The Workday Liberal

Today I've made my typical rounds of the lefty blogosphere, and the major story all around is Tenets book. Tenet says this, Tenet proves that, Tenet Tenet Tenet.

I refuse to go there. George Tenet is telling us what we already know. It will be news when he tells his tale, under oath to the relevant committee of Congress.

Tenet is the latest in a string of former administration officials who have seen the light... but only after their chance to affect the disaster they helped create has long since passed. And they always seem to see the light in the pursuit of filthy lucre. As the true scope of the disaster becomes clear those who helped create it, but now find themselves on the outside looking in, scramble to disassociate themselves from their role in initiating the greatest strategic blunder in American history.

Make no mistake about it. Tenet was one of the main advocates for the drive to this disastrous war in Iraq. For me the ultimate proof of Tenets willing role is that he literally provided the backdrop to Collin Powell when Powell presented the case for Iraqi WMD to the U.N. That speech is a moment which has gone down as one of the greatest diplomatic embarrassments in this nations history. Just google up an image of Powell's speech, and you'll see Tenets furrowed visage, giving the weight of the CIA to the sewage being spewed from Powell's mouth. Strange... I don't recall ONCE during that speech when Tenet tapped Powell on the shoulder with a sudden realization that Powell should "clarify" some portion of his presentation which Tenet realized was not true. As is the case with the entire freaking speech. Remember, this speech was given one and a half months prior to the invasion. At that very late date it is clear that Tenet was not only on board the march to war bandwagon, he was willing to give his personal imprimatur for administration officials making the claims.

Tenet didn't seem to upset about his role in this debacle as the President slung the medal of freedom around his pudgy neck.

Only AFTER the meltdown is well past fixing does he pipe up with confirmation of what we've known all along. I say it is too late. If Tenet wants to rehabilitate his public image let him testify to Congress, under oath. And while he's up there I would like to hear an apology, rather than his post facto whining about the dishonorable nature of the thugs he saw fit to enable. Until he does something concrete (not self serving) to try to reverse the error, I'm not going to trumpet his tell all facts as proof of what we've already known the entire time.