Condi: Bush Met Tenet Every Day [Clinton Didn't]

Newsmax ^ | 3/29/04

[areafiftyone]

President Bush met with CIA Director George Tenet every single day during the eight months he was president before the 9/11 attacks, National Security Advisor Dr. Condoleezza Rice revealed on Friday, noting that the practice was a shift from the previous administration's policy.

Appearing for an exclusive interview with nationally syndicated radio host Sean Hannity, Dr. Rice addressed a finding by the 9/11 Commission that President Clinton had ordered the CIA to capture but not kill Osama bin Laden.

"There may have been some confusion [in the Clinton administration]," Dr. Rice told Hannity. "I do know that on our watch George Tenet never felt that he lacked the authority that he needed to do his job."

The top national security official explained why no such confusion plagued Tenet after Bush took over.

"George Tenet met with the president every morning," she told Hannity. "And so if he needed any more authority from us he would have been right there to ask the president. I know he wouldn't have been shy about it."

Rice noted the daily meetings between Bush and Tenet represented a policy change from the Clinton years.

"That's a practice the president re-instituted," she said. "I don't believe President Clinton met with the DCI every morning. George Tenet met with [this] president every morning."

Dr. Rice also gave new details about a terrorist threat spike in the summer of 2001 that critics have erroneously suggested gave warning of the coming attack against America.

"In the period leading up to Sept. 11, we did have a lot of threat reporting, particularly in June and July," she told Hannity. "Really all of it pointed to an attack that might come in the Persian Gulf, or that might come against Israel or that might come against the G-8 leaders which as in Genoa, Italy that year."

Still, despite the fact that the warnings suggested coming attacks on other nations, Rice said the Bush adminsitration took them seriously.

"We responded to those threats in a very active and aggressive way," she insisted. "I had Dick Clarke call together the domestic agencies so that the FAA could issue warnings, so that the FBI could issue warnings. We did everything that we knew how to do to prepare the country."

[crz]

Is there anyone with the guts in top positions to call these national socialists democrats what they are? Lying lowlife powerhungry backstabbing greedy SOBS!

[doug from upland]

You did and I second the description with profanity that decorum prevents from being displayed here.

[kellynla]

I believe it has been reported that Tenet met only twice in 8 years with Bubba.

[areafiftyone]

Why is all the good stuff being reported only by Newsmax. I love Newsmax but this stuff doesn't get any further than them.

[snooker]

"Why is all the good stuff being reported only by Newsmax."

Conspiracy maybe? You every once in a while there really is a conspiracy. In this case I think there is. It's easy to see the media won't cover a story about talk radio especially if it attacks their guy Clarke.

Bush has a big problem here and he better address it fast.

Wouldn't it be nice to see the Senate put Clarke under oath and read him his prior testimony, compare it to now, and ask him to state under oath which is correct? Book 'em Dano.

[Toskrin]

It was James Woolsey, CIA director for two years during Clinton's first term, that only met with Clinton twice, and never once in private. This is from Woolsey's own mouth.

When a private plane crashed on the White House grounds in 1994, White House staffers joked that it was Woolsey trying to get an appointment with the President.

[Kowdawg]

I believe it has been reported that Tenet met only twice in 8 years with Bubba.

Clarke was on CNN this morning saying that Clinton met with Tenet everyday after a Dec 99 incident while Bush rarely met with Tenet at all.

He also called on the Republican Attack Machine (RAM) to embrace a more civil level of discourse.

The accusations were not challenged by the CNN InfoBabe

[easonc52]

In Tenant's 9/11 commission testimony, he invited the commission to come see how the new sharing of information between the agencies is working, so they can judge for themselves.

I believe if he didn't think things are much better now, I don't think he would have brought that up (he got a few head nods from the commission).

[Libloather]

"I don't believe President Clinton met with the DCI every morning."

I'll bet a $20 that the *Crintons met with Arafat more times than they did with the CIA Director...

[Toskrin]

Clinton gave no thought at all to national security. The story of how the conservative James Woolsey became CIA director is incredible.


http://www.wnd.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=34477

[tkathy]

I bet Clinton met with Monica more often than with Tenet.

[NonValueAdded]

Clarke was on CNN this morning saying that Clinton met with Tenet everyday after a Dec 99 incident while Bush rarely met with Tenet at all.

Whaaaaaaaat? That is an outright lie. No, even worse, a stupid lie - so easy to refute. What is going on with this man????? Is this a guilt-ridden meltdown of some kind? Does someone have something on him like he was given a direct intercept of Atta's plan or something and failed to act and 666 is holding the evidence? This is way beyond spin and book promotion, we're in bizarro land now.

[Mike Bates]

I bet Clinton met with Monica more often than with Tenet.

Not to mention Johnny Chung.

Michael M. Bates: My Side of the Swamp

[NonValueAdded]

Everyone should read the article posted by Toskrin. Surprisingly, there are two FR threads on it with a total of 4 replies, here: How to become a CIA director and here: Farah Explains "How to Become CIA Director" (in the Clinton Administration). Does anyone know off the top of their head why Woolsey left the job?

[hoosiermama]

Excellent! and Probably true....Maybe Tenet should have brought a pizza with him.

[kellynla]

I wouldn't exactly use the words of Clarke Bar as bible. LMAO
And if you think that the Communist New Channel would dare question one of their own you really are living in another galaxy...

I think if you do some research of your own you will find out that the Clintoon Administration only discussed terrorism twice in cabinet meetings and that Tenet and Woolsey rarely met with Bubba.

Now if you think a hundred meetings in eight frigging years is enough then so be it. While Tenet has meetings 6 times a week with the present administration. You do the math...but that's fewer meetings in eight years than the present administration has in one year.


Bottom line: the Clintoons had eight years to combat terrorism and failed. And that is why we had the WTC in 1993, two embassies in Africa, the USS Cole just to name a few and finally the WTCII because Clintoon was more concerned about sex that terrorism.

[kellynla]

I guess that was who I was thinking of Woolsey...thanks

[ReleaseTheHounds]

Yeah, what's this CR*P that Tenant went to Clarke bemoaning "they just don't get it, Dickie!" If George Tenant confirms this, why didn't he just resign?

[Fiddlstix]

BTTT