WASHINGTON (Reuters) – CIA Director
George Tenet, who presided over spectacular lapses in U.S. national
security, including the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on America, has
resigned and will leave in July, President Bush announced on
Thursday.
Tenet, who also faced fierce
criticism over his agency’s handling of Iraqi intelligence,
including a now famous prediction that the case for war against
Iraq was a “slam dunk,” broke the news to Bush at the White House
on Wednesday night.
“He told me he was resigning for
personal reasons. I told him I’m sorry he’s leaving,” Bush said.
The announcement came as a surprise
in Washington, shortly before Bush headed to Italy and France. He
very quickly lauded Tenet for his seven-year tenure at the spy
agency.
“He’s strong. He’s resolute,” Bush
said. “He has been a strong and able leader at the agency. He’s
been a strong leader in the war on terror.”
Tenet’s departure follows mounting
criticism of the White House over its handling of intelligence
reports on weapons of mass destruction in Iraq and warnings of
possible terror strikes in the months before the Sept. 11, 2001,
attacks on New York and Washington.
Saddam Hussein’s reported
stockpiling of banned weapons was used as a main justification for
the U.S.-led invasion and occupation of Iraq, where more than 800
U.S. soldiers have died since March 2003. No chemical, biological
or nuclear weapons have been found.
Tenet drew notoriety recently when
journalist Bob Woodward said the CIA chief had confidently assured
Bush that U.S. forces would find weapons of mass destruction in
Iraq. “Don’t worry, it’s a slam dunk,” the book, titled “Plan of
Attack,” quoted Tenet as saying.
The failure to find weapons and
continuing insurgent violence in Iraq has helped push Bush’s job
approval ratings to new lows as he faces a tight re-election battle
against Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry.
Tenet will continue as CIA director
until mid-July, when his deputy John McLaughlin will become acting
director, Bush said.
“He’s done a superb job on behalf
of the American people,” Bush said. “And I will miss him.”
