Posted on 05/11/2007 5:26:11 AM PDT by advance_copy
George Tenet sets the stage in his memoir by recalling a conversation he claims to have had with me on Sept. 12, 2001: "As I walked beneath the awning that leads to the West Wing[, I] saw Richard Perle exiting the building just as I was about to enter. . . . Perle turned to me and said, 'Iraq has to pay a price for what happened yesterday. They bear responsibility.' I looked back at Perle and thought: Who has [he] been meeting with in the White House so early in the morning on today of all days?"
But I was in Europe on Sept. 12, 2001, unable to get a return flight to Washington, and I did not tell Tenet that Iraq was responsible for the Sept. 11 attacks, not then, not ever. That should have been the end of the story: a faulty recollection, perhaps attributing to me something he may have heard elsewhere, an honest mistake.
So I was surprised when, having been made aware of his error, Tenet reasserted his claim, saying: "So I may have been off on the day, but I'm not off on what he said and what he believed."
On "Meet the Press" last Sunday, Tenet argued that his version "seems to be corroborated" by a comment I made to columnist Robert D. Novak on Sept. 17 and a letter to President Bush that I signed, with 40 others, on Sept. 20. But my 10-word comment to Novak made no claim that Iraq was responsible for Sept. 11. Neither did the letter to the president, which said that "any strategy aiming at the eradication of terrorism and its sponsors must include a determined effort to remove Saddam Hussein from power."
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
Did Tenet talk about having no ‘boots on the ground’ collecting intelligence in Iraq and Afghanistan? Or about having near-zero speakers of Arabic? The 9/11 Commission Report had nothing good to say about that.
That Tenet invokes Novak (daughter wrote Kerry’s speeches,
and who during the last election personally leaked Palmegate
for Kerry) has very bad implications and reeks of impropriety.
The biggest scandal is the fact that we are now in the 6th year after 911, and Congress still has not reformed the CIA to eliminate the 1970’s era restrictions that have hampered the War on Terror. Those restrictions led not only to 911, but also to the Iraq War.
Sorry folks, I know the CIA isn't a real intelligence outfit, but since some think so, I guess this is related to our list. ;-))
“George Tenet and, more important, our premier intelligence organization managed to find weapons of mass destruction that did not exist while failing to find links to terrorists that did — all while missing completely the rise of Islamist fundamentalism. We have made only a down payment on the price of that failure.”
I have yet in my lifetime to hear of a CIA ‘success’ beyond leaks to the New York Times and the Washington Post. That another former member of the CIA is lying publicly should not surprise anyone.
Its my belief we would be better leveling the Langley facility, fire every last employee of CIA, and buy a ‘Magic Eightball’ to replace it all.
Good reason to have the CIA spy on climate change.
Well said !!!
Yeah. What you said.
We saw the same thing with bobsy twins Richard A. Clarke and Wesley Clark during the 9/11 commission fraud.
Good call. That should keep them busy for years.
Please explain.....Novak’s daughter wrote Kerry’s speeches.....and she leaked Plamegate?
Why the hell didn’t Perle write this on MONDAY!!!! We are always way too SLOW in getting facts out.
Thanks.
Can anyone cite a CIA ‘success’ in the last four decades?
I can’t.
Just one of W’s string of bad mistakes since first taking office. Memo to the next Republican president (if there is one); CLEAN HOUSE !
The successes of the CIA will never be known.
‘The successes of the CIA will never be known.’
And golly gee, don’t you wish you could get away with that DODGE in your job?
We don't hear about their successes. They protect their sources by staying quiet about them. Hopefully, there are some.
“I have yet in my lifetime to hear of a CIA ‘success’ “
“We don’t hear about their successes. They protect their sources by staying quiet about them.”
Again, don’t you wish that was the criteria on your job?
We are supposed to believe a federal agency that can’t keep its mouth shut about a host of top secret programs....can keep its mouth shut for decades about ‘successes’?
Sorry, I’m not buying that Langley created mythical standard.
From the Bay of Pigs to 9/11, the CIA’s track record has been ABYSMAL. They even missed the economic collapse of the Soviet Union....(eyes rolling)
I refuse to accept any longer the Central Intelligence Agency’s ‘our successes are secret’ mantra...because the overwhelming track record is one of unmitigated FAILURE, on every level.
Tenent is another example my old statement/question:
“When do liberals stop lying?”
Excellent summary of the Farm.
“Can anyone cite a CIA ‘success’ in the last four decades?”
When we add your comment above from another reply of yours, the abysmal reality sinks in.
Anyone of real value to this county in the CIA was outed during the Carter years. No one in the MSM really cared when the mediots and anti Americans named the good people in country and put their families and them in real life danger.
Richard Perle is one of the most disgraceful A-holes ever to set foot inside the U.S. Department of Defense. I have no idea if he is telling the truth on this one, but Tenet's recollection of what transpired is perfectly in character with Perle.
Remember, this was the moron who called on the Clinton administration to topple Saddam Hussein back in 2000 in response to the attack on the USS Cole -- even though there wasn't a single shred of evidence linking Iraq to that attack.
“Excellent summary of the Farm.
“Can anyone cite a CIA ‘success’ in the last four decades?”
When we add your comment above from another reply of yours, the abysmal reality sinks in.”
Thanks. I get no ‘joy’ from noting this, btw. The facts however, show the CIA is a worthless entity, unless you like favored reporters gaining access to program they can then place on the front page of the NYT or WaPo.
Valerie Plame is a perfect example of what I’m talking about here. A typical government service employee of the CIA.
I think the CIA started to go downhill when Jimmy Carter appointed Stanfield Turner as the director.
The Patriot Acts went a long way towards fixing some serious problems though.
Why doesn’t Perle stop his bellyaching and SUE THE JERK for false statement or libel or whatever the technical term is? No one is going to care if he writes a million editorials about it.
Assuming you meant "ousted", we are in violent agreement.
Amen.
With "normal" people, truth can be a defense against libel, the written form of defamation. With "public figures", which Perle is, the bar is much, much higher for some one attempting to recover for libel (or lower for a defendant attempting to avoid liability). This is the result of a landmark US Supreme Court case on libel involving, wait for it, the NY Times.
Bottom line, Perle apparently isn't willing to pay the legal fees for a loser case just to make a statement. So, instead, he pens columns.
I don’t know if you have an intel background, Badeye. The failures of the Agency are ballyhooed in the press, and certainly they should be. However, their many successes over the years simply cannot be trumpeted openly.
The Agency was badly hamstrung in 1972 but came back to life to a large extent under Reagen. Unfortunately, Clinton raped then gutted the CIA in a variety of ways - especially our funding.
CIA successes are not talked about. CIA failures sometimes go public. Congress has no problem blaming the Agency for their own mistakes / actions because they know the Agency cannot and will not defend itself publicly. A lot of what you read in the press is crap. Go figure.
The Agency has turned into a glorified CNN. Much of the top management is liberal. There is a strong bias against risk taking. But this is exactly what Congress wants and the American people are therefore ultimately to blame.
I have been out for several years but from what my friends tell me it hasn't improved that much. Bush didn't clean house - he tried to build consensus with Democrats. He is a compassionate but in my opinion somewhat naive President.
Agency staff, especially the covert employees, are some of the smartest, most ethical and hardest working people on the planet. With a conservative Congress they could do wonders.
In spite of all the issues - the CIA is the best intelligence gathering organization on the planet. Admittedly, that is partly a function of money - but it is a true statement none the less.
Along with all those Clinton appointed US attorneys.
By outed, I mean the few good field agents were outed by the media while they were in country.
This put them and their family members in extreme danger and of course was the death sentence of anybody who worked with them in the country they were in.
George Tenet was not a "member" of the CIA. He was the appointed director.
And, just because you haven't heard the stories, it doesn't mean they didn't happen, and aren't still happening. There are still, thankfully, some people who recognize that you and the Washington Post don't have need to know. Most of those stories remain unknown beyond the memory of a few, and will go uncommemorated, except for an anonymous star on the wall in the lobby. You insult their memory.
I'm inclined to agree. No "government" agency is going to downplay success, especially at appropriations time. I used to believe maybe they kept their coups to themselves. Then I woke up.
One thing you can count on though--some lefty is checking the air travel records, and if Perle is lying we will all know soon enough. If it drops out of the news and is never heard about again--then Perle is telling the truth and Tenet is lying.
Too true with regard to the outings by the press and by rogue authors.
But the Carter administration was also responsible for the gutting of the Ops Directorate - a lot of very experienced agents were cashiered at that time, apparently due to the Carter Administration’s distaste for covert ops. It was a genuine tragedy for America.
A friend, who was a good covert was outed and then “retired” after he was outed during the Carter years.
An important comment that leaves much to think about. I believe we're still paying a terrible price for the Carter-Turner-Church Committee decision to de-emphasize human intelligence in favor of "technical means.
Getting Senator Frank Church "unelected" in Idaho?
“don’t know if you have an intel background, Badeye. The failures of the Agency are ballyhooed in the press, and certainly they should be. However, their many successes over the years simply cannot be trumpeted openly.”
I find that to be a dodge from reality. What a racket - ‘hey, we’re doin a great job, but we can’t tell you about it!’
Wish I could get away with that in my line of work, don’t you?
‘And, just because you haven’t heard the stories, it doesn’t mean they didn’t happen, and aren’t still happening’
Fair enough.
Just because they claims success, doesn’t mean they enjoy it.
As I previously noted, what a racket. Wish my professional life was given such a great ‘dodge’.
“We are supposed to believe a federal agency that can’t keep its mouth shut about a host of top secret programs....can keep its mouth shut for decades about ‘successes’?”
“I’m inclined to agree. No “government” agency is going to downplay success, especially at appropriations time. I used to believe maybe they kept their coups to themselves. Then I woke up.”
Thats what I’m saying. Leaks to the NYT, leaks to the WaPo....I’ve concluded the ‘special expertise’ at Langley has much more to do with interferring with domestic politics than it does protecting us from outside our borders.
It WAS my line of work.
“”Can anyone cite a CIA ‘success’ in the last four decades?”
Getting Senator Frank Church “unelected” in Idaho?”
(chuckle)
There’s an ‘inside baseball’ observation thats very funny.
Thanks.
‘Wild Bill Donovan is rolling over in his grave.’
For the umpteenth time, but yep.
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