Why Tenet Left: New & Improved Theory

[troublemaker]

If this article has any credibility (http://www.capitolhillblue.com/artman/publish/printer_4636.shtml ) then the real story is one that few of us considered yesterday; that Tenet was fired by Bush on the spur of the moment and without approval from Cheney or Rove.

"Tenet wanted to quit last year but the President got his back up and wouldn't hear of it," says an aide. "That would have been the opportune time to make a change, not in the middle of an election campaign but when the director challenged the President during the meeting Wednesday, the President cut him off by saying 'that's it George. I cannot abide disloyalty. I want your resignation and I want it now." Tenet was allowed to resign "voluntarily" and Bush informed his shocked staff of the decision Thursday morning. One aide says the President actually described the decision as "God's will."

I believe that Bush is personally running the show and has been for at least a year. That's been the cause of many arguments with friends who insist he's incapable of running the show. But as "the show" shows more and more signs of disarray I've become more comfortable with my assumptions--this is what it looks like when a border-line retarded Jesus freak seizes the reigns of government. In fact, this administration's Iraq policy of doing the most destructive possible thing and then correcting policy only after it has done maximum damage is reminiscent of George III's interference with England's handling of our Revolutionary War. (George III had serious mental problems, hence the film title THE MADNESS OF KING GEORGE)

I think Bush got up on his hind legs when the WMD weren't found. (I have no doubt whatsoever that Bush truly believed in the WMD... he's not very bright.) Bush seized the reigns with only his instructions from God to guide him. Real DR. STRANGELOVE stuff.

The idea of Bush distrusting his advisers and running things himself based on instructions from God (aka 'a damaged part of his brain') is the darkest possible circumstance yet normally pessimistic conspiracists don't even consider it because they want to believe that everything is part of a plan. I'm in the A. J. P. Taylor school, believing that a lot of history's notable horrors arise from incompetence, emotionalism and bad luck.

But even with those prior assumptions I hadn't entertained the possibility that Bush has lost touch with reality to the extent that he would act without first touching base with Rove, Rice, or Karen Hughes! At least not on a matter with such great political and national security implications.

Maybe the situation is even worse than I thought...

I was obvious to all that some dreadful emotional moment happened yesterday during the few minutes after Bush appeared with Prime Minister Howard and before he announced Tenet was leaving. It was (and is) obvious to me that losing Tenet was NOT the politically savvy course. That clear political down-side, combined with the lack of coordination and preparation, suggested to me that Tenet had indeed left against the Presidents wishes and that Bush was hurt and scared by it.

But perhaps, as the article suggests, Bush was hurt and scared because he had made a command decision in full dementia and was shocked by the reactions to his bold move when he belatedly informed Powell, Cheney, Rove, Rice and others. In that scenario Bush's rattled confusion during the announcement was because half of his government had just reacted to the news with, "Are you fucking MENTAL? Why would you fire Tenet? He's our only lightening rod for criticism!"

Either way, I continue to maintain that this could not have been a coordinated administration decision, but I am amending my thinking to include the possibility that the political damage and lack of coordination are due to Bush being demented.

IMPORTANT POSTSCRIPT (on edit): Okay, drawing together some threads that are out there... so Tenet requests a night-time meeting wih Bush personally in the WH residence, and at that meeting "when the director challenged the President during the meeting Wednesday, the President cut him off by saying 'that's it George. I cannot abide disloyalty. I want your resignation and I want it now."

If Tenet didn't meet privately with Bush for the purpose of resigning and was instead fired, what was the private meeting about and what did Tenet say in that meeting that was so disloyal? One off-the-cuff theory; Tenet refused to do something vis-a-vis the Plame investigation. I know I just opened a family-size roll of tinfoil (and I HATE tinfoil) but I had to ask. (On the non-tinfoil side, why is CapBlue able to quote from that private meeting? Was it not private or is their story bullshit?)

[Alerter_]

1. God forbid bunnypants gets an idea stuck in his head

The talk of his "micromanaging" was worrisome - as is this gem:

“We seem to spend more time trying to destroy John Kerry than al Qaeda and our enemies list just keeps growing and growing.”

[PROGRESSIVE1]

2. If this paragraph is true, then America is TRUELY "F&#@ed"

"I believe that Bush is personally running the show and has been for at least a year. That's been the cause of many arguments with friends who insist he's incapable of running the show. But as "the show" shows more and more signs of disarray I've become more comfortable with my assumptions--this is what it looks like when a border-line retarded Jesus freak seizes the reigns of government. In fact, this administration's Iraq policy of doing the most destructive possible thing and then correcting policy only after it has done maximum damage is reminiscent of George III's interference with England's handling of our Revolutionary War. (George III had serious mental problems, hence the film title THE MADNESS OF KING GEORGE)"

[librechik]

8. More and more I'm taking that view too

at first it must have been easy and fun to bend the Dauphin to their wills. Then they saw his bad side. Now they tiptoe around him and pray not just for their jobs but for their lives.

[troublemaker]

17. Like in BARTON FINK

"God dammit! He's taken an interest!"

[MallRat]

3. Hmmm... porphyria?

"In fact, this administration's Iraq policy of doing the most destructive possible thing and then correcting policy only after it has done maximum damage is reminiscent of George III's interference with England's handling of our Revolutionary War."

Just curious... is Bush's urine blue?

http://www.people.virginia.edu/~jlc5f/charlotte/porphyria.html

-MR

[Beetwasher]

4. I Don't Think Bush is "Running Things"

I agree in part w/ your assessment though. I think Bush DOES make decisions (stupid, rash, ignorant one's). I can very easily believe this CHB article (I take it w/ a grain of salt though) because it does make a lot of sense and this behavior fits Bush's psychological profile.

I think Bush is running his campaign hands on (obviously in tandem w/ Rove) and micromanaging that sort of stuff, but everyone else has their little fiefdoms. However, Bush can and does make decisions, like possibly the aburubt firing of Tenet, and the managing of the enemies list, the details about his campaign ads. That sort of stuff makes sense. It's like busy work for him and he gets to be a vindictive little shit. But the "real" business of the country (or rather of Bushco.) is done by others.

[troublemaker]

9. I agree with this to the extent that a man as dense as Bush

can't have even the vaguest understanding of the immensity of the executive branch. (Can he even *name* all the departments?)

But I think he is now 'hands on' with those few things he takes an interest in. Unfortunately for us all that short list includes many matters of security, war and peace.

[napi21]

5. I'd like to believe this, but I just looked up the author.....

he doesn't appear to have much credibility to me. He describes himself as looking for work, and playing online games.

If we see this info posted by some more credible sources, then fine, but not just this guy.

[troublemaker]

11. I agree

I don't know if this story is true. But, unlike most possibilities, it has the virtue of not contradicting certain known elements that undermine other competing stories.

[librechik]

6. as amusing as it would be if this were true--CapitolHillBlue

is not a straight shooter.(They veer to the Libertarian Right) So take with a grain of salt.

It sure does explain a lot, though. I tend to believe it even though it even sounds made up.

Thanks! You made my day.

[H2O Man]

7. You make one VERY important point:

It is dangerous to underestimate the degree of control bush has in running his administration. While cheney is definitely the most powerful (in the bad sense) VP in our nation's history, bush has shown himself to be a control freak who loves the sense of power. Add his religious belief system, which clearly has delusional features which are becoming more pronounced under stress -- and, my good friends, we are dealing with an extremely dangerous man. While I am hesitant to accept the description of Tenet's being fired without further supporting evidence, I am grateful that troublemaker reminds us that it is dangerous to underestimate this man bush.

[troublemaker]

10. Thanks. I'm not endorsing this CapBlue article

but it's less implausible than the official story, the conventional wisdom or the tinfoil conventional wisdom.

The one thing we can't get around is that this thing caught the WH flat-footed. When high-ranking people are forced out in Washington the back-story is always leaked within an hour or two. As the day wore on it became plain that the WH had no political strategy in place. Their surrogates were free-lancing, with no clear idea whether to smear Tenet or praise him. Reporters were clearly only pretending to know more than they let on while awaiting the official backgrounder that never came.

So this wasn't a coordinated action. The only secrets in Washington are things known by only one or two people. The administration would have leaked, sent out trial balloons, had talking points ready... So I figured Tenet was the active party because only he could act unilaterally.

CapBlue, whether real or bullshit, has put the possibility on the table that it was Bush himself that acted unilaterally. My analysis that unilateral action was involved is still sound, but I hadn't considered the "impossible" possibilities. (Like math problems with two solutions but the negative solution is generally ignored in practice)

[Beetwasher]

12. That's The Thing About Bush, He's UNPREDICTABLE

He's not stable and is absolutely corrupted by his power. He knows he can essentially "rule by decree" as it were and does so but whimsically. He's not making day to day decisions about important stuff like nat'l security etc., however, he probably DOES make some decisions occasionally when he gets a whim to do so and probably has some measure of power to have them carried out by lackey's. I don't however think he has the power to overrule Cheney for instance or Rummy, but he can make a whimsical decision, like possibly firing Tenet, without their prior approval or council and then it's too late for them to over rule him or stop it.

[troublemaker]

15. Yes... he could have been talked out of it.

But (in this unproven scenario) he handled things in such a way he couldn't be--it was too late.

Weak erratic people (and children) do stuff like that all the time... never ask Mom unless you know she'll say yes. If you think she might say no then act without asking.

I've been calling this monkey Fredo since long before Randi Rhodes picked it up. Making a bold move without telling anyone is what Fredo would do, knowing he doesn't have the resolve or wit to defend his position if there's an active debate beforehand.

[H2O Man]

13. My gut feeling

was that it was others around bush who forced Tenet out. Again, purely speculation on my part. But bush looked weak yesterday, both at the mini-press conference, and an hour later, announcing Tenet's departure. I could be wrong; however, working in the forensic side of psychiatric social work, and learning a good deal from some very good law enforcement officers, I thought I saw something in bush's body language and demeanor that indicated he felt things were going out of control.

I agree with folks on here who say Tenet did a poor job. In many ways, he certainly did. Yet that is not a measuring stick for this administration. Clearly, there are other forces at play. Either way, we win -- because this is a serious blow to the administration. Only those on the far right seem to be saying it's good for the administration.

Also, I think that it adds to the bad feelings between the CIA and this administration. And it doesn't matter if you like or dislike the CIA ... everyone would agree they can be a dangerous enemy. The administration's treatment of Tenet, outting of Wilson's wife, and blaming the agency for their errors will come back to haunt them.

[Joanne98]

14. I've always believed Bush was in charge.

Who else could fuck things up this bad but him? I believe Cheney is in charge of alot but he's such a snake, I don't think he cares about anything but making more money, "for himself". Bush is all about "HIS WILL". He's in charge and he's the "BIGGEST SPOILED BRAT" on the planet. He's never been told no and he can't take it. He's going to unravel in living color. Pass the popcorn. :)

[peacetalksforall]

16. I believe that he did not run anything in the beginning

it was all Rove and Cheney at the bidding of PNAC, Fed Society, corporations and banks with their tools - intelligence state ag and all the other little govt paid employees, plus think tankers.

I believe it's possible Bush could have decided that he could run more things as he started to understand what they all wanted to do AND ESPECIALLY if he started drinking agin.

I think they wanted Tenet to do more of their bidding again, but more than that, I believe that the CIA is not running much these days under this regime, because its a PNAC decision to switch to a military intelligence operation (which is more the way Israel does it, the way I understand it). Most importantly, while the CIA has always worked for the corporations, the Pentagon seems to be better at it and they are the ones who think they know which toys they want and can make money off of and it is easier to mobilize our young kids do the jobs for the corporations.

As we learn how detestable it has been for this regime to continue to do anything that hinted of Clinton, it also makes sense that any holdovers were set up as those they could blame. Clarke. Beers? Minette? They never included Minette in on any intelligence pre 9-11, so it appears. Now Tenet.

This is so bloody tangled, it'll take a long time for the light to dawn.

[John_H]

18. Unfortunately, CHB has a pretty poor track record.

Here's how it works: Washington is a tiny little town. Once you achieve even a small amout of career success you see the same 1000 or so people, usually members of your party, over and over again, and people talk. It's like a Nebraska town of 1000--everybody knows everyone's businees. Or think they do.

The problem is people are always trying to make it look like they know more, have more access, know more top people, and have more iside gossip than they actually do.

How much of this piece is fact, how much is bullshit? Who knows? I just wouldn't base any decisions on it.

[troublemaker]

19. Without arguing for the veracity of this piece in particular

which I don't (!) I find that the specific aspect of Bush firing Tenet and keeping it a secret from his henchmen/handlers until right before he blew town is the only theory advanced anywhere that explains what the heck happened during the few minutes between his press conference with Howard and his bizarre announcement about Tenet.

Something terrible happened... Bush was a mess. Also, he was speaking without notes. That simply doesn't happen unless nobody knew much in advance that Bush would be making such an announcement.

[wiggs]

20. So the reason for firing wansn't performance....

We don't know the story yet, but apparently here's the CIA director who according to the BA party line, is at fault for blowing 9/11 intelligence and blowing WMD and Iragi threat leading to 10's of thousand of deaths, many many injuries, and half a trillion dollars in expenditures and huge political disaster....and he's not fired for performance, but because BUSH CANNOT ABIDE DISLOYALTY.

Something wrong there.

[TrogL]

21. I don't think ANYBODY is running the show

It's starting to look like multiple people are running around making off-the-cuff decisions on the spur of the moment.

I suspect Cheney is the mastermind but Dubya makes spur-of-the-moment, off the reservation snap decisions that have to be implementedf because (at least theoretically) he's the boss.

I suspect part of Cheney's daily meeting is to scream at Dubya everything time he does something stupid. Whadya bet Dubya sports some sort of injury tomorrow - Cheney decking him for his latest stupidity.

[jeff5]

22. I figure Tenet quit

when Bush* "lawyered up" over the Plame treason. The "troops" at CIA can't have any confidence in Tenet any more, and are in all-but-open warfare against the Neo-Cons.

Tenet got out while the gettin's good...

[scarface2004]

23. isn t that right dr strangelove!!??

bush sneered as he decided to launch a preemptive nuclear attack on moscow this afternoon!!!

[robbedvoter]

24. "Se non e vero, ma e ben trovato" - if it isn't true, it's well put

The story is plausible - it fits W's tics to a T. After reading that 75% of his adds ara anti-Kerry I figured he has a say in this. BFEE are very vindictive - notice "F* Saddam, I'm taking him down" and the soldiers dispatched to take apart the Poppy mosaic from the bathroom floor of one of Bagdad hotels - that was bugging them. Whether the facts are true or made up, the author knows W.