In Defense of the CIA

CIA Director George Tenet:

FACT: Although Tenet Took Blame For Misinformation, He Had Repeatedly Warned Bush Officials That Evidence Was Flawed.

March 2002: CIA discovered and then advised the White House that reports connecting Iraq and Niger were probably false. [Time, 7/13/03]

October 2002: CIA Director George Tenet personally warned Deputy National Security Advisor Stephen Hadley that Niger intelligence should be excluded from Bush's Oct. 7 speech. The White House cut all Niger references from that speech. [New York Times, 7/13/03]

September 2002: CIA warned British intelligence to discontinue use of Niger information, saying its accuracy had been questioned. [Washington Post, 7/11/03; Bush State of the Union Address, 1/28/03]

December 2002: CIA warned State Department to eliminate references to Niger in briefings. [USA Today, 6/13/03; AP, 6/12/03]

Days before Bush's State of the Union address CIA analyst Alan Foley warned NSC staffer Robert Joseph that the intelligence was not certain. [New York Times, 7/13/03]

Play George W. Bush Credibility Twister!