George Tenet: A force in Washington
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George Tenet
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From Wolf Blitzer Reports' Brian Todd in Washington:
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- In one of the toughest jobs, in one of the toughest towns, George Tenet flourishes.
"Let me say this. I'm the Director of -- I'm the Director of Central Intelligence. The President of the United States sees me six days a week, every day. I tell him what the American intelligence community believes," Director Tenet said Thursday in a speech delivered in defense of the United States' prewar intelligence on Iraq's weapons of mass destruction.
Straight talk, tenacity and, observers say, extraordinary political skill and charm have made George Tenet a force in Washington.
That's a big step for the son of Greek immigrants who ran a Greek restaurant in New York City.
In Washington, his tenure alone is a lesson in political savvy. Tenet has spent nearly six and a half years as director of Central Intelligence under both Democratic and Republican presidents -- and has overcome some resentment from inside the intelligence community.
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"It took time for him to be accepted because essentially, he'd never worked for CIA. He was looked on as a kind of Capitol Hill bureaucrat," says Walter Pincus of the Washington Post.
Tenet's reputation was carved in the back halls and cloakrooms of the U.S. Senate, first as a legislative aide to Democratic senators, then as a top-level staffer on the Intelligence Committee.
He'd learned the art of the political maneuver from the very best and needed it, from day one.
George Tenet was sworn in on July 11, 1997, a time of huge turmoil at langley. While his predecessors had a hard time just getting an appointment with President Clinton, Tenet worked on Clinton, got better access and by early 2001, was so highly regarded that a new Republican president went with the advice to keep this man in place.
A bond was quickly forged.
"It's almost an umbilical cord. And that's helped strengthen what the agency's done," says Pincus.
It's hard to envision a series of historical events that could have tested a relationship more.
All through that lazy summer, Tenet warned that al Qaeda was planning a large-scale attack.
He simply went to work after September 11, mobilizing CIA units in Afghanistan.
Much of the case for war in Iraq rested on his shoulders. Through all the doubts and recriminations on prewar intelligence, George Tenet is still said to have a good working relationship with the president -- even when others in power aren't exactly lining up behind him.
"He's come before the committee. He's been very forthright. It's the president's call," says the Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman, Pat Roberts.
Whenever, however George Tenet leaves, this may be judged a legacy of loyalty to country, president, family and school.
Geroge Tenet concluded Thursday's speech at Georgetown University, his alma mater, by saying, "Let's beat Villanova tonight. God bless you!"
