Lake's withdrawal letter to President Clinton
Who's Next At Bat? (3/18/97)
Capitol Hill Reaction: Pointing Fingers (3/18/97)
Lake Drops Out (3/17/97)
More Questions For Lake (3/12/97)
Lake's Confirmation Hearing Finally Begins (3/11/97)
Justice Clears Lake on Iran, Fines Him On Stocks (2/7/97)
Lake's Confirmation Hearing Postponed (1/31/97)
Congressional Report Suggests Lake Misled Lawmakers (1/27/97)
Key Republicans Grumble About CIA Nominee (12/15/96)
Clinton Defends CIA Nominee Lake (12/12/96)
Clinton Praises Ex-Nominee Lake
The president bemoans 'the cycle of political destruction'
WASHINGTON (AllPolitics, March 18) -- President Bill Clinton said this afternoon he is mulling over a new choice to head the CIA, but called Anthony Lake's withdrawal is "a real loss to our country and to me."
In a brief White House session with reporters, Clinton said that Lake would have been an outstanding CIA director, and he wished that Lake had not decided to withdraw from consideration in the face of a protracted and tough Senate confirmation process. (256K WAV sound)
"I respect his decision because nobody should have to endure what he has endured in the course of his nomination," Clinton said, reading from a statement. "But make no mistake about it; it's a loss for the country."
Clinton called Lake "a patriot, a professional and a statesman" and suggested he was a victim of political sniping that escalated to the level of political revenge.
"This episode says a lot about how so much work is done in our nation's capital," Clinton said. "For too long, we have allowed ordinary political processes and honest disagreements among honorable people to degenerate first into political sniping, then into political revenge."
Said Clinton: "The cycle of political destruction must end. And I hope we will let it end today. We can't let partisan bickering stop us from doing the work we were sent here to do."
Asked about a replacement, Clinton said he had given some thought to a new nomination. "And I expect that quite soon, I will have a name for you," he said. The leading candidate, CNN has learned, is Acting CIA Director George Tenet.
Clinton said his preference would have been that Lake stick it out. By all accounts, Lake had the votes in the Intelligence Committee and in the full Senate to be confirmed. "I told him that I was deeply disappointed and that I wanted to fight," Clinton said. "I know Tony Lake. I have seen him operate."
But the president said that Lake felt that his opponents might delay the hearings for as long as another three months and there might never be a vote. "But if it had been up to me, I'd be here a year from now still fighting for it because I think he's a good man," said Clinton.