Former CIA Chief George Tenet Calls War In Iraq "Wrong"

[Nbadan]

Looks like George Tenet agrees with John Kerry's assessment of the Iraq war...

NEW YORK The guest speaker was famous, and he was visiting a small town far from the spotlight of network TV cameras and the reach of big-name reporters from national newspapers. In other words: It was a perfect scenario for a local reporter to snag an exclusive. And Anna Clark, correspondent for The Herald-Palladium of St. Joseph, Mich., was there to grab it.

Addressing the Economic Club of Southwestern Michigan Wednesday night, George Tenet, former director of central intelligence, called the war on Iraq "wrong," according to Clark's article today. Tenet added that while the Iraq war was "rightly being challenged," the CIA was making important strides toward success in the greater war on terrorism.

*more*

Editor and Publisher

Tenet failed to elaborate on his comment.

[whottt]

Nice...Clinton appointee who was head of the CIA while the Taliban came to power and Al-Qaeda was taking flying lessons. I really value his opinion.

[Nbadan]

I really value his opinion

Apparently W did because he kept him around. I guess he should have talked to you first.

[Yonivore]

Apparently W did because he kept him around. I guess he should have talked to you first.

CIA Directors are appointed for 6 year terms that can't be abridged by anything short of resignation or removal through impeachment (or something similar - I don't know if the process is exactly the same.) But, I do know the President can't just fire the guy on a whim.

I wondered the same thing, Nbadanallah, until it was explained to me -- by someone in the know. If you want to contest this point, I'll find the relevant sources. Or, if I have the time later today, I'll look for them anyway.

Yes, Tenet is a Clinton tool.

[Hook Dem]

"Yes, Tenet is a Clinton tool." ..............OOPS !

[exstatic]

There you go, making up again, Yoni.

PAST CIA DIRECTORS
George Tenet, 1997-2004
John Deutch, 1995-1996
James Woolsey, 1993-1995
Robert Gates, 1991-1993
William Webster, 1987-1991
William Casey, 1981-1987
Stansfield Turner, 1977-1978
George Bush Sr, 1976-1977

[Clandestino]

How does the DCI get his job? How long is his term?

The DCI is nominated by the President and confirmed by the Senate, the DCI serves at
the pleasure of the President. There is no term of office. Upon Senate confirmation, the
DCI takes an oath of office before assuming his duties. Allen Welsh Dulles served for
eight years, the longest serving of any DCI.

http://www.cia.gov/dci/public_affairs/faq.html#2

[Yonivore]

There you go, making up again, Yoni.

No, I didn't make it up and, yes, I was wrong. However, in a sense, I'm right.

Below I've linked two separate do ents, one from the early 90's and one from this past summer, calling for fixed terms for the DCI. And, after checking my source, I was corrected -- in the sense that the six year terms are now "informally" agreed to pursuant to the commission recommendations made in the first do ent; even though there is no statutory requirement to do so.

But, I concede the point, Bush could have fired him. However, it is generally know, within the Beltway, he would have had to overcome substantial political pressure to "stick to the agreement." In other words, it wasn't a mountain he was willing to conquer when Tenet's "term" was due to "expire" soon anyway.

Commission Report on the Central Intelligence Agency

The Commission concluded that its proposed Deputy DCI for the CIA-the new statutory, Senate-confirmed position which the Commission recommends be created to manage the CIA-optimally should be in place for six years. There should be a presumption that the in bent would serve for the entire term. To ensure, however, that a DCI retains the ability to make changes in the position should the in bent prove incompatible, the Commission believes the appointment should be for a series of two-year terms. A similar arrangement governs the appointment of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

6-1. The Commission recommends that the DDCI for the CIA be appointed for a term not to exceed six years and be subject to reappointment by the President at the end of each two-year period.

Statement of Senator Barbara Mikulski on Release of Senate Intelligence Committee Report

This new DCI should be appointed to five or six year terms B similar to the term of the Federal Reserve Board Chairman B to ensure independence of the DCI. If it is important to ensure independence of monetary policy, it is important to ensure independence of our intelligence community.

[whottt]

Just so we don't lose track of the issue...I repeat:

Clinton appointee who was head of the CIA while the Taliban came to power and Al-Qaeda was taking flying lessons.

That's it...end of discussion.

[exstatic]

No, I didn't make it up and, yes, I was wrong. However, in a sense, I'm right.

You voted for it before you voted against it?

[Opinionater]

IMHO, that is why George Tenet is the former director of the CIA.

You are with them, or you are fired even though you say you leaving of your accord.

[whottt]

At least Clinton appointed George was weak enough to hold his tongue as Chaney remote controlled the planes into the WTC, and as we falsified intelligence world wide retroactively to 1998. For that we can never repay him. Too bad his conscience started to bother him...now he's gonna have to get the Kennedy treatment.

[Marcus Bryant]

Yeah no . If Bush knew that there were no WMDs did he really think that he could invade Iraq and not have that discovered? , if he was that diabolical and Hitlerian as some critics have portrayed him as, why wouldn't he have planted some WMDs on Hussein to begin with?

[CommanderMcBragg]

You want him assassinated?

[Nbadan]

You want him assassinated?

You could see George Tenet turn to the dark side when he sat quietly behind Powell who was testifying before the U.N. about suspected Iraq mobile labs. Before that, Tenet wasn't really playing ball with the Neocons.

[whottt]

Actually Tenet came out and said today that he was misquoted.

And hold that thought on the mobile labs...According to do ents found in Iraq France was selling Iraq mobile lab technology up until 20 days before the war.

[Nbadan]

According to do ents found in Iraq

I wonder if those do ents were super-script.

Look, there were no mobile labs discovered in Iraq after the invasion. Maybe Saddam shipped them off to Syria or Iran with his stockpiles of WMD, but those certainly were not mobile labs that Powell was pointing to on the intelligence maps before the U.N.

[Nbadan]

Tenet came out and said today that he was misquoted.

Yeah, misquoted like Clarke and O'Neill were misquoted.

[whottt]

The liberal media supporting their candidate. If you have any doubts about this don't forget they did the same thing to Rumsfield...they also did it with Iran.

And before you pull the Fox card...Fox doesn't really hide the fact that it's slanted, they announce that it has a different view than the other networks...the other networks try to pretend they aren't slanted.

[whottt]

I wonder if those do ents were super-script.

Look, there were no mobile labs discovered in Iraq after the invasion. Maybe Saddam shipped them off to Syria or Iran with his stockpiles of WMD, but those certainly were not mobile labs that Powell was pointing to on the intelligence maps before the U.N.

There may not be any mobile labs in Iraq but there is substantial evidence that France, not Germany, not China, not Russia, France, good old France, our oldest ally...was selling them the technology and even sending specialists to help them better utilize it.

And unlike with US companies, the fact that France is a socialist state masquerading as Democracy, in which most of it's industries, and media, are state controlled, and it's government officials above prosecution by the law while they are in office......if these allegations turn out to be true that will be an indictment of the French Government...and Jaque Chirac.

I wouldn't automatically assume the Bush administration is fabricating evidence...it is Kofi Annan's hand picked investagator that is making these findings. And if Bush had wanted to fabricate evidence he would have fabricated WMD from the get go. Not to mention if all he wanted from Saddam was Iraqi Oil we would never have had the first Persian Gulf War. I mean Saddam is an easier bribe than the New Iraqi government will be.


Just one time...turn your distrust of our government onto some of those wonderful European Governments...you're a pretty smart guy with a lively imagination...it shouldn't be too hard for you to see what they are trying to do to our economy, now that the Soviet Union is out of the way...it shouldn't be too hard to see their bigoted view of our culture...while we not only do not fear theirs over here...we embrace it.

And then remember, before we go running seeking Europe's approval...their major contributions to the 20th century were Marxism and Nazism, and modern Fascism too for that matter.

[Yonivore]

Actually Tenet came out and said today that he was misquoted.

Misquoting former Bush administration officials? Never happens!