Bush nominates Hayden as CIA chief

WASHINGTON - President George W. Bushhas  nominated Air Force Gen. Michael Hayden as CIA director, setting up a battle with the US Congress over his military background and key role in Bush's domestic spying program.

Hayden is set to face tough questions in the Senate, although administration officials were confident he would be confirmed, unlike Bush's Supreme Court nominee Harriet Miers who failed to gain enough support from senators last year.

"He's the right man to lead the CIA at this critical moment in our nation's history," Bush said in making the announcement with Hayden at his side in the Oval Office.

Hayden, 61, the No. 2 US intelligence official who directed the National Security Agency until last year, would replace Porter Goss. Goss was forced to resign on Friday amid criticism over his ability to lead the espionage agency in an era of post-September 11 reforms.

As NSA director, Hayden was a central figure in crafting and implementing the warrantless eavesdropping program that was assailed by critics as a violation of civil rights and which prompted lawmakers, including influential Republicans, to question Bush's use of executive power.

Critics also warned that putting an active-duty military officer in charge of the civilian CIA could further undermine already faltering morale among agency staff still reeling from intelligence debacles over the September 11 attacks and Iraq.

"It sends the wrong signal," Rep. Peter Hoekstra, a Michigan Republican who heads the House of Representatives Intelligence Committee but who will have no say in the Senate confirmation, told CNN. "I'm not sure he can adapt."

US intelligence chief John Negroponte said Hayden had no plans to retire from the military, dismissing concerns that his status would give US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld the upper hand in any power struggle between the Pentagon and the CIA.

"There's a lot of unfounded concerns there," he said. "I can assure you that there isn't that kind of rift."

Bush, who is attempting to rebound from sagging poll numbers, noted that the Senate had unanimously confirmed Hayden last year to become deputy director of national intelligence and called on senators to confirm him again promptly.

"Mike knows our intelligence community from the ground up. He has been both a provider and a consumer of intelligence," Bush said.

Sen. Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania, Republican chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, has said Hayden's nomination would give Congress a chance to press the White House for new details about the highly secretive domestic spying program, which was revealed in December last year.

The program allows the NSA to monitor the international phone calls and emails of US citizens without first obtaining a warrant, while in pursuit of al Qaeda.

"We expect quite a bit of questioning about this issue. But I believe that Gen. Hayden will be very, very well equipped and very well prepared," Negroponte said.

Goss, a former Republican congressman charged with rebuilding the CIA's espionage and analytical capabilities, resigned after a 19-month tenure marked by internal turmoil and an exodus of senior officials from the agency's vital clandestine operations.

Negroponte said the administration hoped to improve CIA morale by installing the general as director and bringing back former CIA operations director Stephen Kappes as deputy.

Kappes, a widely respected CIA veteran, left the agency in 2004 after a clash with Goss. Analysts say his departure caused a rift between Goss and senior clandestine officers that the CIA director was never able to overcome.

Hayden, who would be the fourth active-duty military officer to head the CIA in its 59-year history, used his White House appearance to speak directly to CIA staff.

"To the men and women of the Central Intelligence Agency, if I'm confirmed, I would be honored to join you and work with so many good friends," he said.

- REUTERS