Bush Taps Negroponte, McConnell for Posts

President Bush today nominated veteran diplomat John D. Negroponte to the No. 2 post at the State Department and named retired Navy Adm. John M. "Mike" McConnell to replace him as director of national intelligence.

In a separate announcement later in the day, Bush accepted the recommendations of Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates to nominate two Army generals and a Navy admiral for key leadership posts, including command of U.S. forces in Iraq and the broader Middle East.

Gates recommended Gen. George W. Casey Jr., currently the top U.S. commander in Iraq, to become Army chief of staff, replacing Gen. Peter J. Schoomaker, who is retiring. Lt. Gen. David H. Petraeus, now commander of the Army's Combined Arms Center in Fort Leavenworth, Kan., was put forward to replace Casey in Iraq. And Adm. William J. Fallon, currently head of the U.S. Pacific Command, was recommended to replace retiring Army Gen. John P. Abizaid as chief of the Central Command, which directs U.S. forces in the Middle East.

The three officers are subject to confirmation by the Senate.

In a statement released by the White House this afternoon, Bush called the three "accomplished military professionals whose experience, skill, and dedication will enable them to successfully lead our troops as they protect our country."

Formally announcing appointments that had already been reported in the news media, Bush called on the Senate this morning to confirm Negroponte and McConnell as quickly as possible so they can take up their "crucial positions."

Negroponte, 67, who started his career in 1960 as a junior foreign service officer in the Eisenhower administration, would become the deputy to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice if -- as expected -- he is confirmed by the Senate. He was confirmed in April 2005 as the nation's first director of national intelligence by a vote of 98-2.

McConnell, 63, is a career intelligence professional who headed the National Security Agency from 1992 to 1996. After his retirement from the Navy, he took a private-sector job as senior vice president of the Booz Allen Hamilton consulting firm. He stands to become the second director of national intelligence, a post created as a result of a broad reorganization that followed the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

In announcing the nominations in the Roosevelt Room of the White House, Bush said the deputy secretary of state plays "a key role in shaping American foreign policy and in guiding our diplomats deployed around the globe," as well as in helping to manage the State Department and coordinate with other federal agencies.

"I have asked John Negroponte to serve in this vital position at this crucial moment," Bush said. In his more than four decades of service, Negroponte "has served our nation in eight Foreign Service posts, spanning three continents," Bush noted. Before becoming national intelligence director, he served as ambassador to the United Nations and was the first U.S. ambassador to Iraq following the 2003 overthrow of Saddam Hussein.

"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," Bush said. "And I look forward to working with him in this new post."

He said McConnell "has the experience, the intellect and the character to succeed" as Negroponte's replacement in a post that determines the national intelligence budget, oversees the collection and analysis of intelligence and ensures that intelligence agencies share information.