Letters to the Editor
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Illuminating as ever
Thank you.
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He squashed a deal to free Jon Pollard
You guys should be cheering about that and giving him a Double Medal of SUPER Freedom.
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Smokescreen
Tenet is just a smokescreen. Call it the "Gonzales Effect". Say something, but nothing really. He still claims they thought there were WMD. The Valerie Plame case indicates they really thought otherwise.
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It seems that...
people of somewhat weak character were browbeaten into rather horrible behavior at the hands of ruthless authoritarians. There is no excuse for this failure, but it appears many were surprised by the bold lies and bullying behavior of the authoritarian cult of the Bushies. George T. was simply too weak to stand up for what was right. He needs to go away and leave us alone so as to allow us to solve the problems he helped create.
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Circular Logic (or lying)
I eagerly anticipated watching him on 60 Minutes, though was disgusted by the time it was over.
I found it hard to believe this man crept out of the rock he hides under (presumably in shame) to redeem himself with this:
(paraphrased from memory)
Scott Pelley: How did you get it so wrong?
Tenet: Hey! We made mistakes! People make mistakes! You can tell I'm sincere because I'm acting angry!
That was it. Yes we KNOW you made mistakes, you'd have to be brain dead or an Administration Official to not see that. The question was how could you have made them?
To answer the question of how mistakes were made with the answer that mistakes are made, smacks of incompetence or willful dissembling to protect yourself or others.
Way to redeem yourself Tenet.
Now where else did someone else's anticipated turn in the spotlight to clear things up end up with that person looking like an idiot?
My god, its the Gonzales testimony all over again!
Somehow I think it won't be the last time we see this stratagem from the Bush (Rove) playbook.
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Tenet is small potatos
The larger issues are being overlooked. Why did the neocons want to make the case for invading Iraq? To protect Israel! It's been reported here and there but its astounding how this information doesn't outrage the American people. Our country was driven into an unprecedented and unjust preemptive war that is costing us thousands of lives and billions of dollars and for what? To protect a country that is very well capable of killing Arabs all on its own.
I suspect this issue is ignored by some in the media because their bias toward Israel is implicit and avoided by others because they fear being cast as anti-Semites, which they invariably will be by the powerful pro-Israeli organizations that operate in this country. To say that if you support withdrawal of troops you're unpatriotic and a defeatist is not unlike saying that if you question our ties with Israel or the loyalties of certain high-ranking Jewish-American officials you're an anti-Semite.
Moreover, evangelical congregations across this country have made it a tenet of their faith to support the state of Israel because, they believe, that restoring the Jewish people to their homeland will bring about the second coming of Christ. Now, you have the Israeli lobby, a profoundly savvy political group, allying itself with a profoundly misguided and politically cohesive group and what do you get? You get a president named George W. Bush and a disastrous policy that pits America against the entire Muslim world.
The Muslim world is out of its mind, without a doubt! However, given that most of what I have said is not disputed, is it so crazy that the vast majority of Muslim believe that pro-Jewish groups are having their way in American politics? "Much madness is divinest sense."
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Is this guy serious?
Tenet's mea culpa makes me want to puke. Leading up to the war, there were a number of courageous State Department officials who resigned in protest rather than participate in this sham of a case for war that was being sold to the American people. The gave up careers and pensions for what they believed, and got brief mention in some of the press (including Salon). That took guts. Those actions were based on deeply held principles. I pray that NO ONE will buy this self-serving book. Tenet was one of the few people in a position to really wake up Americans to the realities of the day, and he chose not to. Why bother doing it now? Just sit down, shut up and find a way to live with yourself, if you can, George.
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A tenet Means Truth
In late April a former CIA director published a book about his experiences at the CIA, and states that he did not brief the President about the absence of intelligence supporting the planned invasion of Iraq because the President did not ask him about it. He apparently shirked a fundamental responsibility to give the President all sides of the intelligence information, a requisite part of his job. Had he performed his sworn duty the deaths of 3350 U.S. troops in Iraq might have been prevented. He does not qualify as an American patriot. He is undeserving of the Medal of Freedom that he received and it should be returned with a public apology to the American people. A tenet is defined as a principle believed to be the truth by an individual or an organization such as the CIA or the Bush administration. One must decide for one's self the tenet they subscribe to or believe.
Dr. Saul B. Wilen is CEO, International Horizons Unlimited U) [www.intlhorizons.com, (210) 692-1268] an educational consulting and resources consortium. Dr. Wilen is a recognized authority in prevention strategies and problem solving.
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Blitzed
You know you're in trouble when even testosterone-challenged Wolf Blitzer charges you like a deranged picador, as he did in his interview with Tenet on CNN Wednesday afternoon (or evening, depending on your zone). Tenet has such a dopey pout that it almost seems cruel to pick on him until you remember that he could have stopped the Iraq war on any number of occasions just by resigning and talking to the press.
He's a coward and a fool. It'll be a generation before the president's medal can regain its symbolic value.