The President has picked a consummate professional to lead the nation’s intelligence efforts. Mike McConnell has a lifetime of experience, gained through his service in naval intelligence, as head of the NSA and as a long-time proponent of intelligence reform.
He is replacing a good man, one of the nation’s best diplomats who will continue to serve our country in the State Department. John Negroponte has guided this essential new organization through its early stages, and Mike McConnell brings his decades of experience to continue its development. His nomination hearing, which I expect will be part of a series of hearings reviewing the progress so far of the DNI’s office, will provide Congress and the public valuable insights into Mr. McConnell’s vision for advancing intelligence community reform.