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George J. Tenet Resigns Abruptly From the CIA

George J. Tenet -- head of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) -- has resigned as of yesterday. He cites personal reasons for this abrupt announcement. Is there more to it, or was it overdue?

Effective seven years after he was sworn in as Director of Central Intelligence (DCI), Tenet's abrupt resignation precedes several documents that have promised to be rather critical of the CIA. One such report from the Senate Intelligence Committee is due this month, and is expected to question who shall be held accountable for the Agency's inability to detect the terrorist actions of September 11, 2001. This is coming from the man who, at the 2002 Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) commencement, outlined his "seven secrets to success"; the seventh and final of which being "love and serve your country." So why is he leaving now?

According to Tenet, "this is the most difficult decision I have ever had to make. And while Washington and the media will put many different faces on the decision—it was a personal decision—and had only one basis in fact—the well being of my wonderful family. Nothing more and nothing less."

The man claims, with the backing of President Bush, that his family well being was the reason for that. As a son, a brother, a cousin, and a nephew, I hear him. As a citizen, I'm left to wonder. It feels as if he's jumping ship before it runs aground. I bring these concerns not to question his judgement, but out of general curiosity, to try to understand his judgement.

He has been at CIA for nine years. Originally holding the position of Deputy Director, I imagine he has quite a few stories from his tenure, especially in the months following the September 11th terrorist attacks. No doubt he's tired of the longs hours of hearings, the briefings, the commute from McLean to the Hill, the endless doubt cast by so-called "patriots" who never understand that it's the business that ensures the possibilities of patriotism, and the general crap to deal with in the District.

In public speeches, he seems to enjoy telling the public about the intelligence community as a people. The RIT commencement was no exception, where he stated that "[they] are some of the most dedicated and talented Americans you would ever hope to meet." I couldn't agree more there, as most of the intelligence personnel I've met have been quite agreeable (both personally and professionally). In his latest press release he tells his employees that every American is proud of them, and that everywhere he's had the chance to speak about the intelligence community, he's told the world about the difficulty of the job, the sacrafices made. Across the country, Rochester included, we've thanked him for sharing this information. That's not to say we still weren't a bit skeptical of the Agency's methods...

Off on a brief tangent, before heading back to the topic. Tenet's selection (as a speaker) at RIT caused quite the stir amongst the local liberals, as well as in the media. RIT has all sorts of fun historical ties to the CIA that keep getting dragged into the limelight, and his selection certainly added to the mystery. He delivered a slightly bland speech, if not filled with plenty of patriotic sentiment. Several things hit home, and this was one of them. Tenet said, "a few times in my job, I have been asked to stand between two opposing forces. What you learn from an experience like that is not to stand there too long."

And so perhaps it's time for him to remove himself before things get ugly. Protect his family undue attention and/or embarrassment, depending on the result of the reports. The more I think about it, I can't say that I wouldn't do the same if I were in his shoes. He could have run years ago, just after the terrorist attacks. But he stayed and carried on his duty. I think we ought to do the same, by supporting his decision and help ease him out of this horrible business.

Posted by alexm at June 4, 2004 12:02 PM.
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