I don't understand Kerry

[Mile Hi]

Put aside his votes to back Bush on the IWR or the Patriot Act.

This one really confuses me.

Kerry is asking for the resignation of Tenet.

Bushco and the GOP along with some Dems has been saying there was an intelligence breakdown on the WMD's.
The media has been saying there was an intelligence breakdown on the WMD's.

Bush is appointing a commission to find out what the intelligence breakdown was.

But there wasn't an intelligence breakdown. Tenet tried to stop the Niger claim. In fact many of the reports from the CIA, Air force, FBI etc made it clear that Saddam wasn't a threat.
http://www.americanprogress.org/site/pp.asp?c=biJRJ8OVF&b=24889
http://www.commondreams.org/views04/0205-09.htm

Why is Kerry calling for Tenet to resign which helps Bush and deflects blame onto the intelligence instead of putting the blame on Bush and Cheney that clearly misrepresented the intelligence?

Dean has come out and claimed Cheney manipulated the intellegence which there is some evidence to back it up. Why is Kerry not doing the same. Yes Kerry has attacked Bush on the "process" of going to war and said he "f---ed up".

It just seem kind of strange that Kerry is calling for Tenet when the CIA is not the one at fault.

[lancdem]

1. I'm not sure, Mike

Someone here speculted that if Tenet resigns he might turn on Bush, and that could be Kerry's strategy.

[seventhson]

2. Like BCCI and Iran-Cocaine-CIA-Contra, Kerry is once again

playing into the coverup for the King IMHO

[Name removed]

Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[RichM]

21. Exactly. It's Kerry's signal to the big boys that he'll play ball w. them-

that they have nothing to fear from him. He is signalling that he'll help maintain this ridiculous pretense of "flawed intelligence" being responsible for the Iraq mess, rather than outright US Government crimes (in which he himself is complicit).

This disgusting behavior, BTW, is exactly why Kerry is the "front runner," happily gathering support from the media and the Democratic Establishment. They all like that he's well-behaved, totally house-broken, & guaranteed not to make any waves for them.

[WiseMen]

3. Kerry has already called for "REGIME CHANGE IN WASHINGTON"

[LuminousX]

11. He's running for President, of course he is calling for a regime change

That isn't a big deal. How far along is he in pushing Censure of Bush for Bush's lies to Congress and for violating the word of the IWR?

[Monte Carlo]

4. If Tenet were to resign, it might reflect badly on Bush.

It would be admitting fault, which is something that the Bush Administration never does. Once there is blood in the water, other Democrats, the media, the pundits, etc. could become frenzied.

[NNN0LHI]

5. Because Bush and Tenet are covering up for each other

That is obvious.

Don

[blm]

15. BINGO. Separate them and see what happens.

The truth has a way of coming out AFTER someone leaves the Bush administration, doesn't it.

[CWebster]

6. Well, he can't exactly point to his own complicity

now, can he?

[NNN0LHI]

8. You guys kill me. No shit n/t

[CWebster]

12. no...your guy is responsible for needless death & suffering. nt

[blm]

16. There's a great idea. Blame Kerry so W doesn't have to honestly implement

IWR. It is SO much easier on the brain that way and serves the narrow political interests of the Dean campaign.

Brilliant strategy. Now let's go blow 41 million dollars.

[SlavesandBulldozers]

7. because

Kerry can't go the Dean route AND stay in the media's good graces. See, because the Dean route is a one-way street to media assassination. Kerry would become the "angry candidate" that claims Bush had ulterior motives for the whole damn thing.

Kerry's a Democrat, sure, but he's a politician first off and foremost. Hence, in his mind - it's perfectly normal to vote for IWR and then criticize the execution of the war. Kerry can't afford to be mired down by such things as hypocricy - because where would he start?

[emulatorloo]

9. Because Tenet is covering up for Bush, and needs pressure applied to him

to get him talking.

[isbister]

10. Why is Kerry calling for Tenet to resign

If it were me...

I see Tenet as a scapegoat now or later. There are a lot of investigations going on where Tenet is involved... a few involving Iraq/WMD alone. If Tenet steps down now, who's bush got left to blame next month, the month after, the month after... Sure, he can point to Tenet once Tenet's out of office but how will that play time and time again... not very well I imagine, it is already beginning to be pointed out that the buck stops at the president's desk.

[bigtree]

13. Statement from John Kerry on CIA Director George Tenet’s Speech

Statement from John Kerry on CIA Director George Tenet’s Speech at Georgetown University

February 05, 2004

“Today, the CIA Director, George Tenet, admitted that the intelligence agencies never told the White House that Iraq posed an imminent threat. But that’s not what the Bush White House told the American people. They said Iraq posed a ‘mortal threat,’ an ‘urgent threat,’ an ‘immediate threat,’ a ‘serious threat,’ and, yes, an ‘imminent threat’ to the people of the United States.

“Today, we found out that George Bush, Dick Cheney, Don Rumsfeld, and the rest of the Administration weren’t passing on sound facts on Iraq to the American people - they were playing politics with our national security.

“Americans should be able to trust that what the President tells them is true - especially when it comes to the life and death decisions of war and peace.

“We need to restore America’s credibility around the world and the trust of the American people in their government at home. That’s not going to happen with a sham commission hand-picked by George Bush to look into how these faulty facts on Iraq made it to the American people. It’s not going to happen while the Bush White House continues its stalling and stonewalling. What we need is for this President to take responsibility - to face the truth - and to finally tell the truth to the American people. And we need that now.”
http://www.johnkerry.com/pressroom/releases/pr_2004_0205f.html

[bigtree]

17. Kerry Statement on the allegation that CIA Director Admitted WH Pressure

Kerry Statement on the allegation that CIA Director Admitted White House Pressure on Intelligence Info
http://www.johnkerry.com/pressroom/releases/pr_2003_0717.html
July 17, 2003

Democratic Presidential candidate John Kerry today responded to allegations announced this morning by US Senator Richard Durbin that CIA Director George Tenet admitted that an unnamed White House official pressured the CIA to allow unverified nuclear claims to be included in the State of the Union.

John Kerry said, “It’s deeply troubling, but not altogether surprising, to learn that there may have been direct political pressure exerted on the CIA to exaggerate nuclear claims in the President’s state of the union address. This is just more evidence that, as I said yesterday, President Bush must support a full and independent investigation so that the American people know the full truth about what happened.”

The Associated Press reported this morning: “CIA Director George Tenet told members of Congress a White House official insisted that President Bush's State of the Union address include an assertion about Saddam Hussein's nuclear intentions that had not been verified, a Senate Intelligence Committee member said Thursday. Sen. Dick Durbin, who was present for a 4.5-hour appearance by Tenet behind closed doors with Intelligence Committee members Wednesday, said Tenet named the official. But the Illinois Democrat said that person's identity could not be revealed because of the confidentiality of the proceedings.”


Why didn't Tenent resign then? He admitted that the CIA had helped include the phony info in the SOTU. Why wasn't anyone fired?

[displacedtexan]

14. It's a chess strategy.

Instead of basing each move on the immediate look of the board, good chess players visualize 10 or 12 moves beyond the one at hand. They think, "if I move this pawn, what are my opponent's logical responses?"

Someone is lying about pre-war intel ("We were all wrong" won't fly, with over 500 dead).

By calling on * to fire Tenet, Kerry and Kennedy are challenging * either to blame the intel community or accept responsibility, himself.

This is how politics works: you have to convince "regular" Americans that they are smart enough to figure out (even if it takes years) that which you understood the moment it happened.

Just my opinion.

[KC21304]

18. And my opinion. If Tenet is not able to

admit that Bush and company fiddled with the intelligence than he needs a little push.

[isbister]

19. Why is Kerry not doing the same.

He's walking a fine line right now... he's already been tagged as arrogant, they might be holding back some out of the fear of appearing as if they assume the nomination is all sewn up.

It could also be that it is too early in the race to shoot off all of their ammo in the fight against bush.

Dr. Dean is a private citizen and Kerry is a member of the Senate. This could be a factor in how far Kerry goes at this time, too.

[bigtree]

20. I think Dean was first to call for it . Followed by Lieberman

Kerry Says Bush Lacks Viable Security Plan
July 17, 2003
New York Times

"Let me state it plainly," said Mr. Kerry, a Democratic presidential contender. "Just as we did not have a viable plan for Iraq after the capture of Baghdad, today we still do not have a real plan and enough resources for preparedness against a terrorist attack."

It was among the sterner rebukes of Mr. Bush so far by a Democratic candidate on the topic of national security, and it came in a week in which nearly all the Democratic prospects have been attacking the president on the issue. Senator Joseph I. Lieberman of Connecticut called today for the resignation of George J. Tenet, the director of central intelligence, following in the footsteps of Howard Dean, the former governor of Vermont, who made a similar demand on Sunday.

Mr. Kerry leveled fresh accusations that the administration had not been forthcoming in its policies about Iraq, particularly in its efforts to promote the war. "It is clear that a dangerous gap in credibility has developed between President Bush's tough rhetoric and timid policies which don't do nearly enough to protect Americans from danger," he said. Mr. Kerry said the president had purposefully stalled the investigation into the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and suggested, ungently, that he "get out of the way."

"It's time we were told the truth about America's safety," he said. "It's time we had a president who will truly make this nation more secure."

http://www.johnkerry.com/pressroom/clips/news_2003_0717a.html