Why did George Tenet resign?

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but when I look at his immigration policies it makes me unsure as to the what ifs.

OH NO YOU DIN"T!

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Geopolitical Diary: Friday, June 4, 2004

George Tenet resigned Thursday as director of the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency. His leaving was not routine. Such resignations are usually carefully orchestrated, with the departing worthy standing behind the president while
praise is heaped on them. This time, the president simply and unexpectedly announced Tenet's departure -- and hours later, Tenet announced the same to the CIA staff. Apparently, President George W. Bush and Tenet met Wednesday
evening, something happened, and Tenet left Thursday.

This is not simply a matter of the president finally cleaning house in the intelligence community. And it is not simply a matter of long-term problems being dealt with -- if it were, more cover would have been given. Nor is it obvious that Tenet was fired. That may be the case, but there are circumstances under which he would have resigned.

This one isn't simple. It is, however, important.

Theory No. 1: Tenet and the CIA have been hammering home the fact that Ahmed Chalabi was a double agent for Iran. On Wednesday, the agency leaked the story that Chalabi had compromised a National Security Agency operation that had broken Iranian codes. The target of these attacks was not just Chalabi, but the Defense Department in general, and Deputy Secretary Paul Wolfowitz in particular. Wolfowitz runs a small intelligence shop headed by Abe Shulsky, who had championed Chalabi. If they were sponsoring a double who was compromising NSA code-breaking, that was quite an intelligence disaster.

It is possible that Bush decided that Tenet had simply gone too far in washing dirty laundry in public. The president is not going to clean out the Defense Department and therefore regarded Tenet's attacks as too extreme. Hence, Tenet was fired. The alternative explanation of this theory is that the CIA had the goods not only on Chalabi, but on the DOD disaster as well.
Tenet met with Bush and laid out the story, expecting the president to clean house; Bush refused, and Tenet -- disgusted -- quit.

Theory No. 2: This has nothing to do with Chalabi and everything to do with former Ambassador Joe Wilson, whose CIA agent wife's cover allegedly was blown by a White House aide. An investigation was going on to find out who had leaked Valerie Plame's name. Interestingly, the president was reported
to be hiring a lawyer in the case -- not necessarily incriminating in any way, but certainly not a great PR move for a president to have to make.

Assume for the moment -- with only this little evidence -- that the
investigation was moving toward the president in some way. Tenet, aware of the implications of the Justice Department findings, and belonging to a culture that regards protecting cover as a sacred obligation, confronted Bush. After years at the agency, Tenet was not going down covering the Plame affair.

Theory No. 3: The president actually is cleaning house. He has fired Gen. Ricardo Sanchez, commander of U.S. forces in Iraq, and now he is firing Tenet. He will fire other people. He is doing this with the coordination and grace that have marked most other PR efforts in the Bush administration. In other words, it looks far worse than it actually is and, instead of turning the page, is spawning endless speculation.

In any case, a major figure in the history of the U.S.-Islamist war is out. The Sept. 11 attacks happened on his watch, but so did the first phase of the Afghan war. Tora Bora was also on his watch, but so was the destruction of Saddam Hussein's regime. Of course, the entire guerrilla war in Iraq surged on his watch, but so did the capture of Hussein. In our view, history will judge Tenet as a capable man who, facing extraordinary times, simply
could not rise to extraordinary heights. The most interesting part of his tenure, in the end, might well be in his leaving.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
4 June 2004

CIA Deputy Director for Operations Announces Retirement

McLean, VA, 4 Jun -- James L. Pavitt, a 31-year veteran of CIA who has served as the Agency's Deputy Director for Operations (DDO) for nearly five years, announced today that he will be retiring this summer.

Pavitt, 58, who was named DDO in August 1999 after serving as the Associate Deputy Director for Operations (ADDO) for two years, has served longer in that position than any DDO in the last 30 years. Pavitt made the decision to retire about a month ago and his departure is unrelated to Director of Central Intelligence George J. Tenet's resignation announcement yesterday.

In remarks today, Pavitt said he "could not be prouder of the men and women of America's clandestine service."

"I am so proud of the risks they have taken and the extraordinary work they do, often under the most difficult and dangerous circumstances imaginable, to keep our nation safe," Pavitt said. "The creativity, resourcefulness, and courage they display each and every day to acquire the information our
country needs has saved many lives. The unique work they do must remain secret, but people need to know that they are a national treasure. It has been a privilege to lead them for the last five years."

Director Tenet said today, "Jim Pavitt's contributions to this Agency and to the country during a long and distinguished career have been enormous. He has led our country's clandestine service with verve and creativity, rebuilding the infrastructure to recruit, train, and sustain officers who
collect the human intelligence that is so vital to protecting our nation and American interests. He has worked tirelessly to strengthen our collection capabilities, and it has been an honor to serve with him."

Pavitt, a native of St. Louis, joined the CIA in 1973 as a Career Trainee. He served in a variety of intelligence assignments in Europe, Asia, and Headquarters. In 1990, Pavitt was detailed to the National Security Council as the Director for Intelligence Programs. In June 1992, President Bush appointed him Special Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs and NSC Senior Director for Intelligence Programs.

Prior to becoming the ADDO in 1995, he served as Deputy Director of the DCI Nonproliferation Center, which is now known as the DCI Weapons Intelligence, Nonproliferation, and Arms Control Center. Before that, he served as Chief of the Counterproliferation Division in the Directorate of Operations.

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This to me is an indicator of something when looking at Tenet's resignation:
WASHINGTON, DC: According to the United Press International (UPI), FBI Director Robert Mueller wants to create an intelligence service within the FBI that would operate separately from other parts of the agency.

Outlined by Mueller during a hearing of a House subcommittee last Thursday, the FBI would create a directorate of intelligence with clear authority over all FBI intelligence activities, including language translators and analysts, the Washington Post reported.

Mueller did not provide the committee with cost estimates or many details, and FBI officials said it is too early to predict what the price of the restructuring might be. Mueller's proposal appears to be an alternative to a number of other ideas being circulated by Congressional sources that would establish a "MI-5" internal intelligence agency within the United States.

[Jimbo]

Re: STRATFOR's assessment

It seems George and Meredith have been smoking some good stuff.

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"Our record is not without flaws," he said. "The world of intelligence is a uniquely human endeavor . . . and we all understand the need to always do better. We are not perfect, but one of our best-kept secrets is that we are very, very, very good."

Good Tenet quote I thought...

NDD

quote:

"OH NO YOU DIN"T!"

OK what about W's immigration policy gives you a sense of solid thinking and not playing up to the Hispanic vote? I am 99% behind W but we are all human, and I don't have to agree with everything to still support the man.

Back to Tenet: I read Stratfor's summary and still think that it is due to poor preformance, even with the other senarios presented. GW has to start holding folks accountable for the voters to have confidence in him as a leader. Somethimes you need to draw that line in the sand and hold to it. He kept folks on from the last administration out of a false sence of 'working together' in my humble opinion, he should have placed people he knew in those positions of extreme importance.

Maya