Final Push For '04 Intel Reform Urges Bird In Hand Vs. Nothing; Bush, many lawmakers want a bill passed now, but some argue details.(A)

Byline: BRIAN MITCHELL

Remember Hesham Hedayet? He was the angry Egyptian who shot and killed two people at Los Angeles International Airport on July 4, 2002.

Did you know he had earlier sought asylum in the U.S. on the grounds that Egypt considered him a terrorist?

Nowadays, being known as a terrorist at home will pretty much nix your chances of getting a visa to enter the U.S. But it still isn't enough, legally, to get you deported if you're already here.

The House version of the intelligence reform bill would have fixed that. But the conference version, backed by the Senate, dropped those provisions -- and a whole lot of other things.

The Senate wants to focus on reforming intelligence agencies. But some key House leaders object, in large part because they want immigration and border security provisions included.

There are enough House votes to pass the conference version, with many Republicans willing to join nearly all Democrats. But Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., doesn't want to split the GOP caucus.