I've been thinking about this post for a week after reading three articles about George "Slam Dunk" Tenet in the 28 April 2007 New York Times, including Maureen Dowd's column, appropriately entitled "More Like An Air Ball". George has been on the news and interview shows since then, plugging his new book At the Center of the Storm. I figured that everyone is tired of ol' "Slam Dunk" by now, as he laments about how he and the CIA have been scapegoated by the Bush Administration (but not by Bush himself, whom he lionizes), especially Dick Cheney.
Tenet acknowledges that he did utter the words "a slam dunk case" but was referring to obtaining information about WMDs in Iraq, not the presence of WMDs. Besides, by that time, plans for war were well underway. These words have been taken out of context and quoted countless times, primarily by Dick Cheney. It is interesting to note that Tenet uses the word "scapegoat"; Gwen Ifill observed on PBS's Washington Week on 4 May 2007, the term "scapegoat" implies "innocence". To his credit, Tenet does admit his and his agency's mistakes. That's probably a first for an ex-Bush administration official (but recall Tenet was appointed by Clinton).
Tenet suspects that the "WMD excuse" to invade Iraq was just that - an excuse. He feels that the real reason was the neocon blather about installing a democracy in Iraq, which would then blossom throughout the Middle East. Along with the Dickster, people like Paul Wolfowitz, Douglas Feith (I love the term "Feith-based analysis", a wonderful double-entendre), and Richard Perle come across poorly (I'm being kind). Tenet recounts Perle saying on 12 September 2001 that "Iraq has to pay a price for what happened yesterday. They bear responsibility." Tenet readily admits that "the intelligence then and now" showed "no evidence of Iraq complicity" in the 9/11 attacks.
He also asserts that there was never a serious debate about the Iraq threat, and the consequences of a prolonged occupation in Iraq. Nor was there a plan for the peace. He claims to have warned L. Paul Bremer about Bremer's misguided attempt to "de-Baathify" the Iraqi army.
Tenet's critics claim "Foul!", stating that he was not privy to all that was happening or that he is employing selective memory.
Tenet's observations beg the obvious question that he has failed to answer adequately: if he knew what a mess things were, why did he wait until now, almost three years after his resignation, to speak up? Did he tell his buddy George Bush what a mess things were while he was CIA Director? Why didn't he "do the right thing" - resign out of principle? Kind of makes you wonder why it just so happens he's waited until the release of his book.
It's apparent to me that George Tenet and Colin Powell were the two members of the Bush Administration who knew the "real story" behind the Iraq War. Neither one had the integrity or guts to stand up to the neocons and Bush and tell the American people the truth. They both checked their principles at the door.
Maureen Dowd's characterization of "Slam Dunk" as the butler from Remains of the Day, scurrying about, playing the President's sycophant, is spot-on.
"Slam Dunk"? I prefer to think of him as "Air Ball".
!Feliz Cinco de Mayo!
"You know, one of the hardest parts of my job is to connect Iraq to the war on terror" -- President George W. Bush, 6 September 2006.
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