CIA Director George Tenet Resigns

[Dionysos]

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmp.../tenet_resigns

WASHINGTON - CIA (news - web sites) Director George Tenet, who weathered storms over intelligence lapses about suspected weapons of mass destruction in Iraq (news - web sites) and the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, has resigned, President Bush (news - web sites) said Thursday.

"I will miss him," Bush said.

Tenet, 51, came to the White House to inform Bush about his decision Wednesday night. "He told me he was resigning for personal reasons," Bush said. "I told him I'm sorry he's leaving. He's done a superb job on behalf of the American people."

Tenet will serve until mid-July. Bush said that deputy John McLaughlin will temporarily lead America's premier spy agency until a successor is found. Among possible successors is House Intelligence Committee Chairman Porter Goss, R-Fla., a former CIA agent and McLaughlin.

"He's been a strong and able leader at the agency. and I will miss him," Bush said of Tenet as he got ready to board Marine One for a trip to Andrews Air Force Base, Md., and on to Europe.

"George Tenet is the kind of public servant you like to work with," the president added. "He's strong, he's resolute. He's served his nation as the director for seven years. He has been a strong and able leader at the agency. He's been a strong leader in the war on terror.

"I send my blessings to George and his family and look forward to working with him until he leaves the agency," Bush said.

Tenet had been under fire for months in connection with intelligence failures related to the U.S.-led war against Iraq, specifically assertions the United States made about Saddam Hussein (news - web sites)'s purported possession of weapons of mass destruction, and with respect to the threat from the al-Qaida terrorist network.

In May, a panel investigating the Sept. 11 attacks released statements harshly criticizing the CIA for failing to fully appreciate the threat posed by al-Qaida before the terrorist hijackings. Tenet told the panel the intelligence-gathering flaws exposed by the attacks will take five years to correct.

Notwithstanding his controversial place in the life of Washington, Tenet's resignation seemed to take the city by surprise.

On Capitol Hill, House Speaker Dennis Hastert said: "He served his country a long time. History will tell what the implications of his tenure were.

"I think history will tell," the Illinois Republican said when asked how Tenet's performance would be judged. "It's too early to make that snap judgment.

"I think history will either vindicate him or say, 'Hey there was a problem there'," Hastert said.

Retired Adm. Stansfield Turner said he thought Tenet had been "pushed out and made a scapegoat.

"I don't think he would have pulled the plug on President Bush in an election cycle without having been told to do that," Turner, a former CIA director, told CNN.

Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., called Tenet "an honorable and decent man who has served his country well in difficult times, and no one should make him a fall guy for anything."

As director of the CIA, Tenet drew one particularly unusual assignment: trying to ease tensions between Israel and the Palestinians. He tried to curb the violence and prompt talks on strengthening security arrangements. Like virtually all special U.S. mediators, his efforts had mixed results.

During his seven years at the CIA, speculation at times has swirled around whether Tenet would retire or be forced out, peaking after the terror attacks of Sept. 11, 2001 and surging again after the flawed intelligence estimates about Iraq's fighting capability.

Even when his political capital appeared to be tanking, Tenet managed to hang on with what some say was a fierce loyalty to Bush and the CIA personnel. A likable, chummy personality, also helped keep him above water.

Conventional wisdom had been that Tenet, who was appointed by President Bill Clinton (news - web sites), did not plan to stay on next year, no matter who won the White House. Tenet has been on the job since July 1997, an unusually lengthy tenure in a particularly taxing era for the intelligence community that he heads.

Tenet is the son of Greek immigrants who grew up in Queens, N.Y.

Some close to Tenet have said the job overseeing more than a dozen agencies that make up the intelligence community has been taxing for him. He suffered heart problems while at the National Security Council during the Clinton administration, although a CIA official said his resignation was not health related.

[Hey Bubu]

I wonder what his retirement plan looks like.

[Ryan]

Man, I didn't see that one coming. Who will be next to step down for "personal reasons?"

[Dionysos]

Originally posted by Ryan
Man, I didn't see that one coming. Who will be next to step down for "personal reasons?"

I don't think anyone did to be honest. I hadn't heard rumblings about this anywhere.

[Mundo]

yeah this one snuck up on us all. all the attention had been on rumsfeld in recent weeks. or alot of it anyway...

[Element4040]

I still think he's a scapegoat.

[TheHawk]

he's doing what I may have to do at my job, he quit before he got taken down for other people's mistakes

[Cock Puncher]

Originally posted by Element4040
I still think he's a scapegoat.

why excatly?

[Ash]

Originally posted by Dionysos
I don't think anyone did to be honest. I hadn't heard rumblings about this anywhere.

Do you really think you'd have to hear ramblings before this happened? He fumbled in the championship game. This doesn't suprise me in the least.

[steve-o]

more shit will hit the fan later.

[Satchel]

Our whole country seems to have fumbled in the championship game

[kezarmyaj]

yeah, I think hell be a fall guy of lee majors proportions. pass it off on the guy whos been around since the clinton era.

[MysteryMeat]

[Element4040]

Originally posted by damn-it-2-hell
why excatly?

I just feel like it was only a matter of time before the majority of the 9/11 blame started heading his way. In actuality I don't think it was anyone person or group that caused 9/11.

Also take a look at Iraq. What department is getting alot of criticism for failed intel? CIA. When IMO the truth is this administration wanted to go into Iraq period. Personally I don't think this is the fault of the CIA that the administration used bad intel. Rather the fault of the administration to use bad intel to "sell" this war.

Futhermore the CIA has suffered serious budget cuts over the years, they needed more funding. This is not 100% Clinton's fault IMO either. IMO all this extra money being spent on Homeland Security etc.... would have been better served in the CIA's budget.





Also let's take a look at one of the ongoing Scapegoat coverup scenario's. Who here honestly thinks that the Abu Gharib prison scandle is just a bunch of MP's and low ranking soldiers? I don't for a second think this thing doesn't go alot higher. But who is the scapegoat? The individuals that committed the attrocities are.

[Dionysos]

Originally posted by Ash
Do you really think you'd have to hear ramblings before this happened? He fumbled in the championship game. This doesn't suprise me in the least.

Maybe I should say that the timing surprises me, not so much that he resigned.