May 02, 2007
Are U.K. Pols Braver Than American Ones?
The reviews are in on George Tenet's new apologia, and they are mostly not good. The ever-economical editorial board of the Philadelphia Inquirer today described the former CIA chief's book as an "exercise in keister-covering" -- under the headline, "A Schmoozer's Lament."
Most of the criticism can be distilled into this question: Why did Tenet wait until 2007 to go public with objections he had about the invasion of Iraq while it was still just a glint in President Bush's eye?
Because he couldn't without risking his job, seems the obvious answer. Tenet is not alone in waiting until he was out of the Bush administration's reach to reveal long-held criticisms of former bosses and colleagues: Richard Clark and Paul O'Neill have done it as well.
But across the pond, a sitting British official has given a lengthy, detailed account of mistakes made during the planning and execution phase of the war.
Minister for Europe Geoff Hoon, who was Defense minister at the time of the invasion, said he and Prime Minister Tony Blair gave in to some Bush administration demands that may have contributed to the instability in Iraq today. In an interview with the London Guardian, Hoon says he and Blair argued against dissolving the Iraq army and firing Baathist officials, but were not able to bring the White House around to their view. The culprit, Hoon suggests, was Vice President Dick Cheney.
The minister recalled being puzzled after he, Blair and former Foreign Minister Jack Straw would confer with their American counterparts, and "the decision actually came out of a completely different place." Hoon concluded: "And you think: what did we miss? I think we missed Cheney."
Unlike Bush, Blair must face an audience of legislators nearly every day. The revelations in the interview have sparked fresh anger among members of Parliament, and BBC News reports that Blair was forced to play defense in the Prime Minister's Questions session today. (C-SPAN has video.)
No word on whether Hoon has been reprimanded for going public with his thoughts, but it's hard to imagine something similar happening in Washington. The memoir may be to the Beltway what rehab is to Hollywood, which has us wondering: Who's next?
The Gate proposes a Future Bush Administration Official Book Title contest. We'll even start you off -- "I Don't Recall: A Memoir," by Attorney General Alberto Gonzales.
Send entries to thegate@nationaljournal.com. Names will be withheld on request.
Posted at 11:57 AM
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Bush Administration, George Tenet, Iraq, U.K.
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