[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 43, Number 1 (Monday, January 8, 2007)]
[Pages 10-11]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks on the Nomination of John D. Negroponte To Be Deputy Secretary 
of State and J. Michael McConnell To Be Director of National 
Intelligence

January 5, 2007

    Mr. Vice President, thank you. Madam Secretary, thank you for 
joining us. Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the White House. I am 
pleased to announce that I intend to nominate Ambassador John Negroponte 
to be our next Deputy Secretary of State and Vice Admiral Mike McConnell 
to be America's next Director of National Intelligence.
    Under the leadership of Secretary Rice, the men and women of the 
State Department are working to expand freedom and defend America's 
interests around the world. The Deputy Secretary of State is a key role 
in shaping American foreign policy and in guiding our diplomats deployed 
around the globe. The Deputy Secretary also helps our Nation's chief 
diplomat manage the State Department and helps coordinate with other 
Federal agencies so that America speaks to the world with one voice.

[[Page 11]]

    I have asked John Negroponte to serve in this vital position at this 
crucial moment. John Negroponte knows the State Department well. After 
all, he started there in 1960 as a foreign service officer in the 
administration of President Eisenhower. In the four and a half decades 
since, he has served our Nation in eight foreign service posts, spanning 
three continents. He served as Deputy National Security Adviser to 
President Reagan. He represented America at the United Nations. He 
served as our first Ambassador to a free Iraq. And for nearly 2 years, 
John has done a superb job as America's first Director of National 
Intelligence.
    John Negroponte's broad experience, sound judgment, and expertise on 
Iraq and in the war on terror make him a superb choice as Deputy 
Secretary of State, and I look forward to working with him in this new 
post.
    Ambassador Negroponte leaves big shoes to fill as the Director of 
National Intelligence. The DNI has become a core part of our national 
security team. The DNI determines the national intelligence budget, 
oversees the collection and analysis of intelligence information, 
ensures that intelligence agencies share information with each other, 
and creates common standards for intelligence community personnel. The 
vigilance of the DNI helps keep the American people safe from harm.
    Admiral Mike McConnell has the experience, the intellect, and the 
character to succeed in this position. He served as Director of the 
National Security Agency during the 1990s. He was the intelligence 
officer for the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff during the 
liberation of Kuwait in Operation Desert Storm. Admiral McConnell has 
decades of experience, ensuring that our military forces had the 
intelligence they need to fight and win wars.
    He's worked with the Congress and with the White House to strengthen 
our defenses against threats to our information systems. He has earned 
our Nation's highest award for service in the intelligence community. As 
DNI, Mike will report directly to me, and I am confident he will give me 
the best information and analysis that America's intelligence community 
can provide.
    I thank John and Mike for taking on these new challenges. I 
appreciate their service to our country. Each of them will do good work 
in their new positions. And it is vital they take up their new 
responsibilities promptly. I'm confident the United States Senate will 
also see the value of these two serving in crucial positions, and I 
would hope that they would be confirmed as quickly as possible.
    Congratulations to you both. Thank you very much.

Note: The President spoke at 9:45 a.m. in the Roosevelt Room at the 
White House. The transcript released by the Office of the Press 
Secretary also included the remarks of Secretary-designate Negroponte 
and Director-designate McConnell.