Slam-Dunk

Two major political stories dominating the news are the most ironic to date.

The first is the devastating Senate Intelligence Committee report about the total failure of our intelligence agencies with the CIA (annual budget of $40 billion) leading the pack. In light of George Tenet's resignation it's like beating a dead horse. But the dead horse has a lot to do with the total collapse and miserable failure of our intelligence.

Here is my scenario:
If my memory isn't playing tricks on me, as soon as Bush came to the presidency, there were Republican vociferations about whether he should keep Tenet (appointed by Clinton) as DCI. Bush went to visit Tenet at the CIA headquarters. His visit was short and immediately afterward in the lobby of the Agency, Bush declared, in a photo-op, that he had complete trust and confidence in George Tenet as DCI. I wonder what they talked about behind closed doors.

Perhaps Bush told him his intention to invade Iraq and asked Tenet if he would support his president and gather intelligence support for the war.

I tend to believe that Tenet had agreed to do just that. So, Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, Condie, Wolfowitz and company had highjacked our intelligence. That's why they all missed the gathering storm coming from Al Qaida because the CIA was looking for everything and anything to incriminate Iraq. Tenet unleashed his troops to look through all the intelligence with the Iraq scrutiny in their irises.

After that, Tenet was in the White House every day briefing the president on his progress. Richard Clarke never had a chance to brief the president about Al Qaida; he was pushed away, put down and even changed his mission to chase after crimes on the Internet. The Agency was too busy collecting data on Iraq.

Now, the "slam-dunk" thing; I tend to believe that Bob Woodward (a little older, a little wealthier and a lot lazier than in his youthful years) was talking about that scenario honestly.
What he didn't tell was, what they were talking about when Tenet made his "slam-dunk" reference. Perhaps they were analyzing the gathered, made-up intelligence and the President didn't find the case for the war strong enough. In other words he asked him: "that's all that you came up with George?" And the other George reassured him that the case was a slam-dunk.

What is outrageous that the death toll now is over 4000 (9/11/2001 and our Iraq war casualties) on our side. All that because they distracted the CIA from their normal duties to watch over the dangers facing this country.

The irony is the second major political news: On the same day, Tom Ridge's face showed up on our television screens warning of serious intelligence that Al Qaida is going to strike in our country between now and election day. They just have to keep playing this card to keep us scared, but they won't raise the terrorist warning to orange because that is very costly and probably would bankrupt some states.

"Serious intelligence" Tom? Intelligence from where? From the CIA that you guys just declared null and void??? Go sell this to kindergarteners, Tom, perhaps you can scare some there...!