Only in America...

...do we punish those who dedicate their lives to protecting us: Tenet could face 9/11 reprimand.

The former CIA director George Tenet is among more than a dozen current and former officials who could be subject to disciplinary proceedings over the agency's performance before the September 11 attacks.

A classified report by the CIA's independent watchdog, delivered to the US Congress on Tuesday night, sharply criticised more than a dozen senior officials at the CIA, including Mr Tenet, former clandestine service chief Jim Pavitt and former counterterrorism centre head Cofer Black.

The report, the fruit of a two-year investigation by CIA inspector-general John Helgerson, recommended that the officials be placed before accountability boards - the agency's disciplinary bodies.

[...] The decision on whether to discipline the officials rests in the hands
of Mr Goss, a former CIA officer whose history in the field puts him in a difficult position. Before the September 11 attacks he was responsible for oversight of US intelligence agencies as chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, and was subsequently leader of the joint congressional inquiry, which requested Helgerson's report in late 2002.

It is by no means certain that he will commission the accountability boards. Some of the less senior officials named are believed to be still engaged in counterterrorism against al-Qaida, and disciplinary proceedings would be feared to be bad for morale and a distraction from the ongoing campaign.

The accountability boards could dismiss officials, clear them of wrongdoing, or, in the case of former employees, issue them with formal reprimands.

I realize the need for accountibility, but what in the world is "reprimanding" Tenet going to do? Is this one of those "Well, it did happen on his watch..." Yea well, it happened under the watch of quite a few people... going back to the (wait for it....wait for it.....) Clinton administratrion.

No, I'm not pulling the typical partisan blame game. Alot of things were missed throughout the years. Many many things could have been done differently or much better. But remember, hindsight is... aw heck, you know the rest.

"the cia/fbi/mailman/zookeeper could have done something but they
refrained because 911 was all a ZionistBushitlerneocon conspiracy blah blah blah." approach is not the way to go about this either, though the Kos Kidz may tend to disagree.

Only in America, my friends.

Posted by Kyer at August 27, 2005 12:52 PM | TrackBack