Negroponte Inspired Choice

By Larry Johnson

by
Larry C. Johnson

President Bush's choice of John Negroponte as the first National Intelligence Director (NID) is a reassuring sign that an adult will be in charge. The various legislators and pundits lamenting that Negroponte does not have "intelligence experience" demonstrate how little they know about intelligence or Negroponte. Let me state at the outset that I am not a personal friend of Negroponte nor am I lobbying for an appointment of any kind. Moreover, while I think the position of the NID creates a new layer of bureaucracy and will be a thankless, impossible job, Negroponte is one of the few who can probably pull this off.

John Negroponte is not your typical foreign service officer. In contrast to the stereotype of a pinstiped, cookie pushing weenie, Negroponte has had a long career as a shrewd field operative who has had to manage a variety of politically and operationally sensitive issues. While Ambassador to Honduras during the Contra War in the 1980s, Negroponte had to manage CIA and DOD intelligence operatives. He was not an ignorant bystander but an active player in the process. He has also handled law enforcement issues, such as drug trafficking and money laundering investigations. While he is not known as a warm, fuzzy soft hearted guy, he is a tough, no nonsense manager.

Allowing political considerations to influence intelligence analysis is one area where Ambassador Negroponte is open to criticism. As a policy implementer he has many times found himself at odds with the intelligence community. Most recently he reportedly sought to tone down a field assessment by the CIA Chief of Station in Iraq.

Nonetheless, facing the task of doing a nearly impossible job of herding the cats that represent the intelligence community, Negroponte has the experience, shrewdness, and toughness to take on the task. Good luck Mr. Ambassador.

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