George Tenet Shouldn’t Try Another “Slam Dunk”

Is George Tenet trying another slam dunk? Oh, please no! Thankfully, this time it is in the form of a book.

“As if you needed me to say ‘slam dunk’ to convince you to go to war with Iraq,’ ” Mr. Tenet apparently writes of Mr. Cheney’s infamous accusation that the WMDs were a CIA conclusion. While the decision to go to war was mostly that of the President and his insiders, Mr. Tenet simply can’t point fingers and try to go unscathed. He claims that the “slam dunk” comment was taken out of context. Even if this might be the case, it is well known that the Bush administration widely publicized the CIA findings as the basis for going to war. If Mr. Tenet felt strongly enough, he should have stood up for what he believed in at that time, rather than crying foul now. I suspect his book does more damage to himself than anybody else. Mr. Cheney is an easy target and so even if Mr. Tenet’s accusations were true, it does little to absolve him of any of the blame for the Iraq war.

According to the article in NY times, Mr. Tenet apparently expresses puzzlement that, since 2001, Al Qaeda has not sent “suicide bombers to cause chaos in a half-dozen American shopping malls on any given day.” “I do know one thing in my gut,” he writes. “Al Qaeda is here and waiting.” — And this guy was the CIA chief? When you read this, it sure sounds like his “slam dunk” defense seems less plausible.

With each passing day the Iraq war is losing its supporters, thankfully. Those responsible are in some form of trouble or the other if not already out of the scene. At the present moment, those responsible for the current state of affairs can better serve the world (and themselves) by trying to help deal with the mess in Iraq, than cashing in by writing books about the shameful past.