Torture on 60 Minutes ....(CIA run by a man who cannot think straight)

NRO ^ | May 2, 2007 | William F. Buckley Jr.

[Bahbah]

How did such a man, so vain, so emotional, so unreasoning, become head of the CIA?

Exactly my reaction.

[The Louiswu]

He was appointed by BJ Clinton wasn’t he?

[kittymyrib]

The mystery isn’t that Bill Clinton appointed Tenet, because the Clintons knew that they could push this putz around and that he was just grateful someone was giving him a pay check.
The real mystery is why in the world George Bush kept him on when he came into office. Why didn’t Papa Bush know enough about the qualities necessary to lead the CIA, having been CIA chief himself, to tell W to get rid of this incompetent? Seeing him laying the blame on Janet Reno may be entertaining, because she was also Bill Clinton’s door mat after the massacre of children at Waco, but it emphasizes what a loathsome character Tenet is, totally unfit for the crucial job he held when jihadis were launching multiple attacks on the USA.

[sgtbono2002]

How did he get the job? Bill Clinton appointed him.

That should answer the question of how an incompetent like Tenet got his job.

The question is Why in the bloody living hell did George Bush let him stay?

[cajungirl]

a male hysteric is what I thought. I was amazed at him and how on earth he was head of the agency. He must have been prancing around the halls having histrionics every day. The man should have been a clothing designer, wedding planner or hairdresser for goodness sakes.

[sauropod]

How did such a man, so vain, so emotional, so unreasoning, become head of the CIA?

Because he's a political appointee and an SES. Most of them are like that. They live in bubbles and are not connected to the real world.

[chatham]

Tenet would make Inspector Cluseau look like a Genius!!!!

What a Boob!

[SE Mom]

I watched him last night with B O’R...he’s a piece of work. Each time Bill tried to nail him on a discrepancy or point of contention- Tenet’s response was to blame Bill for trying to blame him.

[geezerwheezer]

With the CIA being run by George Tenet, is there any wonder why it was/is so screwed up from the top down? I have many doubts about an agency like the CIA that would hire someone like a Valerie Pflame to be able to even come in out of the rain. Mr. Bush’s biggest mistake was keeping this less-than-admirable person as head of the agency, and I’m sure he regrets it to this day. Bush needs to clean sweep this place and start over, and the sooner the better.

[advance_copy]

he's a political appointee and an SES. Most of them are like that.

There are exceptions:

1. Dick Cheney (he was SecDef)
2. George Schultz
3. John Bolton
4. Don Rumsfeld

I think there are some others, but none were appointed by Bill Clinton.

[KosmicKitty]

I watched a bit of O’Reilly’s interview w/ Tenet last night. All I could think of was how Tenet reminded me of one of the guys from the Sopranos

[CDHart]

"The real mystery is why in the world George Bush kept him on when he came into office."

Good question. I doubt we'll ever figure it out.

Carolyn

[snowrip]

Bush has kept hundreds of mid- to high-level Clinton appointees in strategic positions within his administration. It blows my mind... because these are the idiots responsible for intentional holdups, leaks, intentional miscommunication, leaks, and leaks.

Never again will I vote against my gut reaction... which in 2000 was that Bush is a missionary, not a warrior.

[Tolkien]

"The real mystery is why in the world George Bush kept him on when he came into office."

Good question. I doubt we'll ever figure it out.

It was part of Bush's new tone in Washington.

It worked really well, didn't it?

Lie with snakes, you get bitten.

[Bahbah]

The man should have been a clothing designer, wedding planner or hairdresser for goodness sakes.

LOL. Couldn't have said it better.

[johnny7]

How did such a man, so vain, so emotional, so unreasoning, become head of the CIA?

How did Lisa Nowak become an astronaut... how did Cho Seung-Hui become a senior at Virginia Tech... how did a rapist become president?

[Bahbah]

You ask very good questions.

I have no answers.

[KenmcG414]

It is really scary to see such an incompetent, hysterical, boob in charge of one of the most important agencies in the nation. The truth be known, Bush has surrounded himself with imcompetent assistants.

[norwaypinesavage]

"Begin with the president’s State of the Union address, in which he spoke of uranium being purchased in Niger to facilitate nuclear operations in Iraq. In fact, it wasn’t so."

Even Buckley has 'forgotten' the facts on this issue: EVERY WORD PRESIDENT BUSH SAID IN THE STATE OF THE UNION ADDRESS ABOUT YELLOWCAKE WAS TRUE. It is truly amazing how the DBM can create a false impression, and then it becomes a fact. Goebbels was right. But Goebbels also said at the same time that the worst enemy of the 'big lie' is the truth.