WASHINGTON, Aug 10: US President George Bush on Tuesday nominated as CIA director Rep. Porter Goss, head of the House Intelligence Committee, to replace George Tenet, who quit last month under a cloud of criticism.

Speaking at a ceremony in the Rose Garden at the White House, Mr Bush said Goss - a former CIA intelligence officer himself - was the right man to lead the agency at a time of unprecedented threats against America.

"Porter Goss is a leader with strong experience in intelligence and in fighting against terrorism," he said. "He is the right man to lead this important agency at this critical moment in our nation's history. The work of the CIA is vital to our security," he added.

Goss, a Florida Republican, said he was honoured to be the president's choice to lead the CIA, which has been criticized for failing to provide enough intelligence to prevent the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks and giving false information on weapons of mass destruction in Iraq.

"What many Americans don't realize is we've got a lot of people around the globe doing very, very hard work - long hours in dangerous situations," said Goss. Goss, 65, had been considered the leading candidate after Tenet resigned as CIA chief on July 11. The CIA currently is being run by an acting director.

FLURRY OF ORDERS: His nomination will be joined in the coming days with a number of executive orders Mr Bush is expected to issue for intelligence reforms after recommendations from the commission that investigated the attacks.

When Goss' name was first floated for the position, Sen. Jay Rockefeller of West Virginia, the senior Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, said he would not support someone from Congress in that job and complained Goss would be too partisan. The committee would have to hold confirmation hearings for the new CIA director. -Reuters