"Slam Dunk!"

I'm in no way suggesting this post is contemporary; rather, I just finished Bob Woodward's Plan of Attack, a book on the build-up to the war in Iraq, and I thought I'd share just one passage with you guys.

First, we all know what a huge Republican Mr. Woodward is. Second, he wrote this book by interviewing 75 people including all of the principals in the war planning, including the President of the United States (on two occasions).

Anyway, the passage I excerpt picks up just after Deputy Director CIA John E. McLaughlin has just briefed the President on the WMD evidence against Saddam Hussein; the presentation was made on Saturday, December 21, 2002; at least those present are President Bush, Vice President Cheney, National Security Advisor Dr. Condoleezza Rice, Chief of Staff Andrew Card and Director CIA George Tenet.

From pages 249 - 250:

When McLaughlin concluded, there was this look on the President's face of, What's this? And then a brief moment of silence.

"Nice try," Bush said. I don't think this is quite - it's not something that Joe Public would understand or would gain a lot of confidence from."

Card was also underwhelmed. The presentation was a flop. In terms of marketing, the examples didn't work, the charts didn't work, the photos were not gripping, the intercepts were less than compelling.

Bush turned to Tenet. "I've been told all this intelligence about having WMD and this is the best we've got?"

From the end of one of the couches in the Oval Office, Tenet rose up, threw his arms in the air. "It's a slam dunk case!" the DCI said.

Bush pressed. "George, how confident are you?"

Tenet, a basketball fan who attended as many home games of his alma mater Georgetown as possible, leaned forward and threw his arms up again, "Don't worry, it's a slam dunk!"

It was unusual for Tenet to be so certain. From McLaughlin's presentation, Card was worried there might be no "there there," but Tenet's double reassurance on the slam dunk was both memorable and comforting. Cheney could think of no reason to question Tenet's assertion. He was, after all, the head of the CIA and would know the most. The President later recalled that McLaughlin's presentation "wouldn't have stood the test of time," but Tenet's reassurance, "That was very important."

"Needs a lot more work," Bush told Card and Rice. "Let's get some people who've actually put together a case for a jury." He wanted some lawyers, prosecutors if need be. They were going to have to go public with something.

The President told Tenet several times, "Make sure no one stretches to make our case." (End of excerpt.)

Anyway, the President is absolutely responsible for everything that happens in his Administration and he is absolutely responsible for Director Tenet, a hold-over from the Clinton Administration. However, given all the misinformation in the media, I mean, liberal media, about the manipulation of intelligence, I think Mr. Woodward's account of this particular meeting, especially the President's closing caution, is telling.