April 27, 2007
Chairman Waxman Calls: George Tenet Book Tour Will Be Under Oath! (Brent Budowsky)
Government Reform Committee Chairman Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) has invited George Tenet to testify before his investigations panel in May. Since George Tenet is now beginning a big-money book tour, no doubt he will agree to testify — and the fireworks could be enormous.
A word about Henry Waxman. The chairman is the standout member of the new Congress and is doing first-rate work across the board.
He is handling mulitiple investigations with professionalism and fairness, but is a bulldog who aims for the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.
A word about George Tenet, and implications about his book tour and probable upcoming testimony:
During his promotional interviews, here are some of the questions that interviewers should ask:
Did Tenet know about deception, dishonesty, falsification or misrepresentation of pre-war intelligence?
Does Tenet know whether any officials in the Bush administration testified falsely to the Congress, by representing to Congress any intelligence arguments for war that they knew to be untrue?
When British intelligence head "C" suggested that intelligence on Iraq was being "fixed," was he referring to any false statements that Tenet put out or testified to, or false statements that others testified to? Tenet should know exactly who did the fixing and should testify fully.
What exactly was the relationship between American intelligence and Iranian intelligence prior to the war? Was there cooperation with Iranian intelligence? What exactly was the role of Mr. Chalabi?
Were there acts of torture that George Tenet supervised or was aware of, that violated U.S. law, European law, the Geneva Convention, or national laws of other states, involving the rendition program or other programs?
What collaboration existed in potential torture violations with third-party nations such as Syria, Egypt, or former Soviet bloc nations that engage in represssion and torture?
George Tenet should know and be asked about the role of Alberto Gonzales as White House counsel or attorney general on torture issues.
Did Gonzales write any currently unknown legal opinions contrary to commonly accepted principles of law, or participate in executive orders that attempted to make legal what would otherwise be illegal?
Did Tenet ever discuss the CIA leak case with the president or vice president and inform them that Valerie Plame's identity was covert and must not be disclosed? If he did not, why not? If he did, what are the legal implications?
Remember the terror alerts that always created fear at politically opportune times, and then disappeared after elections or other key moments?
Is George Tenet aware of any dishonest, false or politically driven terror alerts that involved political manipulation, possibly in violation of law? Of the totality of terror alerts during the Bush administration, how many did Tenet believe were legitimate and how many did he oppose or object to?
Did Tenet send or receive e-mails, or was he aware of any e-mails from other sources, that were sent on non-government e-mail systems?
Journalists should ask Tenet whether he intends to donate his profit from the book to wounded troops' medical care, considering it would be disgraceful for Tenet to profit from his performance during the Iraq war.
Applause to Congressman Waxman for taking the initiative again. Folks, when you watch George Tenet hyping his book, remember, for practical purposes, whatever he says he may someday, soon, have to say under oath.
This whole episode is a disgrace, but I predict that this book tour will be an event that George Tenet may well regret, because while he takes the money with one hand, he will take the oath with the other.
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[...] Chairman Waxman Calls: George Tenet Book Tour Will Be Under Oath! [...]
Pingback by Make Them Accountable / Explain to the taxpayers, Mr. Tenet! — April 27, 2007 @ 2:11 pm
Brent;
I don't understand why you got such a bug up your butt over George Tenet ?
This is the second time in two weeks that your unending and wordy post has gone after Tenet and his book deal. Imus isn't available anymore to launch a book so Henry waste the taxpayers money with useless investigations that have been investigated already and come up dry Waxman can now act in the interest of the public and help Tenet turn his book into a number one best seller by bringin him in front of his committee.
Some advice Mr. Budowsky, take a breath and don't be so wordy in your next post.
Comment by David Hamlin — April 27, 2007 @ 2:48 pm
David, with all due respect, I know a little bit about intelligence and a lot about what went wrong with Iraq. George Tenet is one of those people who could have made a difference but was so busy currying favor with Bush he did things he knew were wrong. Now he wants to war profiteer from it. My sympathies are with more 3300 killed in action and Gold Star mothers who were sold short by George Tenet and others who knew better but put themselves and their careers ahead of truth and troops. I dont know what I have more contempt for, what George Tenet did, or the fact that he wants
to make a lot of money for it.
Comment by Brent Budowsky — April 27, 2007 @ 5:02 pm
George Tenet is a spineless coward, and yet another Bushy draft dodger. Most any patriot would have sacrificed their jobs to reveal the truth. What a lot of you neocon wingnuts don't get is that this country was founded on principles of transparancy. Secrecy is an enemy to this Nation. Tenet should have his Medal of Presidential Freedom revoked. Bush has cheapened that medal. Another failure for Bush's resume.
Comment by Chris in NM — April 27, 2007 @ 7:42 pm
If Waxman is looking for 'the whole truth and nothing but the truth', well, having a member of the Bushy Administration testify will accomplish little. They all forgot, can't remember, and don't understand. Tenet is gutless. Any member of this nazis administration is filthy swine and will lie repeatedly.
Comment by Dale Beltron — April 27, 2007 @ 7:50 pm
Lest we forget, George "Can't Identify Anything" Tenet also gave one of President Bill Clinton's bombers the target co-ordinates for the Chinese embassy in Belgrade, Yugoslavia. How Tenet kept his job after that complete disaster escapes me. He must have suck-up skills that even Monica Lewinsky would admire to so expertly please BOTH Bubba Bill Clinton AND Deputy Dubya Bush. He deserves to rot in Slobodan Milosevich's old jail cell at the Hague along with Cheney, Bush, Rumsfeld, Powell, Rice, and the rest of the motherless Republican cretins who've dissembled, prevaricated, sold second-rate snake oil, and just plain lied through every tooth in their mouths to the sorrow and detriment of America, Iraq, and the world in general. What a pack of pathological perps!
Comment by Michael Murry — April 28, 2007 @ 4:41 am
Hearings are helpful, exposing some of the depravity and self-serving cowardice, but I believe we need our own home-grown apple-pie version of the Nuremberg Trials for these folks. As a nation we will remain somewhat lost until that is done.
Comment by emkay — April 28, 2007 @ 6:03 am
Here's the problem with Tenet — if he knew anything was wrong with the way the war was started or the early stages of the war while he was in the Bush administration, he had a duty to speak about it THEN. For him to come out now, when he's promoting a book about it makes his credability ZERO.
As for Waxman, he's nothing more than a pissed off little wannabe Chairman. He speant so long as the second fiddle on the Government Reform Committee that now he is making up for it be holding useless hearings instead of passing important legislation.
Comment by Jeff Clemons — April 28, 2007 @ 6:13 am
Tenet was a Clinton appointee and a Bush holdover. Huge mistake by GW. "Founded on transparency", what history books are you reading? By the way "secrecy" is OK for Dean and the democrats but if Dick Cheney wants a meeting with corporate execs on policy, the sky is falling. The democrats can't keep anything straight. That's what happens when you have no moral compass or core principals. Just a thought…
Comment by Rich — April 28, 2007 @ 8:23 am
Maybe Mr. Tenet or Mr. Waxman could tell all of us what documents Mr. Sandy Berger had down his pants?? Hummmm
Comment by Dennis MacGillivary — April 28, 2007 @ 8:56 am
Tenet is trying to redeem himself about 4 years too late. But it is important that we hear what he has to say. He can do some restoration of his former reputation by being completely straightforward about the lies told by Chimpy, and his role in crafting those lies.
George, it's time to earn that Medal of Freedom.
Comment by JollyRoger — April 28, 2007 @ 11:45 am
Why does George Tent not tell us in his new book why when Khalid al-Mihdhar, Nawaf al-Hamzi and Selem al-Hazmi were photographed along with Khallad bin Attash, later found to be the mastermind of the Cole bombing, at the al-Qaeda planning meeting in Kuala Lumpur, held on January 5-8, 2000, and these photographs were given to Tenet and Black on January 9, 2000, this information was deliberately withheld from the FBI on 10 separate occasions
that spanned over 21 months. This information was withheld from even the FBI Cole bombing investigators on five separate occasions making this(IMHO) a criminal conspiracy. This information was with held from the FBI after April 2001, when the CIA had received massive warning of a huge attack inside of the US that would kill thousands of Americans,and even after they knew Hazmi had entered the US and Mihdhar had a US visa, precursors for them to take part in this attack. The CIA clearly knew that keeping this information secret would make all but impossible for the FBI to prevent this horrific attack.
see http://www.eventson911.com for details on this.
Comment by rschop — April 28, 2007 @ 2:57 pm
Henry Waxman in his own words, Oct. 10, 2002:
" Whether one agrees or disagrees with the Administration’s policy towards Iraq, I don’t think there can be any question about Saddam’s conduct. He has systematically violated, over the course of the past 11 years, every significant UN resolution that has demanded that he disarm and destroy his chemical and biological weapons, and any nuclear capacity. This he has refused to do. He lies and cheats; he snubs the mandate and authority of international weapons inspectors; and he games the system to keep buying time against enforcement of the just and legitimate demands of the United Nations, the Security Council, the United States and our allies. Those are simply the facts.
And now, time has run out. It has been four long years since the last UN weapons inspectors were effectively ejected from Iraq because of Saddam’s willful noncompliance with an effective inspection regime.
What Saddam has done in the interim is not known for certain - but there is every evidence, from the dossier prepared by the Prime Minister of Britain, to President Bush’s speech at the United Nations, that Saddam has rebuilt substantial chemical and biological weapons stocks, and that he is determined to obtain the means necessary to produce nuclear weapons. He has ballistic missiles, and more are on order. He traffics with other evil people in this world, intent on harming the United States, Israel, other nations in the Middle East, and our friends across the globe.
We know Saddam quite well. We know he kills a lot of people, even in his own family. We know when he gives his word it cannot be trusted. We know he is a shameless propagandist. We recall that he held women and children hostage for a time in Baghdad as human shields in 1990 to try to deter armed attack to liberate Kuwait. We know what he does to his own people in the north and south of his country and what he did to his neighbors in Iran and Kuwait.
We also know that Saddam is the patron saint of the homicide bombers in Israel. He pays their families when their youth go to kingdom-come from the streets of Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. And Iraq, under Saddam, is one of only seven nations designated as a state sponsor of terrorism because of his aid and training of terrorists, according to the U.S. State Department.
Whether he is tied in with al-Qaeda is still subject to debate, but they share an intense hatred for the United States, Israel, and our allies, and in their willingness to attack civilians to achieve their purposes."
I like Waxman. He is an honest man and he does seek the truth. May we know the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the thruth.
Comment by Igor R. — April 28, 2007 @ 5:16 pm
Igor, I'm glad you aggree with Mr. Waxman that there is strong evidence suggesting that the Bush Administration knowingly bared false witness against Iraq. As I'm sure you also aggree that, though a ruthless villian, Saddam was utterly contained in the spring of 2003, partly as a result of Waxman's vote to authorize military force in Iraq. This is because this vote immediately resulted in a return of weapons inspections in Iraq. You quoted Waxman:
"It has been four long years since the last UN weapons inspectors were effectively ejected from Iraq because of Saddam’s willful noncompliance with an effective inspection regime."
Following this speach and Congressional authorization of force in Fall, 2002. Inspectors were finally allowed back in. But even though the president had used Saddam's noncompliance with inspections as a reason for the need for the authorization of the war, he pulled them back out in order to prepare for the invasion anyway. Bush had accomplished what Clinton could not in getting teams of weapons inspectors back on the ground in Iraq. Then broke his implicit promise with Congress and with the American People to let the inspectors do their jobs, and instead invaded Iraq like he had always planned to do anyway.
Comment by Dan Evans — April 29, 2007 @ 12:43 am
My questions for Waxman,along with the 'Downing Street Memo,' would be about the '16 words,' Curveball and the Niger forgeries. He also could confirm Hayden's description of Valerie Plame's position at the CIA. I would like to claim some foresight but I'm sure there were many more than just I aware at the phonieness of the Medal of Freedom ceremony for those three undeserving people. If ever any high award was cheapened it was then. This book is a McNamara moment.
Comment by nellieh — April 29, 2007 @ 8:47 am
Dan, the way I remember it Saddam never really cooperated in the sense of (a) hey, go loook anywhere (b) take the families of those potentially involved in the WMD research out of the country for questioning. All he had to do was "open up", and none of this would've happenned. And he never did stop shooting at American planes until his capabilities to do so were destroyed.
Comment by Igor R. — April 29, 2007 @ 1:26 pm
The more the truth comes out, the worse things seem to get for the Bush Administration. Now Condi Rice isn't cooperating with the House subpoena; I wonder why?
Comment by Derek D. — April 29, 2007 @ 5:56 pm
Derek, subpoenas to administration officials should be issued if there is evidence of criminality. Otherwise it's a tool to catch someone in some sort of a misstatement and then create a criminal case.
Comment by Igor R. — April 29, 2007 @ 11:40 pm
On 60 mins. tonight George Tenet said on Sept, 12,2001 he saw Richard Pearleman at the White House.G.T. stated that R.P. said "Iraq is going to have pay for this". Problem is R.P. was in Paris that day and did not return until Sept. 15. Credibility shot.
Comment by pat m. — April 30, 2007 @ 12:47 am
I watched the entire show. Geroge Tenet looked like a hurt kid about to cry about all the bullying at school. Usually the kids feels this way the same day, not several years later. It's also disconcerning to have a director of the CIA who behaves like a small, beat-up kid.
Comment by Igor R. — April 30, 2007 @ 10:53 am
DO NOT BUY Tenet's book,
P L E A S E!
Tenet's medal of freedumbs is as meaningless as Tenet's so-called integrity and honor.
His slam dunk is that he will judged worse than Robert Macnamara and at least equally as awful and guilty as Ronald Dumsfeld, Bush, Cheney, and all other enablers of an illegal war, and all the casualties of said war.
War criminals all!
History will not absolve any of them.
That is a slam dunk.
Comment by Paul Nelson — April 30, 2007 @ 8:22 pm
Derek, I think the entire Democratic Senate Caucus sending a letter to David Broder protesting his "attack" on Reid is a borderline unconstitutional infringement of free speech.
Comment by Igor R. — April 30, 2007 @ 9:12 pm
LOL. I never really agreed with the war, but Tenet nor Bush Admin is entirely at fault. The public wanted war at that time just as bad. That's what happens when people lose their cool and work from emotion. Now everyone wants to blame someone for the failure in Iraq. Public also doesn't realize that government contractors made big bucks off this war (big and small contractors), so whatever, money in my pocket straight from the taxpayer! Thanks for helping me save for retirement. I voted for Bush twice by the way.
Comment by Laugh2thebank — May 1, 2007 @ 11:30 am
Hey, Laugh2, cool cynicism here. Of course Bush grew up in a distinguished family with a history of public service to kill America's best young people to benefit government contractors. I'm glad you could read his mind so you could profit.
Yes, this is the insanity of the lunatic left-wing in action. Blame America first, this one actually does blame all of America.
Comment by Igor R. — May 1, 2007 @ 2:57 pm
The question of why didn't he resign is over shadowed by why didn't he tell the truth. At the 9/11 hearings on April 14, 2001 he said he had not talked to the president in August 2001. Yet, in his book, we find out he had talked to the president in August, so he clearly lied at the 9/11 hearings. We find out he had flown down to Crawford, Texas for a meeting on August 17, August 24, and had talked again with the president on August 30 or 31 in Washington. But he says in his book he gave a unmistakable warning to Condoleezza Rice on July 10, 2001, that a spectacular attack was just about to take place inside of the US that would result in mass American casualties. So what did he tell the president on August 17, or the 24th. We know that the CIA had issued a world wide alert for Khalid al-Mihdhar and Nawaf al-Hazmi on August 23, 2001, just one day before his meeting with the president in Crawford, and clearly the CIA knew that these long time al Qaeda terrorists, who were now known to be in the US, were going to take part in this al Qaeda attack. We know Tenet talked with the president six more times in September before 9/11, so he had plenty of time to tell him about this huge attack. So exactly what did he tell the president on these occasions. The big question is what did the president know and why did he do nothing to save the 3000 people killed on 9/11? Why is this only coming out now, five years after 9/11? For more information, search for "eventson911″.
Comment by rschop — May 3, 2007 @ 7:44 pm
George Tenet excuses the torture he will not admit to on grounds of 9/11. That day was possible only because the rule passed in 1970s that the pilot's cabin will be rendered impenetrable was, by 2000 never ever observed. Thus, in 20 minutes four passenger planes were skyjacked. So when Tenet insisted to Wolf Blitzer that only the torture of detainees resulted in the stopping of more passenger panes used as flying bombs, I insist, no, post-9/11 impenetrability of the pilot's cabin finally prevented it. But from Bush to Michael Sheuer, incompetent "intelligence blind" officials have been excusing their unimaginative use of torture– which they will not talk about, other than say that they didn't use it but used it– on grounds that it stopped what they can't talk about. Tenet wants us to tell him that we don't want terror in order to prevent it. So, just as I would have told Al Capone that we don't want murder used, I tell Tenet that we don't want torture used, especially when it has produced nothing that they can point to. To try and get our attention in exchange for a $4 million dollars publishing contract and then say that you can't talk about what you did, is more of the CIA deceptions we witnessed in the 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s and beyond: all in the course of shady cash deals that resulted in a lot of lowly payed CIA operatives becoming rich entrepreneurs on Saudi cash upon retirement. You can't continue to lie, Mr. Tenet, on grounds that the truth is a secret!
Daniel E. Teodoru
Comment by de teodoru — May 5, 2007 @ 6:34 pm
To really see how deceptive Tenet is just read THE TERROR TIMELINE by Paul Thompson(HarperCollins). There was a huge flow ow warnings going into his agency. Morocco, Egypt, Great Britain, and Russia all warned the administration. Even little Cayman Island warned them. You have to read it to believe it!
Comment by Ray Charleskou — May 9, 2007 @ 2:15 pm