President Bush said on Wednesday he had "a lot of confidence" in CIA Director George Tenet, who has come under fire after the Sept. 11 attacks revealed major gaps in U.S. intelligence operations. 
In his first visit to the CIA headquarters since the deadly attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, Bush offered up his support for the Central Intelligence Agency and its chief. 
"George and I have been spending a lot of quality time together," Bush quipped to about 500 CIA employees gathered in an igloo-shaped auditorium in Langley, Virginia. "There's a reason. I've got a lot of confidence in him and I've got a lot of confidence in the CIA. And so should America." 
The fact that a coordinated hijacking of four aircraft could go undetected has raised questions about the U.S. intelligence system, sparking calls for a new approach to attacking terrorism. Nearly 7,000 people are dead or missing and presumed dead following the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. 
Senate Intelligence Committee Vice Chairman Richard Shelby, an Alabama Republican, said in a television interview the top spying job was "getting away" from Tenet, though he stopped short of calling for the CIA director's resignation. 
Tenet, who entered the auditorium with Bush to a prolonged standing ovation, showed no signs of being ready to go. 
"On September 11, the forces of terror issued a brutal challenge to civilization itself," Tenet said. "All of us here and at places of duty around the world know that the present fight will neither be short nor easy. But our shared determination to see that fight through to victory -- the victory of life and freedom -- could not be greater." 
Bush, who toured the Counter Terrorist Center after his speech, said he had confidence in the CIA. 
"There is no better institute to be working with than the Central Intelligence Agency which serves as our ears and our eyes all around the world," said Bush, whose speech was carried on closed-circuit TV so covert operatives could see it. 
In comments later to reporters at the White House, Bush said he was receiving "excellent intelligence" from the CIA. 
"These terrorists had burrowed in our country for over two years -- they were well organized, they were well planned. They struck in a way that was unimaginable," he said. 
"Our nation should have all the confidence that the intelligence gathering capacity of the United States is doing everything possible to not only keep us informed about what's happening overseas but to keep us informed about what might happen here at home." 
Bush, who is traveling to Chicago on Thursday to meet airline workers, was expected to announce new airline safety proposals likely to include strengthened airliner cockpit doors and sky marshals on board commercial jets, an official said. 
Without giving details, Bush said the package would include measures "to try to convince the American public it is safe to fly." 
World leaders are offering their support in Bush's war against terrorism in the wake of the Sept. 11 attacks. 
Bush spent part of Wednesday drumming up support for a global coalition against terror, speaking in the morning to Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev and Dutch Prime Minister Wim Kok. 
Bush thanked the Kazakh president for his support. Kazakhstan on Monday offered its strategically vital airports and bases for a potential strike on Afghanistan. 
Central Asia could be a key staging area against Afghanistan, which has sheltered Saudi-born exile Osama bin Laden. Bush says bin Laden, whom he called "an evil man" and his al Qaeda organization are the prime suspects for the Sept. 11 attacks and has vowed to bring them to justice. 
In the afternoon Bush met Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Maher to discuss the coalition and cooperation with one of Washington's key allies in the Middle East. 
Egyptian Foreign Ministry sources said Maher would deliver a letter from Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak outlining his country's views. They said he would urge a deliberate and well-prepared response to the suicide attacks. 
As part of his ongoing effort to urge religious tolerance in the wake of the attacks, Bush had separate meetings with Sikh community leaders and with leading members of the Muslim community in the afternoon. 
