[.uk] At the Center of the Storm

Fascinating, but Biased, Look at our Government from 1997-2004:
George Tenet's autobiographical "At the Center of the Storm: My Years at the CIA" is an interesting and readable look at George Tenet's years as the Director of Central Intelligence - key years that included the 9/11 attacks the beginning of the war in Iraq. This is an extremely interesting book that gives Tenet's side of many of the contentious debates that have swirled over the past few years regarding the CIA. Tenet seems to have written this book in response to the criticism leveled against the CIA and him personally. He gives a detailed play-by-play of the Valeria Plame/Joe Wilson story (one of those stories that shocked the "Inside the Beltway" crowd but seems to have been of little interest to the rest of America) and the attendant debate over the inclusion of yellowcake in the President's State of the Union Address; he steadfastly denies the "slam-dunk" story as portrayed by Bob Woodward; and he is adamant that the CIA's National Intelligence Estimate of the Iraqi WMD was sound and not influenced by any political pressure, just based on flawed and unverifiable data (and the lack of WMDs was hidden by a madman who wanted everyone to believe that he had them). However, Tenet's entire perspective is blemished by his early telling of a meeting with Richard Perle on September 12, 2001, when Richard Perle told him, "Iraq has to pay a price." This account, in the introductory pages of the book and soon partly-debunked by verified reports that Perle was stranded in France after 9/11 (he may have told Tenet that, but it wasn't the day after 9/11 as Tenet claims), made me believe that some of Tenet's more sensational criticisms were made to sell books, grind some axes, or both. Still, Tenet writes his story in an easy-to-read, entertaining, and matter-of-fact manner. It's fascinating to read about the daily lives of his government officials - about their security details, the meetings, the frantic pace, the nonstop work, the amusing anecdotes, and the personal relationships they build with those around them. I'll leave out any discussion of Tenet's performance during his tenure as DCI because Tenet rarely focuses on the big picture of his time at DCI. He does freely discuss and criticize others around him: he is harshly critical of Cheney and his staff; he blames Douglas Feith for many of the Iraq-al Qaeda problems; he criticizes the Administration's faith and reliance on Ahmed Chalabi; he says that the National Security Council failed to take any steps to strategically counter the rising insurgency in Iraq; and he writes about some tension with Condoleezza Rice. Although he left his job as DCI seemingly at war with the Administration, Tenet never criticizes President Bush in his book, and when he talked about or criticized "the White House," I got the impression he was criticizing Cheney. This is a very interesting inside account of our government during the last 10 years. However, it gives one man's view - one man who was truly at the center of the storm - and his perspectives should be put in the context of the bigger events swirling around him. Although I found this book interesting, its personal biases (natural in any autobiographical account) and perspective prevent it from being a definitive account: instead, it would be of most interest to intelligence wonks and Inside-the-Beltway readers.

Director of Central Intelligence - DCI:
Good. Provides (unclassified) insight into the interworkings of two presidents in the areas of Foreign Policy, National Security, and Intelligence. Nice to see that a DCI can work with two adminstrations and political parties; most DCIs do not last three years due to personalities or politics. It is one of the most thankless jobs in the world: everybody hates you, they are suspicious of you, and expect you can do everything all the time. I was amazed he was involved in foreign relation negotiation: a DCI is not to be involved in politics. I see some points of contention about his track record but he was one of the better ones.

A Reality Check: Tenet Tells His Story and its definately worth listening to:
So much is made of Tenet, the "Slam Dunk", and his reluctancy to execute operation plans against UBL. Tenet takes you into the inner circle and gives you his version of Washington politics on several topics. From the Israel-Palestinian Conflict, the War in Afghanistan and Iraq, and his battle against Al Qaeda. For anyone interested in a real perspective, you will enjoy this book tremendously, for it is not simply a defense, it is his story. He does not attack Pres. Bush, he compliments him several times over. He does however outline the Gross Incompetence in the War in Iraq by the DOD. If you are into Poli Sci, this is a MUST.

At the center of the storm:
Although this book is voluminuos it is very insightful and a must read for contemporary critics and pundits of the recent politics. To read the behind the scenes, day to day banter and politics from the CIA directors point of view is absolutely fascinating and compelling. If you heva ever seen George on any of his interviews he is magnetic and charismatic at the core. A very bright man that has made his mark on history and has shared his stories for all to see and hear. Cathartic or not one of the best reads in the past few years for me. I also have passed this around to a few friends and each peson has cherised the read.

Tenet at his Unconvincing Best:
Befitting a decorated ex-CIA head, this book by George Tenet is "artful political and moral ambiguity at its transparent best." It is equal parts: "after-the-fact expose" of Bush/Cheney Machiavellian incompetence, a chronology of bureaucratic in-fighting and turf battles; Tenet's own self-serving "CYA rationalizations" (especially for his most embarrassing and ignominious "slam dunk" moment); a summary of CIA history including many of it recent exploits in the new era of terrorism; plus a lot of inchoate soul-searching and "insider bureaucratic baseball." Along with other "shunted aside" Bush insiders, Tenet, is yet another "come-to-Jesus" confessor who has belatedly confirmed what most of us now already know: that even as Cheney and Bush were entering the White House, Iraqi II was already a fait accompli: "a war in search of a reason d'etre." It was already on "the drawing boards" looking for clever justifications to sell to the American people as to why U.S. vital interests were at stake. And it was Tenet's own "twisted and dissembled" intelligence that was used to do the job of selling it to us. Despite this open secret that constantly stares back up at us from the subtext of the book, somehow Tenet remains in denial about how greatly his image and legacy are tarnished by the moral cowardice implicit in his repeated failures to step up to the plate and live up to the only responsibility a CIA Director has: To provide the President of the U.S. sound, independent over-the-horizon intelligence. Here, rather curiously, Mr. Tenet seems to think that he can retain his moral virginity by covering his moral nakedness and irresponsibility by attacking the White House "only when his own ox is gored." He adopts this transparently unsustainable "fair weather" moral posture even as it is clear to the reader that it is Tenet's own CIA colleagues that get thrown under the bus as he does so. And while there is a great deal interesting about the book, no matter how Tenet attempted to embellish it, everything in the book is over-shadowed by the image of him groveling at the throne occupied by Cheney and Bush. Even after reading this book, that image remains a disturbingly un-pretty picture. I have read enough CIA history to know that Tenet was a bright and competent administrator, with the agency's mission at heart, but nothing he says in this book can remove the stain of his failure to step up to the plate and defend his own analysts who had the "true skinny" in the run up to the Iraq war. Had those analysts had a boss with a backbone, America may have been spared the costly fiasco of the Iraq war. No matter how many Congressional Medals of Honor Tenet is awarded, I will never be able to get the "slam dunk" image out of my mind. Three stars