Republicans struggling with insecurity

[CShine]

The US public can tell when something is up, and sometimes they nail it before the pundits do. Forty-five minutes after George Tenet resigned as the head of the CIA, the Washington Post began a live chat with its internet readers. This was the first contribution, sent in from Raleigh, North Carolina: "To us out here in flyover country, the resignation of Tenet at this time comes as a total shock. I mean, at this point in the election cycle, that means the CIA is gonna be leaderless until next year. Am I right about that - that it's impractical to think that a full-time director can be vetted, announced, and confirmed (not to mention the pointlessness of the whole exercise given that Kerry may win and would want to pick his own man)?"

The Post's associate editor, Robert Kaiser, replied: "There is no shock here that Tenet is out." Flyover country 1, inside the beltway punditry 0. The timing of Tenet's departure is stunning. There is no way it does anything other than wound George Bush, adding to the growing perception that this president and his administration are dangerously incompetent.

Whether it later emerges that Mr Tenet was pushed because of the hopelessly flawed evidence he presented as fact to justify the war in Iraq, because his agency failed to connect the dots signalling the September 11 2001attacks, or because someone in his office leaked the name of an undercover CIA operative to the press does not matter. To the outside world, it is looking more and more as though Mr Bush cannot keep his house in order. What is more, his national security credentials - which he was hoping would safeguard his re-election - look increasingly shaky.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uselections2004/story/0,13918,1231480,00.html

[PROGRESSIVE1]

1. JK has to take the lead on this!

[qanda]

2. Very interesting article

A must-read for John Kerry.

[amber dog democrat]

3. No matter what he does, he is in deep trouble.

I am beginnig to think he is beatable. All bush has to do is run against himself for a while longer.

[zanana]

4. I've said it before, but I'll say it again.

I LOVE that squirrel!

[Geo55]

8. Ditto !

NO WAIT....that is sooo wrong !
(gee , there goes a childhood expression , killed by the oxyhead)

[AspenRose]

5. How ironic

The Party of National Security (tm) feeling insecure.

[grasswire]

6. say what?

"...Mr Tenet was pushed because of the hopelessly flawed evidence he presented as fact to justify the war in Iraq, "

I get the game now. They'll blame the intel the OSP ginned up on Tenet.

[bemildred]

7. Mr. Tenet has (presumably willingly) fallen on his sword.

My guess is that the purpose is to sell the (factually implausible)
notion that the CIA is at fault for the Iraq debacle, and that this is
all an unfortunate but localized outbreak of incompetence, and that
the government as a whole remains sound. Noises in support of
this PR campaign started showing up a couple days ago with Colon
Bowels berating of the CIA for it's misleading of the administration
in the lead-up the the Iraq mess. That is a lie, the CIA has had
it right all along, at least in the case of Iraq. I presume suitable
arrangements will be made to compensate Mr. Tenet for his sacrifice.

[Disturbed]

9. Fired!

Tenet and Deputy were fired to get the American people to buy the lie that the CIA gave bad intell about Iraq. This is to cover up the bogus intell that The Office of Special Plans sold to the UN, mainly supplied by Chalabi's cons, delivered by bootlicker Powell. The American public will prolly buy into this because the Media is helping BushCo sell this false notion.

[bemildred]

10. We disagree only as to whether Mr. Tenet is a willing participant

in the charade. Let's watch and see.