Rice Dismisses Tenet's Accusations

Secretary Of State Doubts Former CIA Director's Memories On Iraq, Afghanistan

(CBS/AP)  Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on Face The Nation dismissed accusations made by former CIA Director George Tenet about the Bush administration's early decisions on Iraq and Afghanistan.

Tenet tells Scott Pelley in a 60 Minutes interview that, before the September 11 attacks, he told Rice in a White House meeting the U.S. should take preemptive action inside Afghanistan.

"We need – we need to – we need to consider immediate action inside Afghanistan now," Tenet remembers telling Rice, who was then National Security Advisor. "We need to – we need to move to the offensive."

Rice, however, said Tenet's claim was a "new fact" and she would "have to look."

She told Bob Schieffer, "It's very interesting because that's not what George told the 9/11 Commission at the time. He said that he felt that we had gotten it."

Asked why Tenet would make the claim if it wasn't true, Rice said she didn't know. "I don't know what we were supposed to preemptively strike in Afghanistan," she said. "Perhaps somebody can ask that."

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Read: George Tenet on 60 Minutes

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Tenet also claims that the administration never had a serious debate about whether Iraq posed an imminent threat or whether to tighten existing sanctions before its 2003 invasion.

"The president came in, in 2001, determined to try to deal with the Iraqi situation perhaps even by sanctions, by smart sanctions," Rice said on Face The Nation. "There was an extended period of time of trying other efforts, including the president's September address to the U.N. in 2002."

Tenet also tells 60 Minutes the way the Bush administration has used his now famous "slam dunk" comment — which he admits saying in reference to making the public case for weapons of mass destruction in Iraq — is both disingenuous and dishonorable.

"It's the most despicable thing that ever happened to me," Tenet says. "You don't do this. You don't throw somebody overboard just because it's a deflection. Is that honorable? It's not honorable to me."

Tenet says to have the president base his entire decision to go to war on such a remark is unbelievable.

Rice said she remembers Tenet using the "slam dunk" line once but said the intelligence failures leading up to the invasion of Iraq were a worldwide problem.

"We all believed the intelligence was strong," she said. "It wasn't just a problem with intelligence in the United States, it was an intelligence problem worldwide. Services across the world thought that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction."

[tuckerndfw]

If Tenet had "honor," he would have resigned when his remarks were used to justify an unnecessary "war."

Tenet, like all others in the Bush administration, is a self-serving liar who cannot be trusted to tell the truth.

Which seems to be the most common trait shared by Bush and everyone in his administration.

Perhaps the indignant, honorable Mr. Tenet would like to return the "Medal of Freedom" the war criminal in the White House gave him.

[norcalruss]

The Bush defenders and apologists are sounding like long, tired, broken record and their behavior is predictable. Every time damaging and incriminating information comes out about the CHIMPS failures leading up to 9-11, lies going into the Iraq war, and mismanagement of the war, they go back to the defense posture of lie, spin, and deny.
Condelezza Rice is too intelligent to be part of the most arrogant, and corrupt administration since the Nixon Whitehouse. I suspect that she is doing their
bidding because the CHIMP and the CHICKEN HAWK have zero creditability, as evidenced by recent polling showing Bushs approval rating at 27, Cheneys at 25. At the present time, Rice still has some creditability and there is a future for her after 2008. She would be wise not to wrap herself too closely to the failed policies of an administration that most people will be happy to get rid of.

[gkc99]

Rice claims Tenet has a bad memory? This from the administration with an attorney general who graduated from Harvard Law and was on the Texas Supreme Court but just can't seem to remember important meetings he was in? Right-wingers like Nixon developed the "lame-memory" defense, but Pres. Bonzo Bushit and Dickless Chickenshithawk Cheney have refined it to a fine art. Amazing how such lamebrains can even stay in power--time for regime change in the USA.

[feelfree1]

Related:

"He (Tenet) recounts his version of a series of briefings he and J. Cofer Black, a senior counterterrorism official at the CIA, provided for Rice in the summer of 2001, warning that evidence was mounting of an imminent strike."

"I can recall no other time in my seven years as [director of central intelligence] that I sought such an urgent meeting at the White House," he writes."

"Black's opening line was blunt: "There will be a significant terrorist attack in the coming weeks or months!"

www.calendarlive.com/books/cl-na-tenet28apr28,0,7849113.story?coll=cl-books-util

[cbsossur]

I just hope there is a criminal investigation into all these neo-cons. I think treason runs deep amongst them. From the cause of 9/11,the inaction and in-deference shown towards Katrina and to the present day situation in Iraq. Impeachment alone would be too little too late.

[book54552134]

One can believe nothing this woman says.
For that matter, one can believe nothing that comes from the Bush Administration overall. They're all a bunch of corrupt liars.

[roger_inkart]

Rice is standing in front of a Library of Lies telling it's the Book of Truth.

Up yours Condi. People fell for your schtick at one time, but no more.

American history will curse your name. Radical Islamis leader will recall you as fondly as any, because you helped give them what they wanted - on the US taxpayer's dime.

[barbaraf4]

Rice hitched her wagon to Bush's star for one reason - gut-wrenching ambition. She is not in this for the money; however, she will do ANYTHING to further her career. What she doesn't see is she has made a pact with the devil, and I am not sure there are very many people outside of politics willing to help further her career.

[nic2007-2009]

Condi's words are just the sad lies of a beaten and battered woman who still loves her husband.

[tinmancn]

2 words: useful idiot

[elgraz]

They are all lying bassssssssssssssstards.......that whole Bush the Bozo admininstration.........impeach that mother.................******* and his cronies.

[asor1-2009]

Is Condi the new Kissinger?

[frett1]

How could Tenet be surprised about being "thrown over board" by guys like D. Cheney and co.?......who let the "Canadian businessman" sit for several years in a US prison for being a middle man between Iran and Halliburton during a time when stiff sanctions were being held against Iran?

(Halliburton/*** Cheney sold oil equipment and who knows what else to Iran when it was VERY ILLEGAL to do so, he did so by using a "foreign middle man" whom didn't recognize international terrif laws, at some point this person was invited to a business meeting on US soil, he was arrested and spent several years in a US prison, during which he wrote a short letter to D.Cheney stating, "if I am guilty, so are you")

So how could Tenet be surprised?....that's how these piranhas do business!...occasionally throwing the least popular out of the country club to the

[elgraz]

You Bush the Bozo morons. Democrats, kick his mudder ******* Texan arse out of the the Presidency before he kills all our young people in Iraq.Impeach Bush, Rice and that lying prick, Cheney. That lying bassssstard. He is an insult to the office of the President and worse than Johnson ever was during Vietnam. Where are you Harry Truman????????

[nic2007-2009]

Everyone should read Cordsmans "Planning for a Self Inflicted Wound" written by one of Americas most respected conservative military comentators before the war. It outlines the 18 ways the war could be lost. Bush slam-dunked all 18.

http://www.csis.org/index.php?option=com_csis_pubs&task=view&id=1756

[elgraz]

Condi needs a piece of arse....I can tell by looking at her. I wish that I could help, but I'm happily married.

[j-whitman]

It's going to get intresting for sure.... Tenent is the one who took Bush's cherry picked & slanted intell to other countries --- What does Rice still say ??? "Other countries thought Saddam was a threat & had WMD's"

[fascistusa]

Rice to The World:

"We're right. Everyone else is wrong."

"No, we're not Fascist Elitists. We're the Good Guys."

The World :

"FREE US FROM THIS FASCIST REGIME!!!"

[sevenveils]

Condi, you should know so much better. You cannot escape the truth, no matter how much it hurts.

[mikeservetus]

As gkc99 says, Rice shouldn't talk about memory -- no one at the White House seems to what they've said in the past. Rice forgot about the warning memos she had gotten about al Qaeda from Richard Clarke; Rumsfeld forget that he said repeatedly that the US would be in and out of Iraq in three months time. In this article, Rice yet again forgets that Hans Blix, Scott Ritter, the French and German governments all expressed questions about Iraq had any WMD. And aside from Iraq, the White House forgot that they were warned about possible massive flooding of NOLA, etc.

And no one from the White House says anything under oath. If Rice has anything to say, she should do under oath. Why else should we believe a syllable from her?

[hhkeller]

It must be a hard job for Ms Rice to have to keep track of all the refuted facts in her head and still have to weave a story line for the press. Hope the job was worth having no credibility.

[roger_inkart]

Rice is so caught in up her lies along with all the others that have come out of the Bush administration she couldn't find the truth (or her a$$) with both hands and a flashlight.

[feelfree1]

(2 of 2 cont.)

Finally, the case for invading Iraq was not an intelligence "mistake". It was a concerted and intentional disinformation campaign of which the majority of our mainstream media and the majority of top level Democrats EAGERLY SUPPORTED!

EVERY SINGLE CLAIM offered about the alleged Iraq WMD threat by the Bush regime, was called into question BEFORE the start of the illegal invasion of Iraq. EVERY SINGLE ONE!

While the average U.S. citizen can't necessarily be expected to sift through the misinformation to get to the truth, our Congress members are certainly expected to do so.

If our legislators fail to do this, they are grossly incompetent, at best, and deeply complicit in the fomenting of the illegal war against Iraq, at worst.

At best, they should apologize for their failure, and step down. At worst, they should join the Bush regime on the dock!

[renton98]

Rice is so full of *** as usual. She'll go down in history along with the Bush Cabal as one of the most corrupt government officials to inhabit Washington. Why she would tie herself to a narcissist like Bush and that waste of human skin Cheney is beyond explanation.

[feelfree1]

(1 of 2)

I would like to address a few points.

First, Condoleezza Rice is a ********* liar, and a chronic one at that.

Along these same lines, the official 9/11 conspiracy theory has more holes in it than a ******** Cheney dartboard.

Here are a couple of very good films which examine the 'official' 9/11/01 coverup:

%u201CImprobable Collapse%u201D 9/11 WTC

Part 1

www.youtube.com/watch?v=XUMKP4WaMgM

& '9/11 Press For Truth'

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=5589099104255077250

Next, the ***** in New Orleans were KNOWN BY THE WHITE HOUSE TO BE 18 INCHES TOO SHORT, due to an Army Corps of Engineers miscalculation, and they took no action to correct this.

www.gregpalast.com/18-missing-inches-in-new-orleans

[walt1944-2009]

Rice is another "parrot" of George Bush's just like Karl Rove and John McCain. You say what King George wants or you lose your job, for starters! Colin Powell found that out and had to "tow the Bush line" because Powell was a soldier and Bush was his C in C; Powell was being the good soldier and staying loyal even though it turned his stomach to be a part of the lying and deceit. Eventually, he couldn't put up with it any longer and was ready to quit in 2003 but Bush talked him into staying until 2004 after the election (Bush already knew he would win, the Republican neo-cons would see to that!). Rice is different, though, because "Condi" is ambitious and, like all neo-cons, believes Bush and Cheney are the 2nd coming of Jesus and John the Baptist. More like the coming of the anti-Christ with every country out there calling Bush "the devil".

[bluestardad]

NO ACTIONABLE INTELLIGENCE, IRAN PEACE INITIATIVE DISMISSED BY RICE!

Condi Rice has absolutely no credibility in anything! Nancy Pelosi went to Syria out of necessity. It is a crying shame that the Speaker of the House has to take it upon herself to go represent America because our own Secretary of State is so incompetent and inept at everything and the State Department is in Ruin. Secretary Rice could not even be trusted to go to Korea to negotiate with them on their nuclear program dismantling, we sent one of her underlings. Remember Condi Rice was National Security Advisor who blew off the Security Briefing August 2001 that was titled, Bin Laden Planning Attack inside United States Using Passenger Aircraft. She said there was no actionable intelligence. That is what she told Congress! Can anyone in America believe this woman is still in office representing America? Her ineptitude has cost Thousands of American Lives; she should be tried for being stupid and put in Rehab ( the place of refuge for Government officials that fall from grace) somewhere for her lack of foresight, inaction and betrayal of the American Trust! When she really gets pushed into a corner then she plays the Black Female Victim card to thwart off criticism of her obvious ineptitude!

[pwrslm]

Condi Rice has absolutely no credibility
Posted by bluestardad

Wanna what really is going on? Its you that has absolutely no credibility bluestardud. Your on some vein trip, your vanity is floating conspiracy theories and political rhetoric.

How to tell? Your stuck on the bottom, suckin up pond scum, while Rice flys all over the world talkin to heads of state. Think there is actually something wrong? If there were, the demoncraps would be all over it, instead of putting out gossip and rumors,

inuendo's bought your soul bluestardud.

are ya proud.....lol

[bigdadpatrio]

For all those thick-skulled libs out there please listen up. We should believe Ms. Rice for several reasons..... one, you have no proof that she has lied to us about anything; two, Mr. Tenet is on record with what he said to the 9/11 Commission, and he did NOT say that, so he's either lying for some reason now, or his memory sucks; and three, we should believe her because she said it (please see reasons one & two). Please get off the fact that you have so much hate for Bush and wish to attack her for guilt by association. Using your logice we should think ALL of the Clinton Admin. members are LIARS, and would ALL do so under oath.

[pwrslm]

Next, the ***** in New Orleans were KNOWN BY THE WHITE HOUSE TO BE 18 INCHES TOO SHORT,
Posted by FeelFree1

Bushes administrationknew
Clintons administrationknew
Bushes dads administrationknew
Reagans administrationknew
Carters administrationknew
Fords administrationknew
Nixons administrationknew

oh ya, so did congress over all them years

so what

your observations are delusions

[j-whitman]

pwrslm,,,
, You think the 70% of American's who voted for a change in direction is a conspiracy ???? -- How about the republicans who joined with democrats ?? How about the Failed Reconstruction, is that a conspiracy too ????

FACT,,, IRAQ IS A FAILURE,,, THERE IS NO DEMOCRACY & HASN'T BEEN AND WON'T BE - IT'S OUR "DECIDER' WHO'S BEEN WRONG FOR 4 GD YEARS... YOUR GOP IS THE PARTY OF DISHONOR - NOT THE PARTY OF EISENHOWER

[feelfree1]

1500 more dead Americans in New Orleans, due to the incompetence and neglect of the illegitimate Bush regime.

www.gregpalast.com/18-missing-inches-in-new-orleans

(ps- I can see that a couple of our resident masochists have arrived to stink up the forum with their inane blather.)

[forthepeopl1]

time to tar and fether and maybe put on a cross burning right on the white house lawn.

she would not lie..just as the president,rove,rumfeld,v.d.d/i/c/k/ and now another secectary has fallen to *** and lies.

a revolution strike should be on the whitehouse..

she is as big of lier as the pres/ off with there heads i say, off

[pwrslm]

Posted by j-whitman

Its not what I think J-Whitless.

Its the delusions you continualy post thinking you actually have a grasp on reality


but you dont.

[formrusmcsgt]

Rice said she remembers Tenet using the "slam dunk" line once but said the intelligence failures leading up to the invasion of Iraq were a worldwide problem.

No one else tried to use that intel as a justification to invade Iraq. It doesn't appear to me that anyone suffered from bad decision making by acting on unconfirmed intel but the U.S.

To try to cast the farce in global terms is nothing more than blame shifting and an insult to the intelligence of anyone with an IQ over 50.

[pwrslm]

(ps- I can see that a couple of our resident masochists have arrived to stink up the forum with their inane blather.)

Posted by FeelFree1

Ya, people who post lies like you. The New Orleans levies were built, and knowledge that they were ineffective existed, long before Bush ever got elected.

Its just ignorance when people blame Bush for stuff like this. I suppose you blame Bush for your mental incompetence as well...who cares, thats a lie too.

[j-whitman]

pwrslm with a broken prism --- 70% of American voters demanding a Change of Direction is not a request or a suggestion,, IT'S A MANDATE FOR THE PRESIDENT

[forthepeopl1]

she's the whitehouse *** she would sell america for someone to f/u/c/k/that ugly piglet of a female.

she no good

[bluestardad]

RICE IS a Neocon Chicken Hawk who gladly sell American Lives for the Interest of Israel!

The American Enterprise Institute came up with this Surge Plan Not American Generals! Bush fired them cause they did not want to surge troops!

Contact Information Reuel Marc Gerecht

American Enterprise Institute
1150 Seventeenth Street, N.W.
Washington, DC 20036
Assistant: 202-862-5926
Fax: [phone]
E-mail: [e-mail]



Here are Senators from Military states that support Everything Bush has done to keep our troops in this Civil War in Iraq! 101st Airborne in Kentucky and 82nd Airborne In North Carolina! Write them let them know they work for America not Israeli Government!

McConnell, Mitch- (R - KY)
Class II
361-A RUSSELL SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
[phone]
Web Form: mcconnell.senate.gov/contact_form.cfm

Dole, Elizabeth- (R - NC)
Class II
555 DIRKSEN SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
[phone]
Web Form: dole.senate.gov/index.cfm?FuseAction=ContactInformation.C...



Graham, Lindsey- (R - SC)
Class II
290 RUSSELL SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
[phone]
Web Form: lgraham.senate.gov/index.cfm?mode=contact



It is time the truth be told about Americas involvement in the Middle East! We have been in that region for the last 50 years making sure no one stamped out Israel!

[formrusmcsgt]

I suppose you blame Bush for your mental incompetence as well...who cares, thats a lie too.
Posted by pwrslm at 06:10 PM : Apr 29, 2007

You have to feel downright sorry for an individual who has nothing but adoloscent insults in their quiver, eh?

[prayerful1]

No doubt, birds of a feather stick together.

[feelfree1]

Who is responsible for the deaths of more Americans? Osama or Bush?

Osama: Nearly 3,000 on 9/11/01 and other alleged attacks (still unproven)

Bush: 3,300+ in Iraq, 357 in Afghanistan, 1500 in New Orleans.

Totals:

Osama ~ 3,000 (unproven)

Bush ~ 5,100

Conclusion: hands down, even if Osama is ever proven to be responsible for the 9/11/01 attacks, in a venue other than the Western mainstream media echo chamber, the Bush puppet has claimed FAR more American victims than Osama- hands down!

[antoniof123]

Listen up you right wing nuts, your chicken-hawk and his puppet master have failed. They have lied and you say there is no proff. If this is true then let us spend hundreds of millions of dollars to find out if he had *** with an intern. That witch hunt that you the right wing nuts forced upon us for 6 years has ended. It is time to see what slimy things you have hidden under the carpet. If you think that there is no proff that is because it has just come to light. Each time something new comes to light you right wing nuts keep trying to say this or that but I am tired of it. You had your chance now let us see what the next one will bring. If you do not like it too bad because it is already happening.

[formrusmcsgt]

Complain of the slander he spreads, and truely, who he deserves to be thrown into the mental ward instead of the hoos-gow for being a bleedin liberal homosexual chicken hawk MAMBLA card carrying commie pinko.
Posted by pwrslm at 06:23 PM : Apr 29, 2007

If you didn't post insults, you'd have absolutely nothing to say, would you?

And YOU have the nerve to accuse others of slander! Incredible.....

[j-whitman]

pwrslm,,,, You missed your dose again, take a chill pill

[pwrslm]

Who is responsible for the deaths of more Americans? Osama or Bush?
Posted by FeelFree1

you should post under the other monicre, mental midget1.....surely that description fits you better

[j-whitman]

pwrslm,,, Do the math,,,, Bush now has the record, that's not even counting Iraq civilian deaths or not counting the casualities with Bush's endless 'Stay the Course' they call "The Surge"

[formrusmcsgt]

you should post under the other monicre, mental midget1.....surely that description fits you better

Posted by pwrslm at 06:27 PM : Apr 29, 2007

How impressed we all are by your childish name-calling, pwrslm.

You really show how sharp you are when you engage in such adolsecent behavior.

[formrusmcsgt]

I think I know why pwrslm is so bitter and insulting.

It's finally dawned on him that neoconism has been reduced to a fringe movement and totally discredited internationally.

He sees his dream ship sinking before his eyes and can't help but lash out at anyone who refers to that reality....

[formrusmcsgt]

pwrslm reminds me of an old joke which states "Life is like a poker game - the winners are sitting back, smoking cigars and telling jokes while the losers are screaming "Shut up and deal!"