In New Book, Tenet Bashes Cheney Belatedly

This was first posted at www.davidcorn.com...

Should Americans have to pay to get the truth about how their government failed them?

Former CIA director George Tenet's new book has hit the bookstores. For $30 a reader can find out what really happened in that December 2002 meeting at the White House when Tenet used the phrase "slam dunk." Or what really happened with the prewar WMD intelligence and how it was used--or abused--by George W. Bush, Dick Cheney and others.

The usual promotional theatrics are underway. Tenet appeared on 60 Minutes on Sunday, and CBS had already released some choice tidbits of that interview. Meanwhile, The New York Times last week obtained a copy of the under-wraps book and reported some of its disclosures. (News flash: Cheney pushed the nation to war without ever seriously examining the threat posed by Iraq.)

All of this is making Tenet, the man who was in charge of an intelligence establishment that failed the country before 9/11 and that then produced an intelligence estimate that vastly overstated the WMD threat posed by Iraq, a rich fellow. He reportedly bagged millions of dollars for writing this book.

But here's an out-of-the-box question: Don't the citizens of the United States deserve to know what happened in the run-up to the war (and to 9/11) for free? Tenet may feel--as he claims--damn lousy about the screwed-up National Intelligence Estimate that helped pave the way to war in Iraq. But he did not feel bad enough to resign--or to disclose earlier what had gone wrong. He sat on the story and now is peddling it for personal profit.

Tenet should have long ago been questioned openly by a congressional committee about all this--though no Republican committee chair would have dared--or he should have spilled all to 60 Minutes and other media, as a public service, not as an advertisement for his book. On Friday, Representative Henry Waxman, the chairman of the House oversight and government reform committee, sent Tenet a letter asking him to testify before his committee on May 10 regarding "one of the claims used to justify the war in Iraq--the assertion that Iraq sought to import uranium from Niger--and related issues." Let's hope Tenet can take time from the book tour to appear.

Tenet's a smart guy who saw much. And he was screwed by the White House, even though he did fail to make sure the intelligence on Iraq was properly vetted and responsibly used. But if Tenet indeed believed before the invasion of Iraq that Bush and Cheney were pushing the nation to war without adequately assessing the threat or assessing options other than full-scale war, he had an obligation at the time to make that known--at least to members of Congress, if not the public at large. He did not do so. Consequently, he owes the public a full accounting and an apology--not a sales campaign.

******

DON"T FORGET ABOUT HUBRIS: THE INSIDE STORY OF SPIN, SCANDAL, AND THE SELLING OF THE IRAQ WAR, the best-selling book by David Corn and Michael Isikoff. Click here for information on the book. The New York Times calls Hubris "the most comprehensive account of the White House's political machinations" and "fascinating reading." The Washington Post says, "There have been many books about the Iraq war....This one, however, pulls together with unusually shocking clarity the multiple failures of process and statecraft." Tom Brokaw notes Hubris "is a bold and provocative book that will quickly become an explosive part of the national debate on how we got involved in Iraq." Hendrik Hertzberg, senior editor of The New Yorker notes, "The selling of Bush's Iraq debacle is one of the most important--and appalling--stories of the last half-century, and Michael Isikoff and David Corn have reported the hell out of it." For highlights from Hubris, click here.

Comments (68)

1. another case of the rats leaving a sinking ship. look for more of these exposes.

   Posted by johannesrolf at 04/27/2007 @ 12:12pm

2. I heard the interview with Tenet and the problem is, he still stands by his opinion in 2003 that there WERE WMDs in Iraq, he's just claiming it was "mis-used".

   So the "Cheney lied about WMDs" argument falls flat, because all ol' Dick has to say is "Tenet said he believed it then, says NOW that he believed it then....so why shouldn't WE have believed him?"

   Arguments about "the threat" or "other options" don't matter. If the pro-impeachment guys want to get Cheney on "lying" about WMDs....George Tenet just shot a hole in that case. Unfortunately, there's nothing ILLEGAL...about bad judgement.

   Posted by Mask at 04/27/2007 @ 12:28pm

3. Boy, Mask, you need to stop reading with those Reader's Digest eyes. Tenet said that he made the 'Slam Dunk' assessment about making a better argumentative case for the idea that the Iraqis had WMD, not that they actually had WMD. And, since it's been pretty much established that Perles little division of the Pentagon jinned that crap up at Rummy/Cheney's behest, why would Cheney care about Tenet's assurances.

   Posted by brantl at 04/27/2007 @ 1:18pm

4. For Immediate Release Office of the Press Secretary December 14, 2004

   President Presents Medal of Freedom The East Room

   Video (Real) Audio En Español

   11:30 A.M. EST

   THE PRESIDENT: Good morning, and welcome to the White House. Laura and I are proud to have you all here today, especially our three honorees and their families and their friends.

   The Presidential Medal of Freedom is our nation's highest civil award given to men and women of exceptional merit, integrity and achievement. Today this honor goes to three men who have played pivotal roles in great events, and whose efforts have made our country more secure and advanced the cause of human liberty.

   George Tenet learned the value of hard work as a bus boy in the 20th Century Diner, the family restaurant in Queens, New York. Between work and school and athletics, George always kept up with current events and world affairs, and that enthusiasm led him into public service.

   In Washington, George immersed himself in the field of intelligence work. After a long career in the legislative and executive branches of government, George was tapped by President Bill Clinton to run the agency he loved. His challenges at the CIA were many. George acted quickly and aggressively to rebuild the Agency's capabilities. He made the recruitment of new talent a top priority. Applications to join the Agency have now soared or more than 138,000 per year. Under George's leadership, the number of yearly graduates from the Clandestine Service Training Program have increased nearly sixfold. And just about every CIA officer can tell you a story about Director Tenet's hands-on style of management. He was often seen in the hallways, chewing on an unlit cigar -- (laughter) -- or showing up at their cafeteria table and talking shop.

   George, and his wife, Stephanie, came to know the people of the CIA; and the people of the CIA came to know them as decent, caring people who love their country and love their family, especially their son, John Michael.

   Early in his tenure as DCI, George Tenet was one of the first to recognize and address the growing threat to America from radical terrorist networks. Immediately after the attacks of September the 11th, George was ready with a plan to strike back at al Qaeda and to topple the Taliban. CIA officers were on the ground in Afghanistan within days. Seasoned American intelligence officers, armed with laptop computers, Afghan clothes and a visionary plan, rode horseback with the fighters of the Northern Alliance, identified key targets for our military and helped to free a nation.

   Since those weeks, CIA officers have remained on the hunt for al Qaeda killers. More than three-quarters of al Qaeda key members and associates have been killed or detained, and the majority were stopped as a result of CIA efforts. CIA officers were also among the first to enter the battle in Iraq, alongside their colleagues in uniform.

   In these years of challenge for our country, the men and women of the CIA have been on the front lines of an urgent cause, and the whole nation owes them our gratitude.

   George is rightly proud of the people of the Agency, and I have been proud to work with George. George has carried great authority without putting on airs, because he remembers his roots. There's still a lot of Queens in George Tenet. (Laughter.) A colleague once said that "George has the intellect of a scholar and the demeanor of a longshoreman." (Laughter.) His tireless efforts have brought justice to America's enemies and greater security to the American people. And today, we honor a fine public servant and patriot in George John Tenet. (Applause.)

   Sorry for the "Rese" but thought this might amuse everyone.

   Posted by w_m_bear at 04/27/2007 @ 1:30pm

5. Posted by BRANTL 04/27/2007 @ 1:18pm

   Same thing BRANTL....if Tenet wasn't fully out there saying "There are NO WMDs in Iraq", then Cheney can't have "lied about WMDs", since "the argument" was still out there.

   Again, it doesn't make Cheney "right"...he was wrong. But it means he can't be accused of "lying about WMDs" if there was a dispute and Tenet (as of that interview) said that "at the time, I thought Iraq had WMDs".

   In other words, if Tenet had (somehow) come out and said "There weren't WMDs, we knew it, and the intell showed it"...or even "the intell was 90% clear Iraq was disarmed of WMDs"....he would have boosted the "Cheney lied" Argument....but he didn't.

   All he's saying is "We were wrong and I was KINDA dubious, but the White House made it out like I was SURE, uh,uh, but I really wasn't...even though I didn't say anything at the time about it!"

   He's playing CYA for himself....but that covers a little Cheney ass as well.

   Posted by Mask at 04/27/2007 @ 1:45pm

6. Supposedly Tenet got along so well with Bush that he was the lone holdover from the Clinton years.

   What a peril it is, to be in the favor of this man.

   Posted by MyParadigm at 04/27/2007 @ 1:46pm

7. The hsuB/heney/ove admin is being beaten up so consistently and so effectively, it'll be amazing if it doesn't impeach itself in a few more months.

   However, the love of brutality that is hsuB, may very well be enjoying it.

   Posted by hsuBfools at 04/27/2007 @ 1:48pm

8. Tenet can take his book and shove it.

   Johnny-Come-Lately.

   Posted by Hman23 at 04/27/2007 @ 1:55pm

9. Where was his outrage 3 years ago??????

   Posted by Hman23 at 04/27/2007 @ 1:56pm

10. Posted by MASK 04/27/2007 @ 12:28pm

    If only Dubya didn't have that bioweapons trailer (or actually - "non-weapons") report he requested, or reports from the atomic energy commission denying the nuclear potential of them old aluminum, tubes, or reports from the Germans that the "star squealer" was unreliable and perhaps even neurotic. I guess its not really twisting the intel if you haven't actually read it in the first place, right?

    "Here at ChimpCo we don't ascribe to a firm belief in the so-called "real" reality. We find it more efficient to make reality up as we go along. This way reality (as decreed) meshes more closely with our agenda. We thought you'd be used to it by now."

    Posted by leftofcenter at 04/27/2007 @ 2:20pm

11. It's becoming beyond obvious that the Iraq venture involving ultimately trillions of dollars, millions of minds and bodies, the destruction of a nation, not to mention 4 whole years is a catastrophic failure. As various cast members - neocons, Tenet... -of this ill-conceived drama jump ship - that's what rats do - it's also becoming obvious that the play opened in spite of the fact that it had no director, no producer and no script. Are we surprised that the play bombed?

    Posted by felicity at 04/27/2007 @ 2:39pm

12. Tenet is a putz, and cheney needs a good old fashioned bashing.

    Posted by Dr Decibels at 04/27/2007 @ 2:46pm

13. Mr. Corn: I am looking forward to reading Tenet's account.

    David,

    I suspect you:

    1) Won't find anything overly exciting,

    2) Will find his `tales' are spun differently than `Hubris',

    3) Maybe a bit envious of his `cut' of the deal and $30 cover price...Hubris was what, $26.95, but sold right out of the gate for $16~$18?

    4) Will want to see how many of your sources overlap that of Tenet.

    5) Could be concerned that future high-up `sources' will be less forthcoming so that they, too, could `save' all that juicy stuff for their own literary masterpieces!

    Posted by Happy at 04/27/2007 @ 2:46pm

14. First of all, if this book catalyzes the impeachment process I say bring it on regardless of the appropriatenss of Tenet's motivations in writing it, or his missing mea culpa.

    What I found deeply fascinating was Tenet's statement near the end of today's David Sanger piece in the NY Times, "I thought about all the people who had died and what we had been through in the months since," he writes. "What am I doing here? Why me?"

    The paragraph continues by describing how Tenet vigorously defends the CIA's extraordinary rendition program along with it's "harsh" interrogation techniques.

    This kind of disconnect is absolutely mind blowing. An obvious question that should be echoing throughout a sane society is, "What the hell is the CIA really necessary for?".

    Our nation as a whole, and its leadership in particular (not just the current regime) suffer from a glaring inability to think rationally, to triage the really important issues, and to ask the proper questions and pursue intelligent, effective strategies.

    This may ultimately be the insoluble state of the human condition, but any cognizant, concerned citizen has got to be upset if not furious that we can't do far better than we have.

    After all, the current regime is just a symptom of a much deeper systemic disturbance.

    Posted by b_kool_66 at 04/27/2007 @ 2:48pm

15. This kind of disconnect is absolutely mind blowing. An obvious question that should be echoing throughout a sane society is, "What the hell is the CIA really necessary for?".

    Posted by B_KOOL_66 04/27/2007 @ 2:48pm

    Well, B_KOOL....SANE society doesn't take it that far. Nobody (I don't know about Kucinich) running on the Dem side is in favor of dismantling the CIA. Most are for reforming it and trying to get it to do the foreign intelligence job it is supposed to do, and to report its findings timely and accurately.

    But saying "What the hell is the CIA really necessary for?" because of these failures or insanities...would be the same as saying "What the hell is FEMA really necessary for?" after Katrina....and even an old realistic libertarian like myself wouldn't say that....would you?

    Posted by Mask at 04/27/2007 @ 3:03pm

16. Posted by LEFTOFCENTER 04/27/2007 @ 2:20pm

    Again, LOC, I think Tenet's book is MUCH WORSE politically than Mr Corn is making out...especially for those who think they can "get" Cheney (i.e. impeachment...or even historically) for "lying about WMDs".

    He doesn't back up that assumption. Sure he backs away from his "slam dunk", but in the interview I saw, he says "I believed there were WMDs" and if the CIA Director says that (and SAID that), then Cheney (and others) are (to a degree very slight) "off the hook" for the WMD intell being "a lie", maybe even "cherry-picked"...and not simply "wrong".

    Posted by Mask at 04/27/2007 @ 3:07pm

17. How far off are the elections again?

    "Saturday, Jan. 11, with the president's permission, Cheney and Rumsfeld call Bandar to Cheney's West Wing office, and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs, Gen. Myers, is there with a top-secret map of the war plan. And it says, ‘Top secret. No foreign.' No foreign means no foreigners are supposed to see this," says Woodward.

    "They describe in detail the war plan for Bandar. And so Bandar, who's skeptical because he knows in the first Gulf War we didn't get Saddam out, so he says to Cheney and Rumsfeld, ‘So Saddam this time is gonna be out, period?' And Cheney - who has said nothing - says the following: ‘Prince Bandar, once we start, Saddam is toast.'"

    After Bandar left, according to Woodward, Cheney said, "I wanted him to know that this is for real. We're really doing it."

    But this wasn't enough for Prince Bandar, who Woodward says wanted confirmation from the president. "Then, two days later, Bandar is called to meet with the president and the president says, ‘Their message is my message,'" says Woodward.

    Prince Bandar enjoys easy access to the Oval Office. His family and the Bush family are close. And Woodward told 60 Minutes that Bandar has promised the president that Saudi Arabia will lower oil prices in the months before the election - to ensure the U.S. economy is strong on election day.

    http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/04/15/ 60minutes/main612067.shtml

    Posted by hsuBfools at 04/27/2007 @ 3:14pm

18. Ah, if only Dubya kept his word and allowed the inspectors to finish the job before he got trigger happy.

    Posted by FRANKGRITS 04/27/2007 @ 1:17pm

    Isn't the answer obvious?

    The policy was War ! War ! War ! and when that was done, more War !

    Allowing the inspectors to do their work and demonstrate that Iraq/Saddamy had no WMD capacity would've made that policy impossible to prosecute.

    It goes without saying that the PNACoids/NeoCOloNics were too hubristic and short sighted to see the pitfalls among the roses; it's disgusting that so many sacred souls had to lay down their lives to discredit these butt-cheeses.

    Posted by skeletonman at 04/27/2007 @ 3:19pm

19. Mask,

    I did not state, "We should abolish the CIA." But the question of the CIA's purpose and/or efficacy is a valid and poignant one.

    The CIA as an institution is problematic from the word go, and even if it is established that is has been valuable in a particular instance, it has a long, well documented history of pulling stunts that eventually lead to blowback. 9/11 is but one infamous example. Once again, I strongly recommend reading the Chalmers Johnson trilogy that begins with "Blowback".

    In the simplest terms Mask, the idea of a secretive CIA and an open democracy are fundamentally at odds.

    Posted by b_kool_66 at 04/27/2007 @ 3:25pm

20. Well there's reason and then there's insanity...

    Vice President Dick Cheney knew all about it. Woodward reports that Cheney was the driving force in the White House to get Saddam. Cheney had been Secretary of Defense during the first Gulf War, and to him, Saddam was unfinished business – and a threat to the United States.

    In his book, Woodward describes Cheney as a "powerful, steamrolling force obsessed with Saddam and taking him out."

    "Colin Powell, the secretary of state, saw this in Cheney to such an extent, he, Powell, told colleagues that ‘Cheney has a fever. It is an absolute fever. It's almost as if nothing else exists,'" says Woodward, who adds that Cheney had plenty of opportunities to convince the president.

    "He's just down the hall in the West Wing from the president. President says, ‘I meet with him all the time.' Cheney's back in the corner or sitting on the couch at nearly all of these meetings."

    Posted by hsuBfools at 04/27/2007 @ 3:30pm

21. I am having a problem even following Tenet's explanation for what he mean by "slam dunk." He is NOW saying, "We can put a better case together for a public case. That's what I meant."

    huh?

    Posted by Hman23 at 04/27/2007 @ 3:53pm

22. Tenet is a creep. see his mealy mouthed claim of all kinds of success for torture.

    Posted by johannesrolf at 04/27/2007 @ 3:59pm

23. Yeah. I also liked his tough-guy denial - "Look at me. No. Look at me. We do not torture."

    oh, ok, now that I have looked at you . . .

    what a gasbag.

    Posted by Hman23 at 04/27/2007 @ 4:17pm

24. Cheney's demons control Cheney's life. In spite of important sounding positions held going all the way back to Ford, Mr. Cheney has always been a peripheral figure.

    Everybody from sat-traps to chiefs to despots to presidents are driven to have a dominant place in the history books. Having a war under one's belt is a sure-fire way to make it happen.

    Cheney's war, which the Iraq invasion is, will satisfy his lust for power, fame and notice. Nevermind that Mr. Bush is president, history will record Cheney, good or bad, as the power behind the throne. And that's all he cares about.

    Posted by felicity at 04/27/2007 @ 4:28pm

25. I did not state, "We should abolish the CIA." But the question of the CIA's purpose and/or efficacy is a valid and poignant one.

    The CIA as an institution is problematic from the word go, and even if it is established that is has been valuable in a particular instance, it has a long, well documented history of pulling stunts that eventually lead to blowback.

    In the simplest terms Mask, the idea of a secretive CIA and an open democracy are fundamentally at odds.

    Posted by B_KOOL_66 04/27/2007 @ 3:25pm

    B_KOOL, seriously, you just contradicted yourself.

    You say you're not for the CIA's abolition. But say its "purpose" is questionable, its "efficacy" is questionable, its "history" is questionable, and that its "secretiveness" (necessary unless you feel broadcasting its intelligence data and METHODS wouldn't somehow HELP those it's charged with protecting us from) is fundamentally at odds with our democracy.

    So are you talking "reform"?!??!? If so, I'm curious about what "reform" you wish to implement that would alter its purpose, efficacy, and secretiveness....and keep it operational?!?!?

    Posted by Mask at 04/27/2007 @ 4:32pm

26. The reality about the CIA is that it's better to have 4 spooks poison a wacko dictator than to have an all out war to get rid of the creep. That's why intelligence "services" will always be with us.

    From time to time, pretty much all the time actually, they get out of hand. And they get their budget cut, "morale at the agency is down" (how many times have you heard that) for a while, and we get some turnover. The next international incident starts the money flowing again. And the cycle begins again.

    And there is no good point on that cycle for reform. If things are relatively peaceful, then they must be doing something right. If hell is breaking out all over, they haven't got the time to fix anything.

    I have to go, my shoe phone is ringing.

    Posted by MyParadigm at 04/27/2007 @ 4:52pm

27. To put it bluntly Mask, the CIA as currently constituted serves as a defacto personal army for the executive, and oversite of its activities has proven to be ineffective if not virtually nonexistent.

    Obviously any government must conduct some of its activities in secrecy, it's the job of the press and the citizenry to be constantly vigilant that that secrecy is strictly limited to narrowly defined national security interests.

    With the monstrous growth of the military industrial complex during and after WWII, and its suffocating insinuation into the national body politic we are approaching a critical juncture. We face the difficult but unavoidable decision to lose our empire or lose our democracy. It really is that simple. Once again, Chalmers Johnson has outlined the cogent factors beautifully in Nemesis.

    Another book that should give one pause is Jeremy Scahill's "Blackwater". I am very close friends with the first cousin of the founder of that notorious firm, Erik Prince, so I have paid particularly close attention to this disturbing story. Blackwater has deep roots into the highest echelons of the government and includes Cofer "the gloves are off" Black and the former Pentagon IG who was blind at his post while corruption ran particularly rampant in defense contract overbilling.

    These are trends to be keenly aware of, or we risk spinning out of control. Yes, it can happen here.

    So I didn't really answer your CIA question completely, but I would hope you understand that any proposal for reform of the CIA is one that has wider ramifications. You should get some background reading in, and you can come up with your own answer. It's not a simple dilemma.

    Posted by b_kool_66 at 04/27/2007 @ 5:01pm

28. Mostly as a comment to Kool66, my sanguine attitude toward the CIA does not extend to the likes of Blackwater. That outfit needs to get busted fast.

    Posted by MyParadigm at 04/27/2007 @ 5:26pm

29. "For reasons that are not yet clear, America's general officer corps underestimated the strength of the enemy, overestimated the capabilities of Iraq's government and security forces, and failed to provide Congress with an accurate assessment of the security conditions in Iraq," he wrote.

    The generals had gone into Iraq in 2003 with too few soldiers and no coherent plan for post-war stabilisation, having spent a decade "preparing to fight the wrong war", he said.

    "The intellectual and moral failures common to America's general officer corps in Vietnam and Iraq constitute a crisis in American generalship."

    Lt Col Yingling has not singled out any individual for criticism but has urged Congress to take a greater role in monitoring officers' performance and holding them accountable.

    He said the US military had done too little to prepare for the kind of intense insurgencies they had encountered in Iraq and Afghanistan, and had then tackled them in the wrong way.

    "Given the lack of troop strength, not even the most brilliant general could have devised the ways necessary to stabilise post-Saddam Iraq," he wrote.

    "In 2007, Iraq's grave and deteriorating condition offers diminishing hope for an American victory and portends risk of an even wider and more destructive regional war."

    "As you know, you have to go to war with the Army you have, not the Army you want," Rumsfeld said.

    Actually I think hsuB/heney/umfeld/ove have the army, like Justice, they edited it to.

    Posted by hsuBfools at 04/27/2007 @ 5:46pm

30. April 10, 2006

    Young Officers Leaving Army at a High Rate

    By THOM SHANKER

    http://mchughwatch.com/Supporting%20documents/ Officers%20Leaving%20Army%204-10-07.htm

    Unceremonious End to Army Career

    By Tom Bowman, The Baltimore Sun

    Sunday 29 May 2005

    http://www.truthout.org/cgi-bin/artman/exec/ view.cgi/37/11476

    Government stunned by Army chief's Iraq blast

    Last updated at 15:17pm on 13th October 2006

    http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html? in_article_id=410163&in_page_id=1770&ico=Homepage&icl= TabModule&icc=NEWS&ct=5

    Soldiers Leaving the Army

    Posted by Lurch on April 13, 2006

    Our Army is being broken. Yesterday. Today. Tomorrow.

    http://www.mainandcentral.org/archives/2006/04/ soldiers_leavin.html

    Posted by hsuBfools at 04/27/2007 @ 5:58pm

31. Breaking the congress, exec, court, justice, military, ...dominos.

    http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=9317506

    Posted by hsuBfools at 04/27/2007 @ 6:14pm

32. Posted by HSUBFOOLS 04/27/2007 @ 6:14pm

    Once they've finished breaking it, and people lose all faith in government, then they'll refuse to pay taxes due to no services, THEN they can drown it in a bathtub, like they've always dreamed of in their feverish tiny little reptilian brains.

    Posted by Dr Decibels at 04/27/2007 @ 6:28pm

33. It's all just part of the long range plan.

    Posted by Dr Decibels at 04/27/2007 @ 6:28pm

34. Mostly as a comment to Kool66, my sanguine attitude toward the CIA does not extend to the likes of Blackwater. That outfit needs to get busted fast.

    Posted by MYPARADIGM 04/27/2007 @ 5:26pm

    The disturbing fact is that the distinction between Blackwater, a private security firm, and the CIA is already badly blurred. Cofer Black is now at Blackwater, and was once highly ensconced in the CIA playing a key role in the development of "extraordinary rendition". Blackwater does, in fact, have top secret "black" contracts with the government.

    Blackwater did, in fact, blunder badly into Fallujah and through gross negligence help create the signal moment in the war, a sort of Iraqi version of "Remember the Alamo", when US Marines layed waste (under Bush administration pressure) to Fallujah as a response to Blackwater's blunder.

    Blackwater, in the wake of this tragedy, scored a $700 million State department contract and earned slaps on the back from the likes of senators Santorum, and Warner among many of our favorte apparatchiks.

    Yeah, this is a slight problem.

    Posted by b_kool_66 at 04/27/2007 @ 6:29pm

35. dear mr.corn ; michael scheuer ,tenets chief of counterterrorism laced into tenet when tenet came into his office (chasing osama under clinton ) and said "We made a mistake ".Michael said "no ' ,YOU made a mistake :tenet then wrote up a memo that said "I / WE are at war with Al-Queada ".which was not seen by many people .but in the Jt.Congressional hearing on 911 (Eleanor Hill) he claimed to be at war since 1998 :he was retained in his position because og GHWB who knew Tenet was apussy and proved it with the rest of the story has you know it ... James Risen "State of War ... try it you'll like it .TENET is a traitor thru and thru joe bell 2 ellis st woburn ma 01801 781-932-1640

    Posted by kaybell at 04/27/2007 @ 6:30pm

36. Posted by KAYBELL 04/27/2007 @ 6:30pm

    You should try and keep your personal info out of posts.

    It's a crazy world out there.

    Posted by Dr Decibels at 04/27/2007 @ 6:34pm

37. Posted by B_KOOL_66 04/27/2007 @ 6:29pm

    Aw, c'mon, who wouldn't want their own army of Brown-shirt Mercs?

    Posted by Dr Decibels at 04/27/2007 @ 6:35pm

38. CNN CROSSFIRE

    Dick Cheney Fires Back at Iraq Critics

    ADELMAN: Well, it's certainly the -- what they had done, what Iraq had done, as we have talked about on this show many, many times, is defied international law for a long time, used weapons of mass destruction against its neighbors, used mass -- weapons of mass destruction against its own people, and had a horrendous regime as well.

    And I think it was totally justified. And I think Dick Cheney made a wonderful defense of this. And I think that, when you look at the American people, you're in the minority, Paul.

    (CROSSTALK)

    NOVAK: That gives me a segue/question of Mr. Cirincione, because I thought it was a very interesting speech by the vice president. And he read from the national intelligence estimate that some Democrats, including Paul, claimed was never read in the administration. Of course it was read in the administration.

    And here is what Mr. Cheney -- this is Mr. Cheney reading from the intelligence estimate. Let's listen to him.

    (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

    CHENEY: All key aspects, the R&D, production and weaponization of Iraq's offensive biological weapons program are active and that most elements are larger and more advanced than they were before the Gulf War.

    (END VIDEO CLIP)

    NOVAK: So, as the biological weapons of mass destruction, the intelligence that the president had to justify the attack said there were biological weapons. Isn't that correct?

    CIRINCIONE: That is what the intelligence estimates said. And I think that intelligence estimate clearly was wrong.

    And what happened in the early stages of the Bush administration was that they put pressure on the intelligence agencies themselves. And we have a number of intelligence analysts coming forward and saying this now. And they pushed the intelligence estimates themselves up to an extreme and a very alarmist tone. And then Vice President Cheney and the president and the secretary of defense and the secretary of state erased all the caveats from these intelligence estimates in their public statements, so the might-bes and the could- bes and we're-concerned-thats were dropped.

    And they all became has, will do, larger than, imminent threat. This was just wrong. I think the senior administration officials fundamentally misled the American people.

    BEGALA: And here's how, Ken.

    The answer you just gave me a moment ago was absolutely true. Everything you said was completely true.

    BEGALA: You said Saddam used chemical and biological weapons against the Kurds in his country. You said he used them against the Iranians.

    ADELMAN: Yes

    BEGALA: You said he violated the U.N. That's absolutely true. That's not the only things our president and vice president said to us, however, Ken. They went beyond the facts. This is what they said.

    Let me put it up on the screen to remind the American people. They said that Saddam Hussein was a threat to us for the following reasons. Let me put this up on the board here: that they were buying uranium in Africa. The White House admits that that was false -- that they could launch chemical and biological attacks against us within 45 minutes. Not true. That they were arming terrorists. The CIA says it's highly disputed. That they had ties to al Qaeda. Again, our CIA says it's highly disputed.

    And on and on and on, claim after claim was false, because they wanted to pretend that there was an imminent threat to our country.

    (APPLAUSE)

    BEGALA: Wasn't that wrong?

    (APPLAUSE)

    ADELMAN: Let me -- let me say, the first two -- put that list up again and I'll show you.

    BEGALA: Put it back up, please.

    ADELMAN: The first two were not conclusions of the U.S. intelligence, but conclusions of the British intelligence and were quoted as much -- and quoted as much.

    (CROSSTALK) ADELMAN: Secondly, Joe is absolutely wrong in saying that there was this kind of pressure. The intelligence did not change qualitatively from the Clinton administration to the Bush administration. And, secondly, so you look over times -- and there was not any big change in the intelligence estimate. If you look at Bill Clinton's remarks of five years ago on the danger to -- Saddam Hussein, they're not any more hysterical than the Bush administration. I think they're just as accurate.

    Second point, second point, is that Joe is wrong, because all this pressure on the CIA and all, the French intelligence believed the same thing. The German intelligence believed the same thing. The neighboring Arab intelligence believed the same thing. And, certainly, Bush and Cheney were not putting pressure on the French intelligence.

    CIRINCIONE: No. I disagree.

    NOVAK: Let him respond.

    Go ahead.

    the

    CIRINCIONE: No, I disagree. I don't believe the French and other nations felt the same way.

    What happens here in these arguments is, everything gets kind of mushed together. We all thought that Saddam had programs. We all thought he had his intentions. We all thought that he might have some stockpiles. Only the administration said the stockpiles were larger than they were in the past. They talked about hundreds of tons of chemical and biological agents, dozens of Scuds, a growing fleet of unmanned aerial vehicles.

    We have found no evidence of this. The administration was fundamentally wrong. It's obvious now that these stockpiles did not exist at -- and certainly not at the level that the administration claimed they did.

    NOVAK: It's time for "Rapid Fire": short questions, short answers, no filibustering. We're talking about the Bush administration's defense of its strategy in Iraq and the war on terrorism with Joe Cirincione of the Carnegie Endowment For International Peace and Defense Policy Board member Ken Adelman.

    BEGALA: Ken, our vice president today, Dick Cheney, gave a speech where he said it would have been irresponsible not to confront Saddam Hussein through war, because he posed such a threat. Was it therefore irresponsible for Dick Cheney, when he was a corporate CEO in 1998, to sell him $73 million worth of oil field equipment to Saddam Hussein? Was that irresponsible?

    ADELMAN: I don't know that Halliburton did that.

    BEGALA: They did. It was reported in "The Washington Post."

    NOVAK: Would you say that it was a mistake and a violation of the rules to put out the pictures or do you think this was necessary, of the Hussein brothers, in order to convince the Iraqi people?

    CIRINCIONE: They are gruesome photographs, but it is absolutely essential. Our credibility in the world has fallen so low that, unless we have positive proof, people aren't going to believe us.

    BEGALA: Ken, was it a dereliction of duty for our president not to read the definitive 90-page national intelligence estimate before he sent young men into combat?

    ADELMAN: I don't know any president who reads all the NIEs.

    BEGALA: I do.

    ADELMAN: Oh, well, they waste a lot of time, because there is stuff in there that you can fly through pretty quickly. You look at the big summaries. You have disputes on all kinds of intelligence, because it's an inexact field. So I think that having a general knowledge of the subject that he got briefed on every single day is far more important than going through an 80-page mushy report.

    NOVAK: Paul Begala says it was not worth one American life to get rid of Saddam Hussein and his sons. Agree or not agree? CIRINCIONE: That's a tough question. It's good that Saddam is gone. There's no question about that.

    (BELL RINGING)

    CIRINCIONE: Did we have to go to war? No, we did not. We had him contained. Inspections were working.

    NOVAK: Was it worth one life?

    CIRINCIONE: One life to get rid of Saddam? Yes, I'm afraid it is. There are some minimal costs we could have paid. Unfortunately, the cost we're paying now is too high: one American dying every day, three or four more maimed.

    Aired July 24, 2003 - 16:30 ET

    http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0307/24/cf.00.html

    Posted by hsuBfools at 04/27/2007 @ 7:27pm

39. and now....

    your moment of Zen [youtube.com]

    Posted by Mask at 04/27/2007 @ 8:06pm

40. Gee Mask...I was thinking this one was much more representative of his highness... Leader of the Free World?

    Posted by leftofcenter at 04/27/2007 @ 10:56pm

41. What exactly is your problem here, with Tenent bashing Bush and saying that Bush/Cheney cherry picked from the raw intel sso as to fabricate an excuse to move against Irag?

    Let me repeat the question. What EXACTLY is your problem with that assertion by Tenent? Who/what are you defending?

    Posted by dmorso at 04/28/2007 @ 12:18am

42. Trent still stays with his quote that Saddam had WMD's was, "A Slam Dunk". For a Clintonistia to say that the inteligence was mis used does not pass the LOL test.

    "In the next century, the community of nations may see more and more the very kind of threat Iraq poses now -- a rogue state with weapons of mass destruction ready to use them or provide them to terrorists, drug traffickers or organized criminals who travel the world among us unnoticed.

    If we fail to respond today, Saddam and all those who would follow in his footsteps will be emboldened tomorrow by the knowledge that they can act with impunity, even in the face of a clear message from the United Nations Security Council and clear evidence of a weapons of mass destruction program."

    President Clinton Address to Joint Chiefs of Staff and Pentagon staff February 17, 1998

    Posted by cupera2 at 04/28/2007 @ 12:21pm

43. this proves what? rhetoric does not an invasion make. by their deeds you shall judge them.

    Posted by johannesrolf at 04/28/2007 @ 12:49pm

44. DMORSO 04/28/2007 @ 12:18am

    If I may speak on behalf of whoever you were asking - the problem with Tenet saying "that's not what I meant" is that it's just more inside-the-loop finger pointing that keeps wasting time while this situation gets worse. The number of people who've said it's not MY fault is getting ridiculous. The debate needs to be about how to get out of Iraq, period.

    Plus, someone around here already wrote a book about the misuse of intelligence, or so I've heard. I prefer a reporter's account to a self-serving memoir in this particular case.

    Posted by MyParadigm at 04/28/2007 @ 2:36pm

45. George Tenet is only moderately interested in getting into Heaven.

    Take off that medal, George Tenet. I hope Saint Peter sees you wearing that shhit when you walk up to the Gate, trying to say "I sort of outed Bush" as an excuse. Take off your god damn medal, George Tenet.

    George Tenet is a mass-slaughtering murderer. It wasnt all WMDs George Tenet. You also stood behind the lies about Saddaam Hussein being behind Al Qaida - lies that were ridiculous then and ridiculous now. GO TO HELL, GEORGE TENET.

    Posted by conshame at 04/28/2007 @ 4:46pm

46. $1,000,000,000,000. = 1,000,000 x $1,000,000

    1 Trillion = 1 Million Million

    That's the price of the Iraq war. Enjoy your prosperity. Your children won't and neither will theirs. In the run up to the Iraq war, all of our government officialis let us down. Cheney, however, presented fraudulent information to Congress which is an impeachable offense. Stop the war. Impeach Cheney.

    Posted by NeilSagan at 04/29/2007 @ 12:37am

47. The fraud that was manufactured by our government officials and endorsed by our media establishment is one of the great political crimes of the last many decades. Yet those who are responsible for it have not been held accountable in the slightest. Quite the contrary, their media prominence -- as Moyers demonstrates -- has only increased, as culpable propagandists and warmongers such as Charles Krauthammer (now of Time and The Washington Post), Bill Kristol (now of Time), Jonah Goldberg (now of The Los Angeles Times, Peter Beinert (now of Time and The Washington Post), and Tom Friedman (revered by media stars everywhere) have all seen their profiles enhanced greatly in our national media.

    And while Judy Miller became the scapegoat for the media's failures, most of the media stars responsible for the worst journalistic abuses -- from Michael Gordon to Tim Russert to Fred Hiatt to most of The Washington Post, to say nothing of the Fox stars and cogs of the right-wing noise machine -- continue merrily along as before, with virtually no recognition of fault and no reduction in their platforms. LINK [tinyurl.com]

    Posted by NeilSagan at 04/29/2007 @ 12:42am

48. It's interesting how Mr. Tenent places almost all the blame for manipulating and misusing the intelligence on Cheney et al, but gives his personal pal Bush almost and entire pass, making the president sound as much the alleged victim as the author himself. I guess when you allow yourself to be accepted in the vaunted Bush family as a "friend" you feel obligated to lie and kiss their asses forever.

    Posted by zasu at 04/29/2007 @ 02:29am

49. David is always on the money, and on this sales pitch from Tenet, he hits the nail squarely on the head. I have written on other blogs that Tenet not only owes the people an apology, he needs to give up those millions to the families of soldiers who died in Iraq and even to the families of Iraqis killed. He helped allow a mass genocide to take place, one that dwarfed anything Saddam ever did, and at times, resembled the brutality we so loathed in Hussein. If Tenet had been a man of principle rather than one who seeks monetary gain, he would have spoken out loudly and forcefully at the time, calling Bush, Cheney and Rummy the baldfaced liars they are. But he sat on his hands, accepted a medal of freedom from Bush...a true coward cashing in on the deaths of those who fought for what they thought was a just cause which in reality was not.

    Posted by MCE337 at 04/30/2007 @ 01:40am

50. David is always on the money....

    Posted by MCE337 04/30/2007 @ 01:40am

    Always?!?!? What about this?--

    http://www.tompaine.com/articles/2006/12/08/impeachment_at_our_peril.php

    Posted by Mask at 04/30/2007 @ 09:14am

51. Tenet took a beating from all sides over the weekend. Yesterday it was the execrable Condi Rice defending her honor, and the sewer rat Douglas Feith calling Tenet a liar because he had a date wrong. Today there's a letter from six former agents saying Tenet was a coward who should have resigned rather than let Bush lie about WMD and an al Qaeda connection.

    Like I said before, it's just a bunch of finger pointing. The lot of them are scum.

    Lost in the shuffle: the claim by the six officers that field agents had proven in 2002 that there were no WMD stockpiles and no al Qaeda connection. Instead of touring the talk shows, Rice/Feith/Tenet/Cheney et al should be answering questions under oath about that.

    And to the six loyal patriots: it took you five years to speak up? Code of silence or not, gimme a break.

    Posted by MyParadigm at 04/30/2007 @ 09:47am

52. We should grant Tenet the same amount of credibility as Cheney, ZIP!

    Isn't tomorrow "MISSION ACCOMPLISHED" Day?

    this is the day that Chimpy made 5000 military families wait an extra day for their sons and daughters to get home, so Chimp could make a fool of his country.

    the day ChimpCo used public dollars to put on a despicable display of arrogance and ignorance.

    the day ChimpCo said the Navy hung up the infamous banner, when in fact it was ChimpCo.

    The day Chimpy declared the war a blazing success.

    Where are the Apologists now?

    Blame lies in two places, the presidents office and the vice presidents office. Period! they went to war based on lies, false information, forged documents and bravado. It is their fault we are in the mess we are in, not the dems, not the lib media, not the American people that saw this for what it was from day one, a colossal fuckup.

    Tenet, Bremer and all the rest should donate every penny they earn from their trash books to military families who have suffered loss and irreparable harm.

    Posted by crabwalk at 04/30/2007 @ 10:59am

53. As we can see again here, Bill Clinton is now some sort of barometer, when he is not the Anti-Christ.What about Powell and Condi Rice? They both KNEW Iraq was not threat in 2001:

    In Cairo, on February 24 2001, Powell said: "He (Saddam Hussein) has not developed any significant capability with respect to weapons of mass destruction. He is unable to project conventional power against his neighbours."

    Two months later, Condoleezza Rice also described a weak, divided and militarily defenceless Iraq. "Saddam does not control the northern part of the country," she said. "We are able to keep his arms from him. His military forces have not been rebuilt."

    then the pants pooping fear set in and reality went out the window. If anybody reading this ever thought Saddam was a threat to you, you need to seriously examine why you believed the reverse of the truth. How often do you normally rely on french and Russian intelligence to re-enforce your beliefs? Who told you Saddam was a threat? Have these same people been proven wrong about any other serious matters, ie length of war, conditions on the ground etc?

    then ask yourself, honestly, not with blinders on, not with hatred of "the left", but with soul searching honesty...why do you still believe these same people?

    Posted by crabwalk at 04/30/2007 @ 11:08am

54. Here at ChimpCo we believe the best way to fight fear is with fear. That is why we have done our absolute best to ensure you are afraid. If you're afraid, then you'll buy what we're selling. Its worked pretty well so far, right?

    Also we don't use the word "defeat" except to describe appendages at the end of "de-legs." to do otherwise would be unAmerican. Remember..the black vans are never too far away!

    Posted by leftofcenter at 04/30/2007 @ 11:45am

55. To quote some hillbilly numbnuts "country western singer" Re: Tenet

    We'll put a boot in your ass - it's the ahmurrikan way.

    Posted by Dr Decibels at 04/30/2007 @ 4:36pm

56. THE MEDAL OF FREEDOM SHOULD BE STRIPPED FROM TENETS NECK AND GIVEN TO JAMES WALTER AND DYLAN AVERY REAL PATRIOTS FOR EXPOSING THE ZIONIST / MONEYCHANGER DECEPTION OF 911.

    YOU MUST SEE LOOSE CHANGE 2ND EDIT ON YOU TUBE AND REOPEN911.ORG TOO SEE WHO OUR REAL ENEMY IS OF SEPT 11 2001.

    DEMO OF WTC 7 AT 5PM AND ROBBERY OF BILLIONS IN GOLD BARS FROM WTC 4

    SMOKEING GUNS....

    Posted by THE OLD BREED at 04/30/2007 @ 10:10pm

57. THE MEDAL OF FREEDOM SHOULD BE STRIPPED FROM TENETS NECK AND GIVEN TO JAMES WALTER AND DYLAN AVERY REAL PATRIOTS FOR EXPOSING THE ZIONIST / MONEYCHANGER DECEPTION OF 911.

    YOU MUST SEE LOOSE CHANGE 2ND EDIT ON YOU TUBE AND REOPEN911.ORG TOO SEE WHO OUR REAL ENEMY IS OF SEPT 11 2001.

    DEMO OF WTC 7 AT 5PM AND ROBBERY OF BILLIONS IN GOLD BARS FROM WTC 4

    SMOKEING GUNS....

    Posted by THE OLD BREED at 04/30/2007 @ 10:12pm

58. And pigs fly. Are you guys forgetting that the Pentagon was running its own version of the CIA and feeding that directly into Mr. Cheney's office? It was not only a matter of cherrypicking intelligence but cherrypicking the domestic source.

    No wonder things were so screwed up.

    I'm so impressed by Tenet's indignation when his ethics are questioned. Yeah right. His pretax advance works out to be about $1000 per dead GI. Let this pompous, self appointed ass give that amount in a person visit to each family of a dead GI. Then let's seem some real remorse.

    Posted by hdhouse at 05/01/2007 @ 03:38am

59. Posted by THE OLD BREED 04/30/2007 @ 10:12pm

    I have some info for you OLD, Muslims are not Jews.

    Posted by crabwalk at 05/01/2007 @ 08:54am

60. By Sudarsan Raghavan and Karin Brulliard Washington Post Foreign Service Tuesday, May 1, 2007; Page A01

    BAGHDAD, April 30 -- The deaths of more than 100 American troops in April made it the deadliest month so far this year for U.S. forces in Iraq, underscoring the growing exposure of Americans as thousands of reinforcements arrive for an 11-week-old offensive to tame sectarian violence.

    More than 60 Iraqis also were killed or found dead across Iraq on Monday. Casualties among Iraqi civilians and security forces have outstripped those of Americans throughout the war. In March, a total of 2,762 Iraqi civilians and policemen were killed, down 4 percent from the previous month, when 2,864 were killed. Iraq's government has yet to release any monthly totals for April.

    Posted by crabwalk at 05/01/2007 @ 09:00am

61. FRANKGRITS 04/30/2007 @ 5:30pm

    Another fascinating story from the presidential bubble world. It's just disgusting, the lengths that his insulators will go to in convincing Bush that he's some kind of leader.

    Posted by MyParadigm at 05/01/2007 @ 09:38am

62. Damn, Dave, you alledgedly gave us the "facts" in Hubris, and YOU didn't do it for free.

    Posted by CHIP THORNTON at 05/01/2007 @ 11:16am

63. David Corn did not sit behind Powell and lend credence to lies, nor did he then attempt to make a profit off of his own negligence, Chip.

    Posted by crabwalk at 05/01/2007 @ 11:43am

64. Frank, Chimp has zero shame. There is nothing he will not do to make himself appear to be a war president. 2 failed wars president.

    Remember, this is the anniversary of accomplishing the mission in Iraq. That is; to bring a stable, liberal democracy to the Iraqi people and secure our national security interests (oil).

    MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!!!!

    "We were never stay the course"

    "We found the wmd's"

    29% approval.

    Posted by crabwalk at 05/01/2007 @ 11:46am

65. Corps Asked to Explain Pump Contract By Cain Burdeau The Associated Press

    Monday 30 April 2007

    When the Army Corps of Engineers solicited bids for drainage pumps for New Orleans, it copied the specifications - typos and all - from the catalog of the manufacturer that ultimately won the $32 million contract, a review of documents by The Associated Press found.

    The pumps, supplied by Moving Water Industries Corp. of Deerfield Beach, Fla., and installed at canals before the start of the 2006 hurricane season, proved to be defective, as the AP reported in March. The matter is under investigation by the Government Accountability Office, the investigative arm of Congress.

    In a letter dated April 13, Sen. David Vitter, R-La., called on the Corps to look into how the politically connected company got the post-Hurricane Katrina contract. MWI employed former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, President Bush's brother, to market its pumps during the 1980s, and top MWI officials have been major contributors to the Republican Party.

    Posted by crabwalk at 05/01/2007 @ 11:50am

66. GEORGE TENET; TAKE OFF THAT MEDAL

    Posted by conshame at 05/01/2007 @ 12:50pm

67. In the simplest terms Mask, the idea of a secretive CIA and an open democracy are fundamentally at odds.

    Posted by B_KOOL_66 04/27/2007 @ 3:25pm

    Amen!

    Posted by Lennonist at 05/02/2007 @ 4:07pm

68. Lost in the shuffle: the claim by the six officers that field agents had proven in 2002 that there were no WMD stockpiles and no al Qaeda connection. Instead of touring the talk shows, Rice/Feith/Tenet/Cheney et al should be answering questions under oath about that.

    And to the six loyal patriots: it took you five years to speak up? Code of silence or not, gimme a break.

    Posted by MYPARADIGM 04/30/2007 @ 09:47am

    In any democracy, to protect and defend that democracy is what people take an oath to do when they join any service of the government. Protect and defend the Constitution. In order to protect and defend the Constitution, one must first hold it higher than anything and everything else in the country. If one does, and if one knows that ones superiors are acting in a manner contrary to the Constitution, to fail to bring evidence of that is treason! Those six individuals knew the proper methods of rendition were not being followed, they knew that intelligence was being designed by the cabal controlling government at the time, they realized the regime in charge was planning to wage a war that had no basis upon which it could legally be prosecuted. They allowed the American public to be lied to. They allowed 3300+ American soldiers to be killed needlessly. They abetted in the mass-murder of over 100,000 innocent Iraqi civilians. They assisted in the wanton destruction of the nation's infrastructure. They aided in making millions of Iraqis homeless. Their silence made it all possible. They are, as such, scumbag traitors.

    To everyone out there who says that Bush and Cheney have done nothing to be impeached for, let me remind you, treason is an impeachable offense. They have (and continue to on a daily basis) failed to uphold and defend the Consitution. Sending us to war in a situation where our security was never threatened to fight a nation that was not allied with our declared enemy, and which war has made us less safe to terrorism both worldwide and at home, is an act of treason. Lying to the American public was an act of treason. Now, Tenet, Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld and Rice are all equally responsible as co-conspirators. They are equally traitors. They have left us all open to attack. They caused the terrorist bombings in Spain and England because their actions in initiating this illegal and immoral war are what directly and proximately caused the terrorist responses.

    Posted by Lennonist at 05/02/2007 @ 4:34pm