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Law

Former 9/11 Commissioner says intelligence changes made a difference

The 9/11 Commission Report, released in 2004, called for major changes in U.S. intelligence agencies.
Department of Homeland Security
The 9/11 Commission Report, released in 2004, called for major changes in U.S. intelligence agencies.

Former U.S. Senator from Washington state, Slade Gorton,  says the killing of bin Laden is proof that intelligence agencies in the United States have improved.  Gorton sat on the 9/11 Commission, which investigated the terrorist attacks. Gorton credits Congress with adopting many of the recommendations made by the 9/11 Commission in 2004. After 9/11,  U.S. intelligence agencies were criticized for failing to prevent the attacks.  Gorton says the killing of Osama bin Laden proves that a lot has changed since then.

“There was a substantial reorganization of all of our intelligence agencies, a better line of communication between them and the President and, I think, under Leon Panetta a more effective CIA,” Gorton said.

Gorton, who is a Republican,  expressed admiration for President Obama and for the "patience of two administrations" that worked to hunt down Osama bin Laden.

Paula is a former host, reporter and producer who retired from KNKX in 2021. She joined the station in 1989 as All Things Considered host and covered the Law and Justice beat for 15 years. Paula grew up in Idaho and, prior to KNKX, worked in public radio and television in Boise, San Francisco and upstate New York.