Bush designates Allbaugh FEMA director, Rove as senior White House adviser

President-elect confident entire Cabinet will win Senate confirmation

President-elect Bush, center, names Joe Allbaugh, right, as director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency and Karl Rove, left, as senior White House adviser

AUSTIN, Texas (CNN) -- Completing the transfer of his "iron triangle" of advisers from Austin to Washington, President-elect George W. Bush on Thursday named longtime aide Joe Allbaugh to head the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and trusted political strategist Karl Rove as senior White House adviser.

"During the course of the campaign much was made of the so-called Texas iron triangle," said Bush, referring to his troika of most trusted campaign advisers: recently named White House Counselor Karen Hughes, Rove, and Albaugh.

"It is my honor to report to the nation that the remainder of my triangle has agreed to serve in my administration," Bush said.

The move comes as a surprise to few. Both men played integral parts in running the Bush campaign throughout Election 2000, with Allbaugh keeping tight reins on organization and management and Rove plotting the political moves.

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Allbaugh, who kept a low profile throughout much of the campaign, will find himself in the often-visible role of director of FEMA, the government department that responds to natural disasters and other domestic crises.

"FEMA is an incredibly important part of a president's team. The person who runs FEMA is someone who must have the trust of the president. Because the person who runs FEMA is the first voice, often times, of someone who's life has been turned upside down hears from," Bush said.

If confirmed by the Senate, Allbaugh, 48, will replace James Lee Witt, a longtime Arkansas friend of President Clinton credited with reviving the agency and deftly handling a number of national disasters during the past eight years.

Rove, 50, is credited with being a major force in guiding the former Texas governor to the White House, despite some grumblings and second-guessing from the Republican establishment in Washington. Bush has reportedly given Rove a large swath of responsibility within the inner workings of the White House, including supervision over public liaison and strategic initiatives.

"He is one of the reasons I was elected governor and one of the reasons I was elected president," Bush said. "He comes to Washington with a wonderful sense of history, a great understanding of the presidency as an institution in America."

"He will bring good judgement, good humor and good advice to the White House," he added.

The Bush transition team also announced Thursday that Nicholas E. Calio, a Washington lobbyist, will be the White House's top congressional liaison. Calio held the same post during the administration of Bush's father, President George Bush.

"We call that pulling a Rumsfeld," quipped Bush spokesman Ari Fleisher, referring to the selection of Ford Administration Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld for another stint as Pentagon chief.

In a related matter, FBI Director Louis Freeh will stay for at least the remaining two years of his term. "We don't expect people to leave until their terms expire," Fleischer said. "He's staying."

There had been rumors that Freeh would leave his post for a higher paying job in the private sector. Although he was appointed to a 10-year term by President Clinton in 1993, Freeh has clashed with the administration on a number of issues.

Most recently, he differed with Attorney General Janet Reno's decision not to launch an independent counsel investigation of alleged campaign finance wrongdoings by Clinton and Vice President Al Gore during the 1996 election cycle.

Bush: all Cabinet choices will be confirmed

On another front in Washington, confirmation hearings began Thursday for Bush choice for commerce secretary, longtime friend Don Evans. His reception from the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation was cordial as members of both parties indicated that Evans would have no trouble getting confirmed.

"It is the committee's hope we can confirm you that first week after the inauguration" on Jan. 20, said Sen. Fritz Hollings, D-South Carolina.

Although Evans was greeted with bipartisan praise Thursday, sparring intensified over Bush's choice for attorney general, former Missouri Sen. John Ashcroft. African-American groups are angry over Ashcroft's efforts to block the nomination of Missouri Supreme Court Justice Ronnie White to the federal bench.

A number of Democrats have also raised concerns about Ashcroft's conservative views on abortion, gun control and affirmation action. Sen. Patrick Leahy, the top Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, told Ashcroft during a Thursday meeting that those concerns are certain to raised during his confirmation hearings.

Bush's choices of Linda Chavez as labor secretary and Gale A. Norton as head of the Interior Department are also expected to draw heavy opposition. The president-elect predicted Thursday that all his Cabinet selections would be approved after thorough vetting by the Senate.

"The main strategy is to let each candidate stand up and speak on their own. To talk about their vision, talk about their heart. I expect all my Cabinet officials we face tough questioning and I'm confident all we be confirmed."

Bush meets with tech leaders

Bush's latest staff announcements were made before he wrapped up a two-day economic workshop with a gathering of leaders from the technology sector. Top executives from blue-chip firms such as Intel, Sun Microsystems, Oracle, Cisco and Dell Computers were among those who attended.

The meeting -- held at the University of Texas in Austin -- focused on concerns voiced by the technology leaders during the presidential election, including education, taxes and regulatory relief, free trade, and the easing of immigration restrictions on high-skilled workers.

The session followed a similar gathering of the nation's top business executives Wednesday, in which Bush said that the leaders voiced some "pretty bad news" about the likelihood of an economic slowdown during his first term of office.

"We're concerned about the short-term economic news, but in the long term I'm optimistic," Bush told reporters after Thursday's meeting.

In addition to addressing their concerns, the gathering of technology executives served another purpose for the president-elect: building support for his proposed $1.3 billion tax cut plan, which faces considerable opposition in the divided 107th Congress.

"I am thinking through my strategy right now," Bush told reporters. "I think that tax relief is necessary. The question is how fast we implement it. It is possible that we may need to implement it faster."

As he continues his task of reaching out to key constituencies and laying the groundwork for his presidency, Bush will meet with Republican governors at his ranch in Crawford, Texas, on Saturday before traveling to Washington early next week.

The Associated Press contributed to this report, which was written by CNN.com Writer Mike Ferullo.