BS: George Tenet resigns 06-03-2004

Subject: BS: George Tenet resigns 06-03-2004
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 03 Jun 04 - 01:10 PM

See the news at CNN.

Subject: RE: BS: George Tenet resigns 06-03-2004
From: GUEST
Date: 03 Jun 04 - 02:34 PM

Something very fishy is going on here. First, the Chalabi mess. Then we hear that Bush himself has hired outside counsel over the CIA agent being outed, exposed, and left hanging out to dry by the White House last summer. And now this.

Not a coincidence, me thinks.

Subject: RE: BS: George Tenet resigns 06-03-2004
From: Alaska Mike
Date: 03 Jun 04 - 02:35 PM

One down, far too many to go.

Subject: RE: BS: George Tenet resigns 06-03-2004
From: GUEST
Date: 03 Jun 04 - 02:39 PM

From the NY Times article:

"Today, George Tenet, the director of the C.I.A., submitted a letter of resignation," President Bush said on the South Lawn of the White House in an announcement that stunned Washington by its timing. "I met with George last night in the White House. I had a good visit with him. He told me he was resigning for personal reasons."

While Mr. Bush said he had told Mr. Tenet he was sorry to see him go and that he had done "a superb job on behalf of the American people," there was immediate speculation that there was much more behind the departure than Mr. Tenet's wish to leave the demands of an admittedly taxing post he has held since 1997...

...Mr. Bush announced the resignation of the 51-year-old Mr. Tenet in a way that was almost bizarre. He had just addressed reporters and photographers in a fairly innocuous Rose Garden session with Australian Prime Minister John Howard. Then the session was adjourned, as Mr. Bush apparently prepared to depart for nearby Andrews Air Force Base and his flight to Europe, where he is to take part in ceremonies marking the 60th anniversary of the Normandy invasion and meet European leaders — some of whom have been sharply critical of the campaign in Iraq.

But minutes later, Mr. Bush reappeared on the sun-drenched White House lawn, stunning listeners with the news of Mr. Tenet's resignation, which the president said would be effective in mid-July. After that, Mr. Bush said, the C.I.A.'s deputy director, John McLaughlin, will be acting director."

Subject: RE: BS: George Tenet resigns 06-03-2004
From: artbrooks
Date: 03 Jun 04 - 02:51 PM

What Mike said.

Subject: RE: BS: George Tenet resigns 06-03-2004
From: wysiwyg
Date: 03 Jun 04 - 02:54 PM

Maybe now the newsie can focus on getting someone else's name wrong. Tenet, tennant, tenant......

~S~

Subject: RE: BS: George Tenet resigns 06-03-2004
From: wysiwyg
Date: 03 Jun 04 - 02:56 PM

Newsies. On the teevee.

~S~

Subject: RE: BS: George Tenet resigns 06-03-2004
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 03 Jun 04 - 03:07 PM

I wonder what kind of golden handshake he negotiated? I wopdl suspect that he would have been in a position to charge rather a lot for keeping schtum.

Subject: RE: BS: George Tenet resigns 06-03-2004
From: GUEST,Yorkshire Lad
Date: 03 Jun 04 - 03:30 PM

Another brick from the wall, Bush looked pathetic announcing the news of Tenets departure, and in the UK, Blair will not be looking forward to next weeks Euro and Council Elections, he will come out with huge losses.
The people of the UK will use these elections to voice their opposition to the Iraq disaster.

Subject: RE: BS: George Tenet resigns 06-03-2004
From: GUEST
Date: 03 Jun 04 - 04:01 PM

This was totally bizarre. Bush was in the Rose Garden holding a press conference, he left the Rose Garden, came back, made the announcement, then left for Europe.

I'm sure they decided to announce just as he left for Europe, in hopes to keep the Beltway roar to a minimum, and hopefully, dodge the whole bleeding story by getting to media to focus on the Europe trip.

The announcement is made that Bush has hired outside counsel for the CIA agent investigation, and the very next day, after holding a press conference, he comes back to podium, and announces the head of the CIA has resigned "for personal reasons", and takes no questions.

Something is rotten in Denmark...

Subject: RE: BS: George Tenet resigns 06-03-2004
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 03 Jun 04 - 06:02 PM

You know how in the end of the movie Life of Brian they all sing "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life?" Well, here's one they can sing as the Bush II administration leaves office come next January. Don't click on this if there are young impressionable ears around. Adult content. (Eric Idle)

http://www.pythonline.com/plugs/idle/FCCSong.mp3

SRS

Subject: RE: BS: George Tenet resigns 06-03-2004
From: GUEST
Date: 03 Jun 04 - 07:07 PM

And Life of Brian has been rereleased!

BTW, tonight's ABC News reported that the CIA's Director of Operations also resigned today--effective tomorrow. But, the White House says, that resignation has nothing to do with Tenet's resignation.

Hmmmmmm....

So I'm going out on a limb for a fearless prediction, and guessing both those men were fired.

Subject: RE: BS: George Tenet resigns 06-03-2004
From: Bobert
Date: 03 Jun 04 - 07:11 PM

Hmmmmmm? George Tenet isn one of the few respectable men in the Bush asministration.... He tried to prevent Bush from linking Saddam to nuclear weapons but Bush did it anyway... Then Tenet first reported that he tried to stop Bush from using those "16 word" in the State of the Union speech.... Then he denied having done so even thou there is a credible body of evidence that suggests that the CIA made ever effort to nix the nuclear claim... Then, all of a sudden, he said it was his responsibility and not Bush's that Bush played the nuclear card... Team player....

And now in the end, George tenet takes a fall for Bush...

While it is honorable, Dick Cheney is the one who should be resigning...

Bobert

Subject: RE: BS: George Tenet resigns 06-03-2004
From: Ebbie
Date: 03 Jun 04 - 10:36 PM

I can't get past the "It's a slam dunk, Mr. President", referring to the projected welcome/Iraqi vanquishment/swift in and out. Was Mr. Tenet really that out of touch with reality or just that gung ho to go to battle?

Subject: RE: BS: George Tenet resigns 06-03-2004
From: Donuel
Date: 04 Jun 04 - 12:52 AM

http://www.angelfire.com/md2/customviolins/bushdunk.jpg

Subject: RE: BS: George Tenet resigns 06-03-2004
From: C-flat
Date: 04 Jun 04 - 02:53 AM

Tenets' opposite number in the UK, John Scarlett, who was Joint Intelligence Committee Chairman, was promoted to chief of MI6.
Given that Scarlett was as responsible as Tenet for the flawed intelligence on Iraq, this resignation will make for an uncomfortable time ahead for Scarlett.
C-flat

Subject: RE: BS: George Tenet resigns 06-03-2004
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 04 Jun 04 - 08:51 AM

And so it goes - the fall guys fall, and the Shrub stands tall.

There's a notice people stick up in work places: "Don't blame me - I only work here".

I suggest that someone produces a poster with a picture of Bush saying that.

Subject: RE: BS: George Tenet resigns 06-03-2004
From: Mr Happy
Date: 04 Jun 04 - 09:51 AM

'I beg your pardon, I never promised you a rose garden!'

Subject: RE: BS: George Tenet resigns 06-03-2004
From: Ebbie
Date: 04 Jun 04 - 11:01 AM

This morning's cartoon has Tenet saying: "I have it on good authority- I have resigned."

You get the feeling that bush (Uproot the bush!) is casting off, one by one, those he surmises have become impediments on his way to his goal? What will happen if Cheney, say, becomes so publicly compromised that we clamor for his removal?

With Cheney gone, can the bush talk?

Subject: RE: BS: George Tenet resigns 06-03-2004
From: Burke
Date: 04 Jun 04 - 11:33 AM

Here's a Newsweek article.

"CIA Director George Tenet's sudden resignation caps a turbulent tenure in which some of the spy agency's greatest triumphs—notably, its aggressive response to the September 11 terror attacks—were on the verge of being overshadowed by a series of new disclosures about the intelligence community's faulty warnings about Iraqi weapons of mass destruction."

Subject: RE: BS: George Tenet resigns 06-03-2004
From: DougR
Date: 04 Jun 04 - 01:50 PM

Bobert: read Ebbie's post directly under yours. It was GT who assured the president that Iraq would be a "slam-dunk."

DougR

Subject: RE: BS: George Tenet resigns 06-03-2004
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 04 Jun 04 - 02:04 PM

"Slam dunk" - that sounds like something from Harry Potter. Some rather unpleasant magical creature you'd rather avoid.

If I'd been asked to guess what the word meant, I think my first guess would be, "total mess-up" - perhaps based on what might happen if you threw a large doughnut into a cup of coffee with all your strength.

Maybe that was actually what he meant. There's something to be said for using plain English in such situations.

Subject: RE: BS: George Tenet resigns 06-03-2004
From: artbrooks
Date: 04 Jun 04 - 04:22 PM

"Slam dunk" is American English, and refers to making a basket in basketball.

Subject: RE: BS: George Tenet resigns 06-03-2004
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 04 Jun 04 - 04:45 PM

Interesting discussion this morning on the Diane Rehm show on National Public Radio. They felt that Tenet had been wanting to leave for a while, and that in this instance the needs of the administration and the needs of the man himself were moving in the same direction.

The slam dunk remark was interesting, but too involved to try to recreate here. Not all were convinced that it was anything more than a man who clearly wasn't being listened to tossing a throw-away remark into the conversation, something the White House wanted to hear.

SRS

Subject: RE: BS: George Tenet resigns 06-03-2004
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 04 Jun 04 - 05:03 PM

"..refers to making a basket in basketball"

Made a right basket of it too!

Subject: RE: BS: George Tenet resigns 06-03-2004
From: DougR
Date: 04 Jun 04 - 05:51 PM

McGrath: in the U.S. there is no confusion as to how George Tenent intended his comment to be understood. It's a common term here that implies something can be accomplished without too much difficulty.

I don't understand, SRS, why you feel the term "slam-dunk" is too "involved" to "recreate" here. The mainstream press certainly jumped on Bush and Tenent in a derogatory way because the action in Iraq proved not to be a "slam-dunk." Apparantly, George Tenent DID believe it would be a "SD."

DougR