The Patriot Act removed major legal barriers that prevented the law enforcement intelligence and national defense communities from talking and coordinating their work to protect the American people and our national security.

Some of the best fan mail I get are from our men and women in the military and intelligence communities. They say 'Boy you do your homework this is exactly how we're doing it.'

The prompt assimilation of that intelligence will be essential if we are to avoid another September 11th.

But it is equally incontrovertible that if our intelligence gathering process is seriously flawed we had better find out and find out fast if we are to avoid another Sept. 11.

When I was the director of Central Intelligence in the early '90s I tried to get the Air Force to partner with us in building drones. And they didn't want to because they had no pilots.

But some actors I have met possess an intelligence that I can only dream of. It's about character it's about behavior. They understand things about people that I simply don't see.

Would it not be much better to have a president who deliberately lied to the people because he thought a war was essential than to have one who was so dumb as to be taken in by intelligence agencies especially those who told him what he wanted to hear?

As a former career intelligence professional I have a profound appreciation for the value of intelligence. Intelligence disrupts terrorist plots and thwarts attacks. Intelligence saves lives.

I will not nor will I ever publicly divulge sensitive intelligence sources and methods. For when that happens our national security is endangered and lives can be lost.

We are in this business whether it be intelligence or the government to protect freedom democracy and liberty not to violate that.