    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2007, Book I)]
    [February 20, 2007]
    [Pages 162-164]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks at a Swearing-In Ceremony for J. Michael McConnell as Director of National Intelligence
    February 20, 2007

        Thank you all. Please be seated. Thanks for the warm welcome. Good
    morning. I'm proud to be here at Bolling Air Force Base to congratulate
    Mike McConnell on becoming our Nation's second Director of National
    Intelligence. I'm really pleased that Mike's wife Terry, his four children--Erin, Mark, Jennifer, and
    Christine--their grandchildren, his sister--[laughter]--and other family
    members have joined us. It's a big deal to watch your dad and granddad
    get sworn in to a position of this importance.
        I appreciate members of my administration who have joined us, in
    particular the Secretary of Defense, Bob Gates; General Michael Hayden,
    Director of the CIA; Bob Mueller,
    Director of the FBI; and other important figures too numerous to
    mention. Thank you for serving our country.
        I appreciate the members of the intelligence community who have
    joined us. Part of the reason I have come is to honor this good man, and
    part of the reason I have come is to honor your good work. This Nation
    owes you a debt of gratitude.
        The Director of National Intelligence holds one of the most
    difficult and important positions in our Government. In this time of
    war--and we are a nation at war--the President and his national security
    team must have the best intelligence about the plans and purpose of the
    enemy. And the job of the Director of National Intelligence is to ensure
    that we do. The Director of National Intelligence is the President's
    principal adviser on intelligence matters. He is also the leader of our
    entire intelligence community. He advises me about the national
    intelligence budget. He oversees the collection and analysis of
    intelligence information. He works to ensure that all of our
    intelligence agencies and offices work together as a single, unified
    enterprise.
        These are enormous challenges, and Mike McConnell has the experience
    and the character and the talent to meet them. He spent most of his
    adult life working in the intelligence world. He served as the executive
    assistant to the Director of Naval Intelligence, as the chief of naval
    forces division at the National Security Agency, as director of
    intelligence for the Joint Chiefs of Staff during Operation Desert
    Storm, and as the Director for the National Security Agency. He's got a
    solid resume.
        He also earned our Nation's highest award for service in the
    intelligence field. He not only has got a good resume, he backed it up
    with good action. His work over a career spanning three decades is
    earning the admiration of his colleagues, the respect of the
    intelligence community, and a reputation in Washington for personal
    integrity and effective leadership. In short, you're going to like
    working with him--[laughter]--and so am I.
        Mike's long experience gives him a unique understanding of the
    threats we face in this new century. He knows that

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    the terrorists who struck America on September the 11th, 2001, are
    determined to strike our Nation again. He understands that the enemy
    uses the tools of our modern economy--from rapid transportation to
    instant communications to global finance--to spread their extremist
    ideology and facilitate new attacks.
        He knows that his task as the Director of National Intelligence is
    to make certain that America stays ahead of this enemy and learns their
    intentions before they strike. He knows that we must stop them from
    harming our citizens, that the most important task of this Government of
    ours is to protect the American people.
        In his new position, Mike builds on the work of an outstanding
    leader of our intelligence community, Ambassador John
    Negroponte. The creation of the Director
    of National Intelligence was one of the most important reforms enacted
    in response to the attacks of September the 11th. John Negroponte was
    the first person to fill this new and essential position. He did so with
    talent and distinction.
        During his time in office, John
    established the DNI as a core member of my national security team. He
    increased the unity of our intelligence community. He helped strengthen
    our national counterterrorism capabilities and improved information
    sharing between our intelligence and law enforcement communities.
        John's vision and vigilance helped
    keep the American people safe from harm. I appreciate his leadership as
    America's first Director of National Intelligence, and I thank him for
    agreeing to continue to serve our country as Deputy Secretary of State.
        Mike McConnell will expand on the vital reforms that John
    Negroponte set in motion. I've asked Mike
    to focus on several key areas. I've asked him to better integrate the
    intelligence community, making our different intelligence agencies and
    offices stronger, more collaborative, and better focused on the needs of
    their customers.
        I've asked him to improve information sharing within the
    intelligence community and with officials at all levels of our
    Government, so everyone responsible for the security of our communities
    has the intelligence they need to do their jobs. I've asked him to
    ensure that our intelligence agency focus on bringing in more Americans
    with language skills and cultural awareness necessary to meet the
    threats of this new century. I've asked him to restore agility and
    excellence to our acquisition community and ensure that our Nation
    invest in the right intelligence technologies. I've asked him to ensure
    that America has the dynamic intelligence collection and high-quality
    analysis that we need to protect our country and to win this war against
    these extremists and radicals.
        As he carries out his new duties, Mike McConnell will be relying on
    the thousands of dedicated intelligence professionals who work day and
    night to keep us safe. They are America's first line of defense against
    the terrorists. And while many of their accomplishments must remain
    secret to our fellow citizens, those accomplishments are known to me.
    And they're doing good work. You're doing good work. And the American
    people owe you a strong debt of gratitude. I appreciate your willingness
    to take on the difficult and dangerous assignments. And you just need to
    know, you've got the full support of this Government and the American
    people.
        Our intelligence community is going to have an able leader in Mike
    McConnell. I want to thank Congress for swiftly confirming Mike to this
    vital position. I look forward to working with him as a key member of my
    national security team. I'm anxious to have him in that Oval Office
    every morning. [Laughter] I hope he's anxious to show up. [Laughter]
        He'll find that I value the intelligence products that you create.
    He's going to find

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    that the intelligence product is an important part of my strategic
    thought and important part of helping me get this Government to respond
    to do our most important duty, which is to protect you. I look forward
    to working with Mike. I'm comfortable in knowing this is a good man who
    cares about one thing only, and that's his country. And I thank his
    family for supporting him as he returns to Government service.
        And now I ask my Chief of Staff, Josh Bolten, to administer the oath of office.

    Note: The President spoke at 10:16 a.m. at Bolling Air Force Base. The
    transcript released by the Office of the Press Secretary also included
    the remarks of Director McConnell.