Tenet claims no serious debate held prior to going to war

[babylonsister]

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/27/washington/27intel.html?ex=1335326400&en=e6f2b52b9d75afb5&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss

Ex-C.I.A. Chief, in Book, Assails Cheney on Iraq
Eric Draper/The White House


By SCOTT SHANE and MARK MAZZETTI
Published: April 27, 2007

WASHINGTON, April 26 — George J. Tenet, the former director of central intelligence, has lashed out against Vice President Dick Cheney and other Bush administration officials in a new book, saying they pushed the country to war in Iraq without ever conducting a “serious debate” about whether Saddam Hussein posed an imminent threat to the United States.

The 549-page book, “At the Center of the Storm,” is to be published by HarperCollins on Monday. By turns accusatory, defensive, and modestly self-critical, it is the first detailed account by a member of the president’s inner circle of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, the decision to invade Iraq and the failure to find the unconventional weapons that were a major justification for the war.

“There was never a serious debate that I know of within the administration about the imminence of the Iraqi threat,” Mr. Tenet writes in a devastating judgment that is likely to be debated for many years. Nor, he adds, “was there ever a significant discussion” about the possibility of containing Iraq without an invasion.

Mr. Tenet admits that he made his famous “slam dunk” remark about the evidence that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction. But he argues that the quote was taken out of context and that it had little impact on President Bush’s decision to go to war. He also makes clear his bitter view that the administration made him a scapegoat for the Iraq war.

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[n2doc]

1. Wonder if they'll take his medal away from him n/t

[marmar]

2. CYA? Perhaps Tenet can see what's coming....

:scared:

[babylonsister]

4. The fact that he says that shows to me the utter incompetence of this

admin. And we know they never planned for failure; look where we are now.
What's coming? If they are this clueless, who knows?

[truebrit71]

3. Sorry but he has ZERO credibility with me...

"Yeah, yeah I said 'slam dunk' when in fact we had been busy burying the truth about their non-existence, but Cokespoon was going to war anyway" does NOT wash with me...

And surely he wasn't naive enough to think that he WOULDN'T get thrown under the bus when the non-existent WMD didn't show up? Did he? If your actions set you up as the fall guy, why act surprised when you get pushed out?

IMHO Tenent is just as culpable as the rest of the war-monger enablers...

[nancyr]

5. Too little too late.

I am sick to death of these people suddenly saying how they were misled and duped into going to war! They knew exactly what was going on and they lacked the conscience to speak up and voice their doubts. Crying over spilt milk now just makes me tired. Looks to me like he's merely trying to clean up his tawdry reputation at a late date. I am not impressed.

[Zeke]

6. NO SHIT...

I'd have more repsect for Tenet if
he hung himself dead with the medal
Bush gave him.

I'm a poor shlub scratching out a living,
not a world leader or agecny boss, with
government powers galore, but I knew the
Iraq War sales pitch was a big lie.

How is it you & I can know that without
CIA reports, but it takes Tenet this long,
and still half the congress, to admit
Iraq is a lie and flop, and a mess, etc.?