[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 43, Number 8 (Monday, February 26, 2007)]
[Pages 184-186]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
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

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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 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.

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    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 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.