January 27, 1976
Page 1171
Mr. MUSKIE. Mr. President, in light of the debate surrounding the nomination of George Bush to be Director of Central Intelligence, I wish to set out for the RECORD my reasons for supporting Mr. Bush's nomination.
In the first place, I do not find in Mr. Bush's background or Government service any serious suggestion that he is other than a man of integrity, and I do not believe that opponents of his nomination suggest otherwise. Mr. Bush has served as a Member of Congress, as our Ambassador to the United Nations, and as U.S. representative in Peking. His effective discharge of these important official responsibilities has never been questioned.
It has been suggested, however, that Mr. Bush's political activities have somehow rendered him unfit to serve as Director of the Central Intelligence Agency at a time when the integrity of that institution itself is under attack.
Mr. President, I take the other view. It seems to me that the CIA should be managed by someone who has a sense of how the American system operates, by someone who has some respect for the role of Congress as overseer of the operation of the Federal Government, and as representative of the political values in which Americans believe.
Mr. President, I believe that the Senate, in confirming Mr. Bush's nomination, should go on record in imposing on him a special responsibility. Should he be confirmed, I hope he will understand that the Congress is confirming him not only because it believes in his integrity, but also because it believes in his commitment to Congress' role in the oversight and administration of our intelligence activities.
On that understanding and hope, I plan to vote for Mr. Bush.