EXECUTIVE SESSION
NOMINATION OF PORTER J. GOSS TO BE DIRECTOR OF CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE-CONTINUED
Mr. BUNNING. Mr. President, I speak today in support of the nomination of Representative Porter J. Goss to the Director of Central Intelligence. He is a good man and a good friend. President Bush could not have selected a more capable and qualified man for the job. He brings to the Central Intelligence Agency and the intelligence community what they have needed for years-intelligence experience, political experience, an open mind, and forward thinking.
I first met Representative Goss shortly after he was elected to the House of Representatives in 1988. We served together for 10 years before I was elected to this body. Representative Goss and his wife, Mariel, are personal friends of my wife and myself to this day. I know his personal character and I am confident he will bring integrity, honesty, and forthrightness to his new job.
The Director of Central Intelligence holds one of the most important and unforgiving jobs in our Government. All his actions and decisions are analyzed and criticized by politicians, the press, and the public. And the pressures on the intelligence community are immense. They must be right 100 percent of the time, while the terrorists only have to be right once. That is a heavy burden for one man to bear, but I believe Representative Goss is up to the challenge.
I cannot think of anyone with more experience for this job. Representative Goss has extensive experience in intelligence, on both the practical and policy sides. He knows firsthand the importance of human intelligence, serving as an intelligence officer in the Army and as a case officer in the agency he will now lead. At that time the United States was promoting freedom and fighting the evil of communism. Though the evil we now face takes a different form, the value of information and power of knowledge remain the same.
We are in the midst of a review and reform of our intelligence organizations, and, going forward, one of the most important jobs for the Director of Central Intelligence will be working with Congress. Again, Representative Goss's experiences will be an asset to the intelligence community and the Congress. For the last 8 years he has been chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. In that position he has worked fairly with both parties and both bodies of Congress without compromising his beliefs. I am confident he will continue to work honestly and fairly with Representatives and Senators of both parties in his new job.
Representative Goss's practical and political experience will also pay dividends as the entire intelligence community is reformed in the coming weeks and months. He has proven his openmindedness in constantly seeking to improve our intelligence capabilities and structures during his tenure in Congress. He has held dozens of hearings on problems in the intelligence community and how to fix them. He was a member of the Aspin-Brown Commission, which took a deep look at our intelligence community and provided some of the recommendations that we are currently reviewing. He also cochaired the bicameral investigation on intelligence issues surrounding the 9/11 terrorist attacks. His open mind and willingness to think critically about the status quo will serve us all well.
I have seen firsthand his dedication, integrity, and character, and I support Representative Goss's nomination without reservation. I wish him well in that extremely important job and I look forward to seeing him in briefings and hearings in the coming months.