THE LAST WORD ON GEORGE TENET? “My conclusion: an inept organization was led by a stupefyingly inept man.” I can understand not firing him immediately after 9/11 — we were in crisis mode and too much turnover might have been disruptive. But he should have been let go as soon as possible after the Afghanistan invasion was over. (Later: See this post from 2002 on the need for heads to roll, though I didn’t specifically mention Tenet.)

Of course, Tenet might hope that the above is the last word — because this is even harsher. I think he would have been better off keeping his mouth shut. That’s what spymasters are supposed to do, isn’t it?

UPDATE: But even a spymaster needs a confidant. “I’m all for feelings, and talking about them. But there’s a place and time. This sort of thing rightly belongs in a therapist’s office. But sometimes it seems as though the whole world has turned into a therapist’s office.”