But Utah's federal lawmakers are not unanimous in their endorsement of the president's request. Republican Sen. Orrin Hatch - a senior member of the Senate Select Intelligence Committee - doubts there would be any benefit to establishing a new director of National Intelligence, while other members of the state delegation are generally leaning in favor of the idea.

"I'm skeptical that creation of a so-called intelligence czar or other restructuring is either necessary or helpful," said Hatch. "I'll remain open-minded, but frankly, I do not want a politicized intelligence czar, nor do I understand how another or different layer of bureaucracy will address the reform that must occur inside the intelligence community."

Hatch said it would be "irresponsible to simply call for every recommendation to be adopted out of hand," so he plans to hold hearings of his Senate Judiciary Committee after the summer congressional recess to consider the 9-11 commission's findings on the FBI, border security and the USA Patriot Act.

As chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee charged with monitoring the FBI, Hatch takes issue with the commission's criticism of lackluster congressional oversight of the intelligence community. But he is tilting toward unifying homeland security oversight under one congressional committee rather than the current jurisdictional jungle on Capitol Hill that Bush has complained requires key people to "spend all their time up there testifying."

In contrast to Hatch's reluctance to support a new post of director of national intelligence, Sen. Bob Bennett, R-Utah, endorses the creation of the spy czar, and agrees with Bush that restructuring U.S. intelligence hierarchy is necessary.

"But he's going to withhold a decision on whether this person should be a member of the Cabinet until he's able to review the discussions that occur in the Senate as we hold hearings on this topic," said Mary Jane Collipriest, Bennett's press secretary.

Second District Rep. Jim Matheson, the lone Democrat in the Utah delegation, also backs the new intelligence czar idea, but wants assurances the job will have the financial and administrative power to effect change.

"Without that, the director could become another layer of bureaucracy that won't improve our intelligence gathering ability," he said.

America's intelligence agencies need to work more closely together to prevent future terrorist attacks, said 3rd District Republican Rep. Chris Cannon, and "part of helping to achieve that may be the creation" of a director of national intelligence.

"But creating a new bureaucracy or Cabinet position is something that must be done deliberately, thoughtfully and jointly by the Congress and the administration," said Cannon, who will chair an Aug. 20 hearing of two House Judiciary subcommittees on the impact of the 9-11 commission recommendations on privacy and civil liberties.

Cannon's hearing is one of at least 15 scheduled by Congress in the next few weeks regarding the report findings, contradicting a tradition of inactivity on Capitol Hill during the August recess.

First District Republican Rob Bishop plans to return to Washington for a House Armed Services Committee hearing Tuesday with the 9-11 commission leaders.

"A director of intelligence might make a lot of sense, but it's something Rob and the Congress will continue to look at to determine the merits, and that's one of the main reasons for these hearings," said Scott Parker, Bishop's chief of staff.

The debate over undertaking a radical restructuring of the U.S. intelligence community in an election year with scant time left on the congressional clock was prompted by the bipartisan 9-11 commission's sweeping condemnation of America's preparedness for the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

Released late last month, the report blamed systemwide failures to communicate and recognize potential threats within the intelligence community for not preventing the strikes on New York City and Washington.

While the Bush administration was slow to warm to the 9-11 commission recommendations, Democratic presidential nominee Sen. John Kerry seized on the issue and called for quick adoption. Kerry said Congress should cut its summer break short and reconvene to immediately address the shortcomings of the current intelligence system.

Bush urged Congress to create a national intelligence director for the executive branch on Monday, but declined to call for a special session, saying lawmakers can mull proposals "during August and come back in September and we can work on them then."

In recess hearings this week, Democrats have exploited the divisions within the Republican Party over the commission recommendations in an effort to erode Bush's contention that his administration would be tougher on terrorism than a Kerry White House.