Bush taps former NSA chief as intelligence director

President Bush announced Friday that he has selected retired Navy Vice Adm. J. Michael McConnell to become the second director of national intelligence.

If confirmed, McConnell, who was chief of the National Security Agency during the 1990s, would replace outgoing DNI John Negroponte. Bush hailed McConnell for "ensuring that our military forces had the intelligence they need to fight and win wars" when he served under the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff during the first Gulf War. Bush also lauded McConnell's work at NSA.

Negroponte has served as the country's first DNI for the last 20 months. On Friday, Bush formally announced his intention to nominate Negroponte to serve under Condoleezza Rice as deputy secretary of State.

Both nominees still face confirmation by a Senate now controlled by the Democrats. Bush pressed lawmakers to make quick decisions.

"Each of them will do good work in their new positions," Bush said, "and it is vital they take up their new responsibilities promptly."

McConnell would be confronted with a challenge similar to that faced by Negroponte. In a still new position, he would have to manage and organize data from 15 different agencies at a time when the intelligence community has been chastised by lawmakers for failing to adequately share information. Misinformation leading up to the Iraq War only furthered criticisms of American intelligence.

McConnell said that, if confirmed, he will continue Negroponte's efforts to push for intelligence sharing among agencies.

"Unlike just a decade ago, the threats of today and the future are moving at increasing speeds and across organizational and geographic boundaries," McConnell said. "This will require increased coordinated responsiveness by our community of intelligence professionals."

In 2004, the 9/11 Commission called upon Congress to create a single official to coordinate intelligence and spy agencies. And in February 2005, Bush nominated Negroponte to fill that role, but only after several other candidates weren't interested. Negroponte, who has spent most of his government career as a Foreign Service employee, was enthusiastic about the opportunity to return to the State Department.

"I look forward to supporting Secretary Rice in carrying out your foreign policy goals," Negroponte told Bush, adding that he believes the DNI position has facilitated better intelligence sharing since its inception.