Posted on 04/28/2007 12:59:09 PM PDT by neverdem
WASHINGTON, April 27 — In January 2002, George J. Tenet, the man who oversaw all American spy agencies, was asked by a visiting Italian intelligence official what he knew about United States officials making contact with exiled Iranian opposition figures.
“I shot a look at other members of my staff in the meeting,” Mr. Tenet writes in his newly published memoir. “It was clear that none of us knew what he was talking about. The Italian quickly changed the subject.”
The embarrassed Mr. Tenet, then director of central intelligence, had stumbled upon a quixotic effort by a few Pentagon officials working closely with a conservative Middle East specialist, Michael A. Ledeen, to meet with Iranian dissidents living abroad. It was neither the first nor the last time he would be surprised by intelligence efforts inside the Bush administration but outside official channels.
Mr. Tenet’s book, “At the Center of the Storm” (HarperCollins), portrays an administration in which many officials were skeptical about the views of the intelligence agencies. The skepticism put pressure on C.I.A. analysts to reconsider findings that did not suit some policymakers. On occasion, it created back channels and alternative analyses that angered and frustrated Mr. Tenet.
Tensions between intelligence officers and Bush administration policymakers have often been reported. But Mr. Tenet’s account of such clashes fills in many new details, and on Friday, some of his critics began to reply, calling his version of events selective or inaccurate.
Dan Bartlett, the counselor to President Bush, on Friday offered a mild rebuttal of Mr. Tenet’s assertion that there was never a “serious debate” of the Iraqi threat or the consequences of...
--snip--
“What we were hearing sounded like an off-the-books covert-action program trying to destabilize the Iranian government,” Mr. Tenet writes, calling such a program “Son of Iran-contra.”
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
Tenet = MAJOR CYA. Plain and simple.
““I shot a look at other members of my staff in the meeting,” Mr. Tenet writes in his newly published memoir. “It was clear that none of us knew what he was talking about. The Italian quickly changed the subject.””
It sounds like Tenet plays a lousy game of poker... how this guy was overseeing the spy agencies is beyond me.
Well .. Tenent thought he could get his 15 minutes of fame if he ripped the WH apart.
It’s what all the RINO’s do .. please the media and get lots of press. SICK!
“Italian intelligence” Now there is an oxtmoron for you.
Maybe Tenet was really remembering a lot about his days with the Clintons. I would say that would be normalatleast for the dimwits for him to blame it on Bush.
IIRC, Tenet was a dem from Queens, NY, who got his start on Senator Moynihan's staff.
Tenent is a hold over from the Clinton Administration. He’s a Democrat
tenet is and always has been a dim. ‘toon appointed him.
LLS
“I never could understand why GWB kept Tenet in the first place.”
The “New Tone” rears it’s ugly hand again. Let’s see Richard Clarke, numerous State and Justice Department, CIA and FBI guys, etc, etc, etc.
Memo to the next GOP President, especially one that MIGHT have to take over after a Hillary Clinton adminsitration:
You fire (or ask for the resignationa) of everyone and anyone that was appointed by that women. You leave one trace of that crowd in your adminstration, they will come back and bite you in the ass.
Dumbheller has proved himself to be a worthless nitwit, and frighteningly ignorant for the man who rose head the CIA’s European operations, but as a mindless lib he is just the person to be embraced by Charlie Rose.
Tenet is very probably the only public official dumber than Governor Richardson. I’m talkin’ major league stupid with these two. Is anyone surprised he would write a CYA book bashing Dubya? He should have been gone from central intelligence two minutes after Dubya took the oath of office. But, this is what you get for playing nice.
No one ever accused George Tenet of being smart.
Early in the Eisenhower Administration I was in the office of a career civil servant in DC, on Air Force busines. As part of the general conversation, he complained that the Administration was firing people well down the totem pole; people who really had no say on policy. However, after 20 years of New and Fair Deals, the liberals had taken over the "permanent government" at almost all levels. It isn't enough to fire a few top people. You have to root out the termites in the babsement as well.
Any member of our government who would trade his soul for a buck,is only worth a buck.I have searched and can not find a definition or description for a man such as himself.The MSM will use him,but I can not wait for our soldiers to get home and along with their families,portray the truth.For our so called “leaders”to say what they do,makes me think?,how many of them or their offspring has given???NADA I am not Spanish,but enough is enough.How dare so called elected leaders determine ANYTHING about war when they have sacrificed nothing??Can you believe we PAY them!!OK Try and take our guns.DUHH By the time your touchy feely diplomacy fails,remember one thing.DO not think America is going to sit back and become subservient.An unknown fact that is not brought up for certain reasons,is the amount of VETERANS that could assemble overnight,would outnumber any military in the world.HMMMMM,CPT.so and so is black.Whatever.He is nmissing a leg.HMMMMM.I am a SGT. and whatever he tells me to do is a done deal.Period.If I do not,he shoots me!!ARMY REGS!Our nation is a proud one.Never forget,our Vets can assemble on a moments notice an our Military will increase ten fold overnight.It has before.TENET SUCKS,Bill KNOWS
“Politics is not a bad profession.
If you succeed there are many
rewards, if you disgrace yourself
you can always write a book.”
Ronald W. Reagan
Leni
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