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CIA Report Blames Tenet for 9/ll Failure
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ShareAugust 21, 2007 2:22 PM
Former CIA director George Tenet "bears ultimate responsibility" for failing to create a strategic plan to stop al Qaeda prior to 9/ll, according to a review by the CIA's inspector general that was made public today, more than two years after it was written.
The report says that while Tenet wrote he wanted "no resources or people spared" in going after al Qaeda and Osama bin Laden, neither he, nor his deputy, "followed up these warnings and admonitions by creating a documented, comprehensive plan to guide the counterterrorism effort."
"I know now why Tenet worked so hard to kill this report," said former White House counterterrorism official Richard Clarke, now an ABC News consultant.
World News Video: CIA Failures Leading Up to 9/11 Exposed
In a written statement, Tenet, who received the Medal of Freedom from President Bush, said the report was "flat wrong." Tenet said the inspector general failed to interview him. "He fails to understand how intensely I pushed the counterterrorism issue," Tenet said.
The current CIA director, Gen. Mike Hayden, said the report was being made public "against his wishes" but as required by law. Hayden said he, like his predecessor Porter Goss, had no plans to punish CIA officials cited in the report.
Click Here for Full Blotter Coverage.
In recounting intelligence failures prior to 9/ll, the inspector general said there was neither "a single point of failure nor a silver bullet" that would have enabled the CIA to predict or prevent the 9/ll attacks.
But the report concludes there were "failures to implement and manage important processes, to follow through with operations, and to properly share and analyze critical data."
The report says Tenet "did not use all his authorities in leading the IC's (intelligence community's) strategic effort" against bin Laden.
"That's not fair," said ABC News consultant Clarke. "Of course there was a strategic effort, and he did raise the issue at the highest levels of government."
Vote: Do you think Tenet is to blame for failing to stop al Qaeda before 9/11?
And the report provides new details of the CIA's failure to alert the FBI that two al Qaeda operatives, who would be among the 9/ll hijackers, had entered the United States.
According to the report, "some 50 to 60" inside the CIA read "one or more of six Agency cables" that reported the two men had flown through Bangkok to Los Angeles.
The cables "were read by overseas officers and Headquarters personnel, operations officers and analysts, managers and junior employees," the report says, but over the course of 18 months, no one from the CIA shared the information with the FBI or sought to put the names on the State Department's terror watch list.
"That so many individuals failed to act in this case reflects a systemic breakdown," the report concludes. "Basically, there was no coherent, functioning watch listing program," it says.
Do you have a tip for Brian Ross and the Investigative Team?
August 21, 2007 | Permalink | User Comments (126)
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Good job "Brownie"
Posted by: JC | Aug 21, 2007 2:37:32 PM
Report the facts and leave the opinions on the editorial pages. Although the vast majority of the material is liberal, certainly there are issues with reports which lean conservatively as well. Just report the facts, accurately and unbiasedly and let us decide.
The first major news organization (ABC, NBC, CBS, Fox) to do so - will find they cleanup in the ratings and in the dollars.
Posted by: John Q Public | Aug 21, 2007 2:44:25 PM
The is 'fall guy #?'. How many does this make and how many will it take?
Posted by: Sheila Police-Stewart | Aug 21, 2007 2:52:04 PM
Time to CHANGE history so more - Just make sure we don't blame Bush and Cheney for ANYTHING.
Posted by: connie | Aug 21, 2007 2:52:22 PM
I hope that more such reports will place high officials on notice that they are not going to be praised and lauded for failure and that they take the motto from Spider Man to heart "With great strength comes great repsonsibility". It is very disheartening to learn about the failures of U.S. intelligence officials and to accept that the Pres. of the U.S. is really a mediocre fellow who mislead us into a war that is not making us any safer than we were on 9/11 and that his war has needlessly drained money and resources and ended the lives or caused terrible bodily harm to thousands of soldiers and caused their families and friends so much suffering. But, it is extemely important that reports such as this are made public so that the people who did not live up to the awesome responsiblity they took on, or failed, are at least held accountable and burdoned by shame. Without a sense of shame there can be no effort on the part of officials not to get big headed and have the humility and to review and correct sloppy systemic errors and miscalculations. It is sad to hear George Tenent arguing his own merits but he can continue to do so only because Pres. Bush (to cover his own poor eadership) rewarded him for his incompetence with a medal of honor. Let's stop praising failure and demand results.
Posted by: maddymappo | Aug 21, 2007 3:03:15 PM
Gee is he going to return his "medal of freedom" now or keep it to show everyone how anybody in Bush's government gets rewarded when they tow the company line! From Tenant on, Bush and Cheney wanted to invade Iraq it was Tenant's job to make sure the accusations they leveled were in line with "the facts", and if they weren't then make them! So they did and here we all are, looking at a broken country, broken military, broken economy here, there, their infrastructure is blown all to hell, ours is collapsing. So in reality Bush has dealt the world two for one, he took out Iraq and the U.S. at the same time, who needs Terrorist!
Posted by: Sue Filutze | Aug 21, 2007 3:06:34 PM
When the Iran Contra affair became apparent Ronald Reagan as President of the United States said I am in charge. It is my fault.
George W Bush presides over a terrorist attack in which he was warned first by the outgoing Clinton government and then repeatedly by Richard Clarke, the response of which was a demotion.
Not by George Tenet but by Condoleeza Rice. A member of the Bush cabinet. There was a state of denial throughout the Bush government. Tenet is been produced as the fall guy.
Richrd Clarke had produced a plan to counter Al Qaeda it was not enacted.
Posted by: Chris | Aug 21, 2007 3:08:06 PM
Bush Jr. will probably give him ANOTHER Medal of Freedom for this!
Posted by: wilder5121 | Aug 21, 2007 3:09:36 PM
How CONVEEEENIENT!
This administration will toss their own under the wheels when it comes right down to it.
Posted by: George Kause | Aug 21, 2007 3:12:57 PM
Close, but not quite right... I think that the ultimate failure should go to the ultimate decision maker. Who might that be? History belongs to the bold, at least until the meek inherit the earth.
Posted by: Sean O'Brien | Aug 21, 2007 3:16:05 PM
Whatever happened to Truman's, "The Buck stops here?"
Posted by: unshrub | Aug 21, 2007 3:22:41 PM
Why are the digits for eleven in 9/11 not digits, but some other charachter? '18 months...' used the correct characted for the number one, why not in '9/11'? Just curious...
Posted by: Dennis | Aug 21, 2007 3:23:55 PM
Tenet received the nation's highest civilian honor.
President Bush thinks of him as a National Hero.
Something doesn't add up.
Posted by: Peter Simmon | Aug 21, 2007 3:24:11 PM
Bill Clinton, Madeline Albright, Sandy Burger, Richard Clark,George Tenet
"bears ultimate responsibility" for failing to create a strategic plan to stop al Qaeda prior to 9/11. Sandy Burger stealing documents before the 9/11 commission report, what does that tell you, he and that whole bunch had something to hide. Qaeda didn't master mind that attack in the 7 month Bush was in office...Clinton was worthless, look at all the attacks on AMERICA starting with the World Trade center in 93... and they did nothing.....
Posted by: Freddie | Aug 21, 2007 3:28:07 PM
Wow. This goes beyond neglegence. This is intentional overlooking of known threats to the united states of america. Back in the day, they hung traitors and cospiritors, the least they can do now, is remove from positions of power, any of the people involved in this horrific lapse in security. We can call those responsible ignorant as long as we want, but the truth is, these people are not ignorant, they are on top of more than WE even know and they knew precisely the danger these men possed to the U.S. THIS IS TREASON! NO MORE PUTTING UP WITH OUR LEADERS FEIGNING IGNORANCE! HOLD THOSE RESPONSIBLE ACCOUNTABLE!
Posted by: RADIOHEDGE | Aug 21, 2007 3:31:45 PM
Why the hell is 9/11 written with two letter L's twice in this article?
Posted by: Jamie | Aug 21, 2007 3:36:08 PM
Nice. Where does idiot clinton hack Jamie Gorelick fit into the blame when she cemented the division between the CIA and FBI?
Posted by: cheeseytopping69 | Aug 21, 2007 3:47:59 PM
like the man said..."Heckuva job, Tenet"
Posted by: Voice of Reason | Aug 21, 2007 3:53:55 PM
Another coverup garbage
Posted by: Nick | Aug 21, 2007 3:54:16 PM
This wont go over well with the loony left. This means they cant blame Bush for this anymore. What a shame!
Posted by: Duhize | Aug 21, 2007 3:56:22 PM
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