[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.