Bush taps House intelligence chairman to serve as CIA director

President Bush Tuesday nominated Rep. Porter Goss, R-Fla., to be the new director of the CIA.

"Porter Goss is a leader with strong experience in intelligence and in the fight against terrorism," Bush said at a Rose Garden ceremony at the White House. "He knows the CIA inside and out. He's the right man to lead this important agency at this critical moment in our nation's history."

Goss, who chairs the House Intelligence Committee, said he was "deeply honored" to be chosen to lead the agency. "What many Americans don't realize is we've got a lot of people around the globe doing very, very hard work -- long hours in dangerous situations," he said. "The essence of our intelligence capability is people. And we have some wonderful Americans doing a great job."

As Intelligence Committee chairman, Goss straddles the often blurred but increasingly vital line between overseas intelligence information and domestic security. With his low-profile style plus his work during the 1960s in the CIA's Clandestine Services in Latin America and Europe, Goss has attained an iconic status on Capitol Hill for his knowledge of intelligence operations and policy.

"No one has a greater expertise on intelligence issues," said House Rules Committee Chairman David Dreier, R-Calif., earlier this year. Dreier has worked closely with Goss. In co-chairing a House-Senate inquiry into pre-9/11 intelligence failures, Goss was instrumental in building its bipartisan conclusion that the intelligence community "missed opportunities to disrupt" the terrorists' plot.

The panel, which pointedly criticized the FBI's failure to pursue domestic terrorism, recommended creation of an "all-source terrorism information fusion center" in the Homeland Security Department to integrate information on foreign individuals who pose terrorist threats - a recommendation accepted by Secretary Tom Ridge.

Although Goss has been careful to keep the intelligence community from intruding into domestic policy, he moved quickly to create a homeland-security subcommittee after the 2001 attacks. More recently, he has used his seat on the Homeland Security Committee to press both Congress and the executive branch to improve their structure and management of internal security responsibilities.

Likewise, Goss earlier promoted a beefing-up of CIA intelligence activities, including the recruiting of more spies. In disdaining the public spotlight and encouraging consensus on the Intelligence Committee, which he has chaired since 1997, Goss has been a favorite of House Republican leaders.

Bush said he expected bipartisan support in the Senate for Goss' nomination. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn., hailed Goss as "an outstanding selection and is highly qualified." Frist said he will work with Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Pat Roberts, R-Kan., to schedule confirmation hearings this fall.

But Goss' path to confirmation could be bumpy. Intelligence ranking member John (Jay) Rockefeller, D-W.Va., previously has indicated he believes Goss is too partisan to head the CIA.

"He's a fine man and the fact that he's a Republican congressman doesn't bother me," said Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y. "I would find it very hard to support any nominee who did not endorse the 9/11 commission recommendations on intelligence. ... The focal point of this nomination is not who he is, but these recommendations."