Senate easily approves Negroponte as intelligence chief

The Senate Thursday confirmed John Negroponte to be the nation's first national intelligence director, on a 98-2 vote.

Negroponte, a veteran diplomat whose career spans ambassadorial posts in Iraq, the United Nations, Honduras and the Philippines, will direct an intelligence-gathering apparatus overhauled last year by Congress.

He is expected to take over duties for delivering the president's daily intelligence briefing next week.

Democratic Sens. Tom Harkin of Iowa and Ron Wyden of Oregon were the only senators to vote against the confirmation.

Negroponte repeatedly told members of the Senate Intelligence Committee during his confirmation hearing on April 12 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."

Senators had 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.

Chris Strohm contributed to this report.