Originally published May 2, 2007 at 12:00 AM | Page modified May 2, 2007 at 2:01 AM
Editorial
Incurious George
Poor George Tenet, what an ingrate. Four years after the Iraq war started on his watch at the CIA, two-plus years after he received the...
Poor George Tenet, what an ingrate. Four years after the Iraq war started on his watch at the CIA, two-plus years after he received the Medal of Freedom — and burdened with a $4 million book contract — he whines in print about the way he was misunderstood.
He is upset in a new book about the two words that will appear in the lead of his obituary: slam dunk. Tenet famously used the phrase in the Oval Office to describe the easy case for war, the likelihood of finding weapons of mass destruction — or something. That part is already getting purposefully mushy. At the time, the Bush administration quickly embraced the phrase. Vice President Dick Cheney scurried over to the Sunday talk shows to repeat Tenet's words.
If there is any justice in the world, Tenet's tome will have a short life on bookstore shelves and quickly head for the remainder bin. Writing a book to salvage his reputation might be predictable, but it is also, well, cheesy.
Does anyone remember Tenet being especially noisy or contrary as the intelligence community was trashed for being wrong or inappropriately silent about both the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, or the run-up to the Iraq war? Tenet sat behind Secretary of State Colin Powell when Powell made his spectacularly unsubstantiated and subsequently empty speech at the United Nations.
A furious Tenet might have resigned in protest over the use and abuse of intelligence, and his new allegations that President Bush never engaged in any serious discussions about going to war. Nope. Incurious George was silent until the publicity rounds for his book.
Tenet eventually stood up with former Iraq administrator L. Paul Bremer and retired Gen. Tommy Franks to receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom. How is that for three of a kind?
Tenet's stormy appearance on "60 Minutes" on CBS Sunday night attracted as much press attention for his defense of the CIA's use of "enhanced interrogation techniques." The words are used to take the edge off a blunter description, torture, which Tenet denies they represent. This drew a rebuke from Republican presidential candidate Sen. John McCain, who suffered six years of euphemism in a North Vietnamese prison during the war.
One can only hope Tenet's book is the publishing equivalent of "Snakes on a Plane," a cinematic flop of epic proportions. The value to the public is about the same.
Copyright © 2007 The Seattle Times Company
Leonard Pitts Jr. / Syndicated columnist: New York terror trials will restore faith in rule of law
Charles Krauthammer / Syndicated columnist: New York trial a propaganda coup for terrrorists

Real Salt Lake wins MLS Cup
Real Salt Lake defeated the Los Angeles Galaxy with penalty kicks after 120 minutes of play at Qwest Field in Seattle.
general classifieds
Garage & estate salesFurniture & home furnishings
Sporting goods
just listed
8 Drawer Dresser with Attached Mirror - $200
8 seat pecon formal dining table and china hutch - $1500
A American Table, Chairs and Bench - $275
More listings
POST A FREE LISTING
shopping
Give yourself a treat and visit Watson Kennedy's Holiday Open Houses
More minding the store
events for Monday, Nov. 23
More shopping eventseditors' picks
- Spas & beauty salons
- Maternity shopping
- West Seattle shopping
- Vintage, consignment and used clothing
- 'The Road' takes Viggo Mortensen to Mount St. Helens and Astoria, Ore.
- Tugboat sinks at Seattle waterfront pier
- Illegal workers quietly let go
- Child-support error costs nearly $21,000
- Vikings easily beat the Seahawks
- Craigslist adoption ad: A plea by young mother-to-be? A scam?
- Chase shrugs off loss of CD investors
- Woman stabbed by stranger in North Seattle
- Snow piles up on Cascade slopes
- Denny Triangle gains skyline, but tenants slow to come
- Illegal workers quietly let go
359 - Climate change speeds up since 1997 Kyoto accord
207 - Vikings easily beat the Seahawks
170 - Metro won't cut bus service after all
148 - Historic health care bill clears Senate hurdle
94 - New Husky recruit: Enes Kanter
92 - Tattoos at Mill Creek Church pierce skin, soul
82 - Middleton says Huskies "plan on scoring at least 50 points'' Saturday
78 - Jerry Brewer: Seahawks can't lean on the Hutch Crutch now
73 - UW, WSU once again meet to see who's worse
66
- Sprouts, raw fish on attorney's 'do not eat' list
- Tattoos at Mill Creek church pierce skin, soul
- Illegal workers quietly let go
- Food-safety lawyer's wish: Put me out of business
- Architects, chefs find 'kid' within to build Gingerbread Village
- Rediscovering Moab, 'the most beautiful place on Earth'
- It's possible to recover a life lost to hoarding
- Child-support error costs nearly $21,000
- 'The Road' takes Viggo Mortensen to Mount St. Helens and Astoria, Ore.
- Taste | The Great Pie Bake-off pits friends and fruit

