Symposium discussion turns into heated debate
"It can take anywhere from four months to a year to 18 months to hire," McConnell agreed, "I'd like to get that down to a month."
After providing the audience with his personal e-mail address in case they experience any problems with their applications, he joked, "hopefully we're better than the Department of Motor Vehicles. I wish you good luck when you renew your license."
The event's professional though heated, atmosphere suffered a brief interruption when Jerry Raitzyk, a representative from the Network of Spiritual Progressives, began reading selections from government documents addressing waterboarding and refused to give up the microphone during the question and answer session at the event's conclusion.
"[McConnell] wouldn't let me finish what I was saying there," Raitzyk said after the discussion.
An FAS member took the microphone out of Raitzyk's hands when he called the director "arrogant," motivating Raitzyk to proclaim that he did not need a microphone to be heard. There were no further interruptions to the discussion.
McConnell took the opportunity to promote renewing legislation that would allow the U.S. government to wiretap, without obtaining a warrant, foreign communications passing through the United States.
"Think of wireless as the on- and off-ramp of a 6,000-lane highway," he said. "Communications from Pakistan to Iraq likely could pass through the United States."
McConnell considers the tools the Protect America Act of 2007 provides essential to protecting the United States, although the Act expired Feb. 17, 2008, and officials must now go through the court system to obtain warrants.
McConnell also briefly answered audience questions regarding terrorist acquisition of weapons of mass destruction and the presence of Al Qaeda and sectarian violence in Iraq.
"Everything went well," Professor David said when asked for his reaction to the event. "I wish we had more time for follow-ups. I don't agree with everything [Director McConnell] said - that was apparent," he added, smiling. "However, it's an opportunity to hear from high-ranking officials. I wanted to hear it straight from the horse's mouth."
After providing the audience with his personal e-mail address in case they experience any problems with their applications, he joked, "hopefully we're better than the Department of Motor Vehicles. I wish you good luck when you renew your license."
The event's professional though heated, atmosphere suffered a brief interruption when Jerry Raitzyk, a representative from the Network of Spiritual Progressives, began reading selections from government documents addressing waterboarding and refused to give up the microphone during the question and answer session at the event's conclusion.
"[McConnell] wouldn't let me finish what I was saying there," Raitzyk said after the discussion.
An FAS member took the microphone out of Raitzyk's hands when he called the director "arrogant," motivating Raitzyk to proclaim that he did not need a microphone to be heard. There were no further interruptions to the discussion.
McConnell took the opportunity to promote renewing legislation that would allow the U.S. government to wiretap, without obtaining a warrant, foreign communications passing through the United States.
"Think of wireless as the on- and off-ramp of a 6,000-lane highway," he said. "Communications from Pakistan to Iraq likely could pass through the United States."
McConnell considers the tools the Protect America Act of 2007 provides essential to protecting the United States, although the Act expired Feb. 17, 2008, and officials must now go through the court system to obtain warrants.
McConnell also briefly answered audience questions regarding terrorist acquisition of weapons of mass destruction and the presence of Al Qaeda and sectarian violence in Iraq.
"Everything went well," Professor David said when asked for his reaction to the event. "I wish we had more time for follow-ups. I don't agree with everything [Director McConnell] said - that was apparent," he added, smiling. "However, it's an opportunity to hear from high-ranking officials. I wanted to hear it straight from the horse's mouth."
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