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Tenet says he regrets 'slam dunk' phrase
By UPI Staff
United Press International
April 30, 2007
WASHINGTON (UPI) -- Former U.S. CIA Director George Tenet has expressed regret and frustration over his "slam dunk" comment made in the run-up to the Iraq war.
Tenet told Scott Pelley of the CBS news program "60 Minutes" that his comment, made in reference to a case for weapons of mass destruction existing in Iraq, ruined his career and made him a scapegoat for an unpopular war. He said the phrase was a passing comment not meant to refer to whether Iraq's Saddam Hussein actually had such weapons.
Tenet also expressed frustration with officials in the Bush administration who still refer to his nearly 3-year-old comment.
Tenet also came under fire for supposed "enhanced interrogation techniques" used in the years after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, however, said on CBS' "Face the Nation" that she found Tenet's version "very interesting."
"When George said 'slam dunk,' everybody understood that he believed that the intelligence was strong," Rice said. "We all believed the intelligence was strong."
Rice said not only the United States, but the United Nations and other nations also thought Hussein had weapons of mass destruction.
Copyright 2007 United Press International, Inc. All Rights Reserved
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