A Small Victory

How about that he was the leak to Chalabi?

How about "he came in from the cold" as in the "The spy who came in from the cold" by John Le Carre

Due to budget cuts, no more free PB&J sandwiches in the CIA cafeteria.

- He couldn't stop the rabbit from eating the Trix.
- All the Iranian messages they decrypt say "Tenet sucks"
- Got book offer to write sequel to Jay Leno's "If Roast Beef Could Fly"
- Got offer to become Chancellor of the University of Baba Booey
- Going on concert tour with the Joseph Wilson and the Plames techno band.
- Yankees called and needed a shortstop who could hit.

It was a "slam-dunk" by the Vast Right-Wing Conspiracy.

Must've been El Niño.

Well, it seemed to be the all-purpose explanation for everything a few years ago. I presume it was caused by global warming, and so indirectly by Bush not signing Kyoto. Of course, it was used as an excuse in the Clinton years, but when have minor details like that ever mattered?

What would Elvis care about the CIA?Everyone knows he cares more about the Navy,because Elvis needs boats.

So nobody has blamed the Jews yet?

White House discovered he was Atrios.

The devil made him do it.

He can't stop crying. The intelligence directorate just uncovered and relayed to him that The Beatles have decided to break up.

It's the bees and the spiders again.

The Washington Wizards.

My personal guess is that it might be related to the Chalabi thing. Not that Chalabi's arrest hurts Tenet (since by most accounts, the CIA never cared much for the guy in the first place), but the "secondary" relevation - that, apparently, Iranian intelligence has been successfully playing our intelligence community for years. If true, it's a very serious intelligence failure.

So, now he says he's resigning entirely to protect his wonderful family.

Geez, what did this guy DO?

Click here for a special flash tribute to George Tenet.

Tenet addressed CIA employees and said, "It was a personal decision, and had only one basis in fact: the well being of my wonderful family, nothing more and nothing less."

Was he about to be publicly raked over the coals?
Was he made a big fat severance offer?
Does his collie have cancer?

I am waiting to see if Bill O'Reilly takes credit for this. It seems he thinks he can move mountains at times.

He heard Vern was leaving Trading Spaces so he thought he had a shot at replacing him.

Perspective: Tenet basically had 7 years as DCI. This is longer then any other DCI since Allen Dulles in 1953. You might remember Dulles as the guy who went to bat to protect the CIA from McCarthy.

If you're going to go for a news angle, it seems more more interesting to me to comment on how he's been there so long. I guess that doesn't exactly help with the conspiracy theories though.

His neighbor's dog told him to do it.

Maybe he is off to Iraq on vacation and to show everyone exactly where all of those WMD's are.

That or he couldnt answer the age old question: "Who let the dogs out?"

That or he got tired of working with a bunch of idiots. First Clinton, Gore and now Bush (who now is claiming that he barely even knows or has even heard about Chalabi).

That or he wanted to be the first person to make Bill O'reilly actually sort've right about something. Anything.

Got tired of everyone calling him George "Tennant" and asking if he was "related to that Pet Shop Boys dude".

Standing in front of my mirror, rubbing my temples and muttering "He will resign, he WILL resign..." finally paid off.

Cracker Jacks have been reinstated; maybe he'll be selling them.

How about this:

He dropped the ball on the Deutch investigation, then brought the bastard back on board as an unpaid consultant with clearance intact.

Deutch, remember, is the guy who was nailed for having Top Secret (Codeword, no less) documents on an uncleared laptop, which he kept in an unlocked office in his home. Which he used to surf the net with.

The result: Deutch did no time, and kept his clearance. Tenet allowed his subordinates (who happened to be friends of Deutch) to conduct the investigation, and of course they did a bangup job of it. And, as a garnish, no crime was reported.

Think of it. If I'd done as much, I would be in prison still, most likely. Certainly, I'd have lost my job. Yet nothing at all was done to Deutch. This is my vote for why Tenet had to go, and he ought to have been shown the door at least half a decade ago.

Oh, details here. It's pretty dense and not well summarized, but it does touch on most of the problems. Here's the summary part:

CONCLUSIONS 230. (U/ /FOUO) Former DCI John Deutch was specifically informed that he was not authorized to process classified information on government computers configured for unclassified use.
231. (U/ /FOUO) Throughout his tenure as DCI, Deutch intentionally processed on those computers large volumes of highly classified information to include Top Secret Codeword material.

232. (U/ /FOUO) Because Deutch's computers configured for unclassified use had connections to the Internet, all classified information on those computers was at risk of compromise. Whether any of the information was stolen or compromised remains unknown.

233. (U/ /FOUO) On August 1, 1995, Deutch was made aware that computers with Internet connectivity were vulnerable to attack. Despite this knowledge, Deutch continued his practice of processing highly classified material on unclassified computers connected to the Internet.

234. (U/ /FOUO) Information developed during this investigation supports the conclusion that Deutch knew classified information remained on the hard drives of his computers even after he saved text to external storage devices and deleted the information.

235. (U/ /FOUO) Deutch misused U.S. Government computers by making extensive personal use of them. Further, he took no steps to restrict unauthorized persons from using government computers located at his residences.

236. (U/ /FOUO) The normal process for determining Deutch's continued suitability for access to classified information, to include placing the results of the SIB investigation in Deutch's security file, was not followed in this case, and no alternative process was utilized. The standards that the Agency applies to other employees' and contractors' ability to access classified information were not applied in this case.

237. (U/ /FOUO) Because there was a reasonable basis to believe that Deutch's mishandling of classified information violated the standards prescribed by the applicable crimes reporting statute, Executive Order and Memorandum of Understanding, OGC officials Michael O'Neil and the PDGC should have submitted a crimes report to the Department of Justice.

238. (U/ /FOUO) The actions of former Executive Director Nora Slatkin and former General Counsel Michael O'Neil had the effect of delaying a prompt and thorough investigation of this matter.

239. (U/ /FOUO) DDA Richard Calder should have ensured the completion of a more thorough investigation, in particular, by arranging for an interview of Deutch and a subsequent documentation of that interview in accordance with established Agency procedures. Calder should also have ensured that the matter was brought to a conclusion rather than permitting it to languish unresolved.

240. (U/ /FOUO) Former Inspector General Frederick Hitz should have involved himself more forcefully to ascertain whether the Deutch matter raised issues for the Office of. the Inspector General as well as to ensure the timely and definitive resolution of the matter.

241. (U/ /FOUO) DCI George Tenet should have involved himself more forcefully to ensure a proper resolution of this matter.

242. (U/ /FOUO) The application of the Independent Counsel statute was not adequately considered by CIA officials and, given the failure to report to DoJ on a timely basis, this in effect avoided the potential application of the statute.

243. (U/ /FOUO) The Congressional oversight committees and the Intelligence Oversight Board should have been promptly notified of Deutch's improper handling of classified information.

Daniel S. Seikaly

RECOMMENDATIONS
1. (U/ /FOUO) John Deutch's continued suitability for access to classified information should be reviewed immediately.
2. (U/ /FOUO) The accountability of current and former Agency officials, including Deutch, for their actions and performance in connection with this matter should be determined by an appropriate panel.

3. (U//FOUO) All appropriate Agency and Intelligence Community components should be informed in writing of the sensitive information Deutch stored in his unclassified computers so that responsible authorities can take any actions that would minimize damage from possible compromise of those materials.

CONCUR:

L. Britt Snider
Inspector General

Not precisely a harsh indictment of Tenet; it's more directed at Deutch. But it does underscore the seriousness of it, and hints at the inappropriate level of involvement of Tenet.

How about this one? Tenet "told Saudis to Let Khobar Gunmen Escape."

How about Tenet had to resign when it was found out that the FBI under Clinton was told almost everything about 9/11 but refused to act?

Does it make sense? No. But hey, everyone needs a sacrificial lamb and I've been craving mint jelly...