He’s been the ambassador to Iraq, Mexico, Honduras, and the Philippines, as well as the United States’ representative at the United Nations. Now, John Negroponte heads into waters charted by none before him. Late this afternoon, the U.S. Senate confirmed Negroponte to be the first ever United States Director of National Intelligence. For the 65 year-old with foreign policy credentials that would impress even James Monroe, it will be a unique challenge. “He’s going to carry heavy burdens,” said Pat Roberts (R-KS), the chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee. Fox News reports:
In announcing Negroponte’s nomination in February, President Bush said, “If we’re going to stop the terrorists before they strike, we must ensure that our intelligence agencies work as a single, unified enterprise.”
West Virginia Sen. Jay Rockefeller, the top Democrat on the intelligence panel, has said he spent 90 minutes with the incoming chief, discussing issues including whether changes are needed in Negroponte’s powers.
“Reform of the intelligence community will involve stepping on the turf of some of the most powerful bureaucracies in Washington, first and foremost among those is the Department of Defense,” Rockefeller said Thursday. The Pentagon controls 80 percent of the intelligence community’s estimated $40 billion budget.
Opposing the nomination was Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., who has said Negroponte ducked a number of issues at his confirmation hearing this month. Wyden has questioned whether Negroponte had adequately reported human rights abuses as ambassador to Honduras in the 1980s.
“I believe the record of the ambassador’s service there is particularly telling in terms of his judgment and his willingness to confront difficult facts, which I believe are two key requirements for the director of national intelligence,” Wyden said.
