Intelligence nominee short on details about management priorities

President Bush's nominee to be the first national intelligence director said Tuesday he believes he will have enough authority to effectively manage the nation's intelligence community, but did not offer details regarding his priorities.

John Negroponte repeatedly told members of the Senate Intelligence Committee during his confirmation hearing that he will need some time to settle into the new job and further review the findings of recent commissions that chronicled intelligence failures.

"The position for which I am now nominated is a new position in a new era, and the specific recommendations I will make to the president will require careful study and engagement that is not possible prior to confirmation," he said. "That being the case, I am not now prepared to describe in detail exactly how I plan to carry out the job of director of national intelligence."

His comments drew the ire of some Democrats who sought specifics about what actions he would take if confirmed.

"I'm a bit taken aback by the vagueness of your answer," said Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif. "I'm surprised by it."

Committee Chairman Sen. Pat Roberts, R-Kan., said the 2004 Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act has ambiguities that raise concerns about whether Negroponte will have clear authority. The law, passed in response to the 9/11 Commission's recommendations, created the national intelligence director post.

Other senators questioned Negroponte on whether he will end up in a power struggle with Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld. About 80 percent of intelligence resources go to the Defense Department. Rumsfeld recently directed the Pentagon's undersecretary for intelligence, Stephen Cambone, to oversee the department's intelligence reform efforts and serve as the chief liaison with the incoming national intelligence director.

Negroponte said he and Rumsfeld have agreed to regularly meet, and that he believes he will have "substantial authorities" to manage the intelligence community.

"I will seek to make the fullest possible use of these authorities," Negroponte said.

Several senators said it is crucial for Negroponte to tell the truth when providing intelligence assessments, even if it means telling the president what he may not want to hear.

Negroponte said the president needs "the unvarnished truth, and he'll get it."

"My punch line is: I believe in calling things the way I see them," he said. He added that he will do his "utmost" to ensure that erroneous information does not make it into statements by senior administration officials.

Negroponte's testimony, however, did not satisfy Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore. Wyden said he is not convinced that Negroponte will provide the president all the facts regarding intelligence or aggressively respond if senior policymakers misuse intelligence.

"What I have seen ... leaves me very troubled," Wyden said.