by John M. Curtis
(310) 204-8700

Copyright July 13, 2003
All Rights Reserved.

nother unsightly crack appeared in the White House's case against Saddam Hussein with CIA Director George Tenet admitting he vetted and approved a false statement in President Bush's State of the Union Message, accusing Iraq of seeking African uranium. With weapons of mass destruction [WMD] nowhere in sight, the administration is back on its heels, justifying the war and continued occupation. Tenet's admission loosens more rocks on an already slippery slope, watching casualties mount in the land once called the Fertile Crescent. "The 16 words should never have been included in the text written for the president," said Tenet, taking responsibility and trying to stem growing controversy dogging the White House. Democrats are busy hammering away at Bush's credibility, fueling controversy about the unscrupulous use of U.S. intelligence.

     When the propaganda battle heated up last December, the White House had Secretary of State Colin A. Powell present a powerful multimedia case to the U.N., proving with satellite imagery Iraq's illicit weapons programs. Defying chief U.N. weapons' inspector Dr. Hans Blix, Powell put his credibility on the line, painting Saddam as a "clear and present danger" to U.S. national security. Blix found no evidence of either WMD or existing weapons' programs, adding pressure against U.S. military intervention. After toppling Saddam's regime and feverishly looking for WMD, the U.S. appears no closer to uncovering the "smoking gun." "This was a mistake," said Tenet, taking heat off the White House, admitting that his erroneous assertion caused embarrassment and political fallout. Though Tenet must take the fall, Bush's national security team must also fess up.

     Since Sept. 11, Tenet has skated on thin ice. Under former President Clinton, he declared war on Osama bin Laden in 1998 after U.S. embassies in East Africa were blown up. Tenet's toothless war on Bin Laden amounted to smoke, with the Al Qaeda suicide bombers blowing a 40-foot hole in the U.S.S. Cole right before the 2000 presidential elections. One year later, the CIA's best intelligence couldn't uncover the most brazen attack in U.S. history, whose plot destroyed the World Trade Center, damaged the Pentagon and nearly took down the U.S. Capitol or White House. "Let me be clear about several things right up front," Tenet said, in some carefully scripted damage control. "First, CIA approved the president's State of the Union Address before it was delivered. Second, I am responsible for the approval process in my agency. An third, the president had every reason to believe the text presented to him was sound."

     Tenet's statement fails to mention that he and Vice President Dick Cheney reviewed Ambassador Joseph Wilson's report last fall that Iraq had not contracted with Niger to buy yellow uranium. Tenet now asks to take responsibility for the British intelligence report that appeared in the State of the Union message. "The British government has learned that that Saddam Hussein recently sought significant quantities of uranium," read the State of the Union speech, ignoring Ambassador's Wilson's report. Soon after Bush's speech, the CIA found that the British report was based on forged documents, discounting the viability of Iraq's nuclear weapons program. "It is ludicrous to suggest that the president of the United States went to war on the question of whether Saddam Hussein sought uranium from Africa," said Rice, yet, in a post 9/11 world, Iraq's nuclear threat represented the most persuasive argument for "preemptive" war.

     Leading up to Operation Iraqi Freedom, Saddam's weapons of mass destruction were the most compelling justification for military intervention. Despite Powell's December 2002 presentation to the U.N., most Europeans remained skeptical about Saddam's threat to U.S. national security. Weapons of mass destruction, not Saddam's continued defiance of U.N. resolutions, were the rationale for war. Without finding WMD in Iraq, the current brouhaha over the State of the Union message takes on added significance because it gives the impression the White House exploited the CIA to sell its case for war. Bush's statement in the State of the Union message was "technically correct," said Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld, despite CIA reservations about British intelligence. "The British stand by their statement," said Rice, justifying its inclusion in Bush's State of the Union speech.

     The CIA and White House can't have it both ways: Either Tenet must take the heat for truly misleading the president or someone on Bush's national security team must admit they exploited the CIA and hyped WMD—including Iraq's nuclear threat—to justify going to war. Calling the CIA director "an enormously talented public servant," Rumsfeld diverts attention from Tenet's current snafu. Everyday Osama bin Laden and Saddam Hussein eludes the CIA, it costs more American lives. Almost everyone admits that Sept. 11 was the worst intelligence breakdown since Pearl Harbor. Admitting to mistakes on Bush's State of the Union Speech doesn't excuse Tenet's accountability for Sept. 11. While the White House still defends Tenet, someone must take responsibility for the latest embarrassment. In a post-9/11 world, the country can't take more excuses—Tenet must go.

About the Author

John M. Curtis writes politically neutral commentary analyzing spin in national and global news. He's editor of OnlineColumnist.com and author of Dodging The Bullet and Operation Charisma.

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