Retired Navy Admiral Named Director of National Intelligence

Bloomberg:If confirmed by the Senate, Dennis Blair, 61, would oversee the 16 U.S. intelligence agencies, which have a combined budget of at least $47.5 billion.



Congress created the position in 2004 after the U.S. spy network failed to thwart the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and incorrectly determined that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction. That finding helped lead to the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003.