The new top in redrawn US intelligence

"Whoever takes the job has to deal at a strategic level and understand what needs to be done to bring various groups and traditions together, while at the same time understanding that all intelligence is local," says Robert Pfaltzgraff, a security expert at Tufts University's Fletcher School in Medford, Mass. "It's at the tactical level where the problem has so often been. We need someone with unconventional ideas in an unconventional era."

One of the ways the reforms will help, though, is in the redirection of resources. Former CIA Director George Tenet, for example, declared that his organization was at war against Al Qaeda in the late 1990s. But he didn't have the budget authority to redirect intelligence dollars to the problem. Under the new plan, the director of national intelligence will have that authority.

Mr. Webster says the new director will need to have an insider's knowledge of the sprawling intelligence community in order to stay close to the work at hand and not be distracted by another bureaucratic layer. The candidate must also be able to command the respect of the various constituencies he or she will serve. At the same time, this person must have a strong relationship with the president.

"That's one of the most important things - his ability to work with members of the community and to work cooperatively with Congress in its oversight responsibilities and the president to whom he will report," Webster says.

Following is a list of the most prominent front-runners for the job:

• Porter Goss - The former CIA operative and congressman who chaired the House Select Committee on Intelligence is an obvious front-runner because Mr. Bush made him CIA director in September. But he's also got his hands full with the rehabilitation process he initiated at the CIA.

• Air Force Gen. Michael Hayden - The the current director of the National Security Agency is mentioned often. He spent three decades working in military intelligence and has a reputation as a tough reformer for shifting the way the NSA collects and analyzes intelligence.

• Thomas Kean - The former Republican governor of New Jersey served as co-chairman of the 9/11 commission. He spent more than a year studying the intelligence failures and putting together most of the recommendations passed by Congress.

• Lee Hamilton - The former Democratic representative from Indiana, known for his nonpartisan approach to solving government problems, served as vice chairman of the 9/11 commission.

• Rep. Peter Hoekstra (R) of Michigan - chairman of the House Select Committee on Intelligence.

• Rep. Jane Harman (D) of California - ranking Democrat on the House Select Committee on Intelligence.

• Former Sen. Sam Nunn (D) of Georgia - long-serving congressman who chaired the Armed Services Committee and served on the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence.

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