George Tenet Slams The President

George Tenet is pissed. His reputation has been soiled. The Medal of Freedom is weighing on him.

Tenet complains to CBS:

A former U.S. spy chief accused President Bush’s administration of ruining his reputation by misusing a "slam dunk" comment he made during a White House meeting ahead of the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq.

Former CIA Director George Tenet told CBS Television’s "60 Minutes" that the administration leaked his comment as opposition to the war grew when no weapons of mass destruction were found in Iraq.

"You don’t do this. You don’t throw somebody overboard just because it’s a deflection. Is that honorable? It’s not honorable to me," Tenet said in an interview to be broadcast Sunday.

Tenet said his comment did not refer to whether Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction, but related to what information could be used to make a public case for the war. [Emphasis added by me.]

George Tenet discovers the truth a week before his book is to be published:

He said the most difficult part was continuing to hear senior administration officials such as Vice President Dick Cheney and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice refer to his comment as though they had to hear him "say ‘slam dunk’ to go to war with Iraq."

"You listen to that and they never let it go. I mean, I became campaign talk. I was a talking point. ‘Look at the idiot (who) told us and we decided to go to war.’ Well, let’s not be so disingenuous," Tenet said.

"Let’s everybody just get up and tell the truth. Tell the American people what really happened," he said.

I am shocked, shocked, that President Bush fixed the facts to advance his policy:

Bush told Woodward then that Tenet’s "slam dunk" assurance had been "very important" as he weighed decisions about the invasion.

In the television interview, Tenet takes special exception with Bush’s comments, telling "60 Minutes" that he will "never believe that what happened that day informed the president’s view or belief of the legitimacy or the timing of this war. Never!" White House planning for the invasion had been far along by then, Tenet said, with military and logistical plans near completion.

The rats are jumping from a sinking ship. Those who took us to war on delusions and illusions are finding redemption in book deals.

A country is destroyed. Four million people have been displaced from their homes. Perhaps over a half a million people are dead. American soldiers continue to die on a senseless mission.

Slam dunk.