Open Tenet thread
CIA director George Tenet has resigned. The New York Times‘ David Strout reports on the unusual nature of the White House announcement: Mr. Bush announced the resignation in a way that was almost bizarre. He had just addressed reporters and photographers in a fairly innocuous Rose Garden session with Australia’s prime minister, John Howard. Then ...
CIA director George Tenet has resigned. The New York Times' David Strout reports on the unusual nature of the White House announcement:
CIA director George Tenet has resigned. The New York Times‘ David Strout reports on the unusual nature of the White House announcement:
Mr. Bush announced the resignation in a way that was almost bizarre. He had just addressed reporters and photographers in a fairly innocuous Rose Garden session with Australia’s prime minister, John Howard. Then the session was adjourned, as Mr. Bush apparently prepared to depart for nearby Andrews Air Force Base and his flight to Europe, where he is to take part in ceremonies marking the 60th anniversary of the Normady invasion and meet European leaders — some of whom have been sharply critical of the campaign in Iraq. But minutes later, Mr. Bush reappeared on the sun-drenched White House lawn, stunning listeners with the news of Mr. Tenet’s resignation, which the president said would be effective in mid-July. After that, Mr. Bush said, the C.I.A.’s deputy director, John McLaughlin, will be acting director. The president praised Mr. Tenet’s qualities as a public servant, saying: “He’s strong. He’s resolute. He’s served his nation as the director for seven years. He has been a strong and able leader at the agency. He’s been a, he’s been a strong leader in the war on terror, and I will miss him.” Then Mr. Bush walked away, declining to take questions or offer any insight into what Mr. Tenet’s personal reasons might be.
NRO’s Kathryn Jean Lopez considers (but dismisses) anti-Bush political motivations. Readers are invited to speculate on the causes and implications of Tenet’s departure. My quick answers are a) the devastating portrayal of Tenet in Woodward’s Plan of Attack, and b) nothing significant.
Daniel W. Drezner is a professor of international politics at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University and co-host of the Space the Nation podcast. Twitter: @dandrezner
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