Passing the buck

Where does the buck stop? The buck stops with the president, that's where. That's why he's the head of state- he is the ultimate authority in the United States. If he makes a speech, and that speech contain lies, he cannot pass the buck to the CIA or whichever intelligence service vetted it. What Bush did when he sacrificed CIA director Tenet was an embarrassment.

I don't have proof that Bush knew that the Niger documents were forgeries. But I have difficulty believing that Bush is blameless, that he is a mere dupe. If he is a dupe, that speaks to a failure of leadership. If he put the CIA in such a position where it could not air its true doubts and reservations about Iraq intelligence, this also speaks to a failure of leadership. A president who does not command the honesty of his generals, his intelligence agencies, and his security advisors is a bad leader.

For Tenet to be blamed for something that Bush said is disgraceful, but not as disgraceful as the whole affair as it has passed thus far. Not only has the White House blamed Tenet, but it has minimized the significance of Tenet's perceived sins. Tenet may have let Bush say those falsehoods, the White House says, nevertheless, Bush is still "confident" in the CIA. Furthermore, it considers the Iraq/Uranium issue "closed."

That's ridiculous. Actions have consequences. If the CIA is entirely to blame, Tenet should resign. If not, the parties responsible should be punished. You can't deceive the American people on matters of national security and get away with it. I believe this matter should be investigated. I think it should be determined definitively how Bush ended up including statements in the SOTU that the intelligence community knew weren't true. Because this is a significant matter- it's a matter of public trust.