at the time of the 9/11 attack -- have taken individual actions to protect. They've worked together with their localities. They've worked together with individual private enterprise people. And the federal government has taken great initiatives, also. They've developed the Department of Homeland Security, set up a strategy. But while we've come a long way, Bill, we have a long way to go, and that's what our commission report is going to talk about. HEMMER: And that's what I want to go into. A national counterterrorism center -- how do you define that, governor? GILMORE: Well, we think that there needs to be, the commission believes that there needs to be a separate stand-alone intelligence organization to begin to fuse together all of the intelligence from the different organizations -- the FBI, the CIA, the National Security Agency. There have been historical problems with getting that information shared between them and being able to connect the dots. We think there needs to be one unified center reporting directly into the executive branch, to the president. We also think there needs to be an additional agency to focus on counterintelligence work here within the United States as well. HEMMER: How does that differ from the intelligence czar that's been proposed by the bipartisan commission in Congress? GILMORE: Well, I think it's different because the intelligence czar is an idea about a structural management of all the intelligence organizations under one umbrella. Our concern is that we think that there needs to be a focus on counterterrorism in the United States while at the same time maintaining the civil liberties of the American people. We don't think there's enough discussion going on about the freedoms of the American people and the civil liberties of the American people. There are technological fixes and structures that are being put into place, and they're very efficient. Americans are very efficient about fixing problems. But we have to be very careful not to overbear the freedoms and privacies of the American people while we're doing this. HEMMER: You know what FBI Director Robert Mueller said last week? He doesn't like the idea of an intelligence czar. I take it you're not really on board with that, either. How much fighting will there be in Washington to get anything that you're suggesting right now implemented? GILMORE: Well, I think there's a great momentum toward moving ahead on many of these issues. The Department of Homeland Security is now being [set] up. There are many efforts that are moving ahead in place. I think there's a lot of momentum. But on the other hand, we have to make sure that we continue that drive and momentum. There's concern about a break of momentum in preparing the people of the United States. There's a lot to be done here. We have to think about critical infrastructure. We have to think about health care and the need to prepare for a bioterrorism attack. The issue of smallpox vaccinations is, of course, in place at this point. And the use of the military. You just can't ignore the fact that we're beginning a process of enabling the military to act within the borders of the United States. HEMMER: ... I understand all your words, but putting them into practice really is the test here, and the American people want to see whether or not, how they will be protected in the future. How will this commission right now that you're recommending forego anything else that's been proposed over the past 15 months, make America safer? GILMORE: This commission has been at work since January of 1999. And we are focusing on moving ahead. We're trying to stay ahead of the debate and make sure that all the critical issues are discussed as we move, as we move forward into the future instead of looking backward. But that means you have to deal with all these issues involving the safeguards and protections of the American people and their freedoms as we move ahead.
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