The CIA does NOT suffer THREATS gladly

[JustJoe]

There have been a couple Presidents who felt compelled
to challenge or threaten the CIA since its inception,
namely Kennedy & Nixon. Kennedy privately blamed the CIA
for the Bay of Pigs and fired a couple agency leaders,
and Nixon wanted his own little CIA in the White House.
Kennedy was murdered with CIA involvement, some say,
& Nixon, some believe, was set up in Watergate by Hunt
& others. Now another President has his own little
private CIA in the White House, while trying to pin a
piece of the Iraq fiasco on the CIA chief, if not the
whole thing. Could be a dangerous move. It looks like
so far Tenet is willing to take the fall, sort of, or
is he? Wonder what else is going on in the agency,
in the attic and backstage and in the bowels? I'm just
sayin'. I'm just askin'.

[baffie]

1. In reading Tenet's statement carefully

he didn't actually take the fall for Bush - he just took responsibility for letting BushCo lie. Which actually puts it right back in Bush's lap. I don't think anything tricky needs to be done here - the plain truth will do just fine, as long as it's followed by the appropriate action - ie, removal of the Bush regime.

[JustJoe]

2. One thing I dont get

is how Tenet could have said it was a mistake to let the line
get in there about Brit Intel.

Brit Intel says it stands by
the claim that Saddam was going after uranium in Africa
(somewhere other than Niger?)--BASED ON INTEL OTHER THAN THE
FORGED NIGER DOC--INTEL that the Brits had not (and still have
not?) shared with the US, because (the Brits say) they got it from
some unnamed third country and cannot or will not disclose that
source OR the info itself.

So the most Tenet could say, when
asked if Bush could/should put the Brit Intel line in, is,
"I dont know. I cant say whether it's true or not,
because the Brits have (ahem) not shown it to us."

I guess the idiots were counting on the Brits falling
on the sword themselves, which they are obstinately Britishly
refusing to do, wot.

Of course, the entire thing gets more laughably
incredible the more you look at it, but that seems to be what
is on the table at the moment.

[Eloriel]

3. Yup.

I think your analysis is dead on. They'v been leaking like seives for a while now. This move by Bush -- making Tenet take the bullet and then declaring "case closed" -- is NOT going to set too well with them, I'm sure.

Pass the popcorn.

Eloriel

[JustJoe]

4. It's an amazing moment

in American history right now happening. The big problem
for * & his is that their whole agenda is built on lies.
It's not just a web of deception, it's webs within webs
within more webs. What was it, a month ago, two months
ago, * looked unbeatable, despite everytying we knew?
But now, having admitted to one lie, the illusion of
invulnerability is shattered. But because nobody is
buying the explanation of the Niger lie & how it came to be
& who was responsible, because we all know the timeline
of the lie & its various permutations & discoveries,
THEY ALL HAVE TO KEEP TALKING to EXPLAIN the EXPLANATION.
Being liars, they can only tell more lies, but they
can't stop, and they can't tell the truth, because there is
nothing but lies to tell. Again, the illusion is shattered.
They should have never admitted anything, like the press
guy in Iraq there saying all was well as the humvees
drove over his toes. If I were Rice & Rumsfeld & these
other bums, I wouldnt be looking forward to going on them
shows tomorrow a tall.