This is big.
President Bush said Thursday that CIA director George Tenet has resigned “for personal reasons” and that his deputy will temporarily lead America’s premier spy agency until a successor is found.
…Tenet had been under fire for months in connection with intelligence failures related to the U.S.-led war against Iraq, specifically assertions the United States made about Saddam Hussein’s purported possession of weapons of mass destruction, and with respect to the threat from the al Qaeda terrorist network.
As one who’s resigned for “personal reasons,” I’m inclined to believe that it’s code for being told to get the f*ck out. At least that’s my experience. The difference is that one is at least allowed to save face. Tenet, however, should not take the fall alone for 9/11 or the war in Iraq. There were plenty more who were asleep at the switch, all the way up to Bush himself. There were concerns about Tenet’s intelligence briefings even at the the time they were given. The Bush administration just chose to ignore those who discredited the intelligence that fit the Bush agenda.
But look at it this way. He’s now free to write a book or make the rounds of the talk shows!
The Spy Who Came in from the Cold. Stay tuned.