Bush calls on Congress to create new intelligence adviser post

Following a key recommendation from the panel investigating the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, President Bush Monday called on Congress to create a position to oversee foreign and domestic intelligence operations.

The National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States released a report last month calling for a major overhaul of the intelligence community, including the creation of a Cabinet-level national intelligence director that would oversee 15 federal intelligence agencies and consult with the director of the CIA. The CIA director currently coordinates all federal intelligence efforts.

The commission's report also called for a position with budgetary power over the 15 agencies, but Bush administration officials describe the proposed position as an adviser to the president.

"The person in that office will be appointed by the president with the advice and consent of the Senate, and will serve at the pleasure of the president," Bush said during a White House press conference where he appeared with several Cabinet members. "The national intelligence director will serve as the president's principal intelligence adviser and will oversee and coordinate the foreign and domestic activities of the intelligence community."

Condoleezza Rice, President Bush's national security adviser, and White House Chief of Staff Andrew Card said the newly created position would have "input" on intelligence agency budgets.

"I would think that the recommendation of this person on the budget would … strongly influence any final budget," Rice said. "Right now, budgetary authority is chopped up among many different jurisdictions, and so that has to be dealt with, too."

Bush rejected the panel's recommendation that the new post be within the White House. Last week, Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich.,expressed concern about that potential arrangement. Bush said Monday that a separate intelligence office will be in a better position to oversee activities between different agencies.

"I don't think that the office ought to be in the White House," he said. "I think it ought to be a stand-alone group to better coordinate, particularly between foreign intelligence and domestic intelligence matters."

During his press conference, Bush also announced the establishment of a National Counterterrorism Center, which will build on the work of the existing Terrorist Threat Integration Center. The new center will become "our government's knowledge bank for information about known and suspected terrorists," according to Bush.

Although many of the 9/11 panel's proposed reforms will require congressional approval -- Bush said that "creating the position of the national intelligence director will require a substantial revision of the 1947 National Security Act" -- lawmakers are not scheduled to return to Capitol Hill for another month, and it is unclear when they would be able to take action.

Bush indicated that the White House is not planning an urgent push to implement any of the measures.

"Listen, the Congress has been thinking about some of these ideas. They can think about them over August and come back and act on them in September," he said. "We look forward to working with them."