Speakers & Organizers   

Biography
From the mid-1970's to 1990 Brent Budowsky served in senior Congressional Staff positions including Legislative Assistant to former U.S. Senator Lloyd Bentsen, and Legislative Director to Representative Bill Alexander, then Chief Deputy Majority Whip. With Senator Bentsen Mr. Budowsky was extensively involved with the Intelligence Identities Protection Law and Intelligence Officers Death Benefits Act. During his years with Congressional Leadership he was involved with conflicts ranging from Central America and opposing the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan to supporting freedom in Eastern Europe and world trade issues. Mr. Budowsky left politics in 1990 to pursue business interests involving marketing and public affairs ranging from the talent agency that represented Frank Sinatra to a Papal CD to traditional corporate business. Mr. Budowsky reengaged politically after 9-11 and informally advises both Democrats and Republicans. His politics are demonstrated in columns he occasionally writes. In a trilogy of essays in the Christian Science Monitor, Mr. Budowsky proposed after the contested 2000 election that both parties reach out for a new bipartisanship. He later proposed "Lets Make the Democrats the Patriot Party" and finally called in 2002 for a "Star Spangled" national unity ticket of Bob Kerrey and John McCain. Writing in the National Review Online (12/15/04) an essay titled "Reagan, Roosevelt, Rushmore" Mr. Budowsky called Presidents FDR and Ronald Reagan "the great bookends of freedom" who were the indispensable leaders in the victories over fascism and communism. Mr. Budowsky deplores the partisanship and divisions in American politics today and calls for a new bipartisanship necessary for a nation at war, facing what he believes is an inevitable terrorist WMD attack on American soil unless dramatic bipartisan initiatives are undertaken.

---

Session HS12: A Bipartisan Plan For A Nation at War
February 18, 10:00 - 10:45 Abstract:
Mr. Budowsky will call for a renewed spirit of bipartisanship between the political parties, and executive-legislative collaboration, appropriate for a Nation facing potential terrorist attacks employing WMD. Deplores politicization of intelligence by either party, calls for maximum sharing of information, maximum respect for confidentiality of classified information, and shared commitment to increased support for human intelligence and for risk taking spirit throughout intelligence community. This is fostered by maximum consensus, cooperation, and avoiding any partisanship which has been historically destructive. Executive-Legislative collaboration should create consensus on structural organization of intelligence responsibilities, notification and oversight of Congress, mutual confidence in good faith, executive avoiding tendencies to withhold information, legislative avoiding tendencies to leak classified information.