"Men of honor don't do this" ... write books and do television interviews that may damage their country!

Crooks and Liars » Tenet Blasts Bush Administration: “Men of honor don’t do this”.

From the 60 Minutes transcript of an interview with Scott Pelley…

TENET: I remember picking up the phone and calling Andy Card, who is a terrific human being and somebody I've always trusted […] Hi, Andy. I said, you know, we believe — I believed that he had weapons of mass destruction and now what's happened here is, is you've gone out and made me look stupid. It's the most despicable thing I've ever heard in my life. Men of honor don't do this.”

PELLEY: Men of honor don't do this.

TENET: You don't do this. You don't throw people overboard. You don't call do this — you don't call somebody in. You work your heart out. You show up every day. You're going to throw somebody overboard just because it's a deflection. Is that honorable?

It's not honorable to me. OK and that's how I feel. Now had it happened and who orchestrated it and what happened, you know, at the end of the day the only thing that you have is trust and honor in this world. It's all you have. All you have is your reputation built on trust and your personal honor. When you don't have that anymore, well you know there you go. Trust was broken.

Men of honor who have sworn an oath to serve and protect their country do not write a book and go on national television knowing that their actions may hurt the country they swore to serve.

How can this man talk of honor when he has injected himself back into the national debate in a disruptive manner? Especially at a time when our troops remain in harm’s way, the Iraqi situation, as well as our world position, is less than stable, and the current Administration is besieged by rabid members of the opposing political party seeking to regain political power in an upcoming election. How much damage will his book and the subsequent publicity tour do America’s interests? Will it provide aid and comfort to our enemies...as well as politicians opposing current administration policy?

This type of book adds fuel to an already overheated fiery situation. If Tenet felt that such a book was necessary, I would have had much more respect for the man if he had waited a suitable period of time and the published a book which could be analyzed by scholars and historians as they seek to analyze and explain the history of the United States during this turbulent period.

Perhaps this current public relations problem is one of the President’s own making. Not appointing the right person for the right job and allowing a bureaucratic hack from the previous administration to remain in a position of authority.

Compared with the legendary Allen Dulles (Princeton, George Washington University) who brought hard-won knowledge and expertise to the agency  (US Diplomatic Service, Department of State, 1916-26; Practiced law in New York, 1926-42 and 1946-50; Head of Office of Strategic Services post in Bern, Switzerland, 1942-45; Deputy Director for Plans, CIA, 4 January–23 August 1951; Deputy Director of Central Intelligence, 23 August 1951–26 February 1953), Tenet seems to be a creation of the bureaucracy.

Tenet had the right education (Georgetown University, Columbia University), but seemed to lack any worldly experience to qualify him for the position he held. (Legislative Assistant; Legislative Director for Senator John Heinz, 1982-85; Staff Member, Senate Select Committee on Intelligence (SSCI), 1985-88; Staff Director, SSCI, 1988-93; Member of President-elect Clinton’s national security transition team, 1992-93; Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Intelligence Programs, National Security Council, 1993-95; Deputy Director of Central Intelligence, 3 July 1995–11 July 1997).

My conclusion: Tenet is smart, well-educated, well-spoken and extremely adept in the ins-and-outs of bureaucratic wrangling. But his seeming disregard for the welfare of his country, as opposed to burnishing his reputation, leads me to believe that his book is simply an application for a position with the new administration should the tide turn. Or, in the very finest art of the bureaucrat, seeks to distance himself from a controversial and messy situation.

It should be remembered that I am not so much sticking up for the current Administration, but pointing out how Tenet’s current actions may hurt America. While I can understand his sense of hurt and outrage over allegedly having been treated poorly by members of the Administration, to my way of thinking, he remains a bureaucratic weasel.

This does not apply to the thousands of dedicated, hard-working patriots at the CIA, NSA, NRO and many other agencies trying to preserve the American way.

What can YOU do?

View the book and his author in a historic light… and consider for yourself whether or not the timing of this book was either political and/or detrimental to the interests of our country.

A reminder from OneCitizenSpeaking.com: a large improvement can result from a small change…


“Nullius in verba”-- take nobody's word for it!
"Acta non verba" -- actions not words

“Beware of false knowledge; it is more dangerous than ignorance.”-- George Bernard Shaw

“Progressive, liberal, Socialist, Marxist, Democratic Socialist -- they are all COMMUNISTS.”

“The key to fighting the craziness of the progressives is to hold them responsible for their actions, not their intentions.” – OCS

"The object in life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane." -- Marcus Aurelius

“A people that elect corrupt politicians, imposters, thieves, and traitors are not victims... but accomplices” -- George Orwell

“Fere libenter homines id quod volunt credunt." (The people gladly believe what they wish to.) ~Julius Caesar

“Describing the problem is quite different from knowing the solution. Except in politics." ~ OCS


WHO SAYS "TRUTHFUL" LAWYERS ARE NOT FUNNY?

Law.com - N.Y. Governor Criticizes Judicial Conduct Commission Chairman Over Humor Book.

Governor Eliot Spitzer took direct aim at attorney Raoul Felder who, with his comic sidekick Jackie Mason, authored a book titled “Schmucks.”

“Spitzer said at a press conference that some of the comments in the book -- "Schmucks!" -- if made by judges would "certainly create the possibility of their being subject to some form of sanction."

Others complained that the opinions expressed in the book may give one to question Felder’s judicial probity and the ability for those who may appear before the commission on ethics charges to receive a fair hearing.

The book, “Schmucks!: Our Favorite Fakes, Frauds, Lowlifes, Liars, the Armed and Dangerous, and Good Guys Gone Bad,” is a quick, semi-humorous read which pokes fun at those who deserve some degree of public ridicule.

No matter how the Commission rules, more damage has been done to the public by sitting jurists hiding their kinky behavior under their judicial robes than the authors of this book. Someone should tell the commission to lighten up. A representative of the Court should be able to set aside their personal feelings and act as an impartial arbiter of the facts as presented by the parties present.

If Felder offends anyone, it is the stuffed shirts that comprise the ranks of self-serving, self-dealing attorneys and politicians. And, as I have said before, someone should tell Spitzer that attorneys are the larval stage of politicians.

While neither Jackie Mason or Raoul Felder need the money, buy the book — send it to your favorite attorney or politician. Inscribed, of course, with “See you around,” followed by your name.

What can YOU do?  Ignore the self-serving righteous blathering of publicity-seekers and chattering monkeys who claim that they uphold the first amendment while not making too much a personal point of it.

A reminder from OneCitizenSpeaking.com: a large improvement can result from a small change…

steve


“Nullius in verba”-- take nobody's word for it!
"Acta non verba" -- actions not words

“Beware of false knowledge; it is more dangerous than ignorance.”-- George Bernard Shaw

“Progressive, liberal, Socialist, Marxist, Democratic Socialist -- they are all COMMUNISTS.”

“The key to fighting the craziness of the progressives is to hold them responsible for their actions, not their intentions.” – OCS

"The object in life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane." -- Marcus Aurelius

“A people that elect corrupt politicians, imposters, thieves, and traitors are not victims... but accomplices” -- George Orwell

“Fere libenter homines id quod volunt credunt." (The people gladly believe what they wish to.) ~Julius Caesar

“Describing the problem is quite different from knowing the solution. Except in politics." ~ OCS