The director of the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency, Porter Goss, has resigned after less than two years on the job. President Bush made the announcement Friday at the White House.
President Bush said Porter Goss brought integrity and professionalism to the post, and thanked him for his candid advice during his tenure, which the president described as a time of change for the intelligence agency.
"Porter's tenure at the CIA was one of transition," he said. "He has helped this agency become integrated into the intelligence community, and that is a tough job. He has led ably."
The president said Goss has a five-year plan to increase the number of analysts and operatives at the CIA, which Mr. Bush says will help the United States win the war on terror.
The president made the announcement from the Oval Office, where he was joined by Goss. He did not say who would succeed Goss at the CIA. The outgoing CIA chief did not give a reason for his departure, but said it had been a privilege to serve the White House and the American people and expressed confidence he was leaving the agency in good condition.
"I would like to report back to you that I believe that the agency is on a very even keel, sailing well. I honestly believe that we have improved dramatically," he said.
Goss said he believes the president's leadership and efforts to protect the American people are succeeding, and that the nation is safer because of them.
The CIA has come under criticism in recent years for questionable pre-war intelligence on Iraq, as well as its failure to share information with other branches of the U.S. intelligence community before the terrorist attacks of September 2001.
