Who's the boss? Tenet or Bush?

Who is ultimately responsible for the SOTUS? Bush gives the speech as HIS take on the state of the union. Sure, we all know presidents have speech writers, but, come on! Is Bush just a teleprompter reader? That's what they're claiming.

I don't care who approved what before Bush gave the speech. Bush is the president*. Bush is supposed to be giving us the state of the union. Is he now claiming that he doesn't ever have any idea what the state of the union is?

What about the other lies and false information that Bush gave about WMD in his State of the Union speech? Who will fall on his sword for those?

Bush said that there was an Al-Qaeda connection to Iraq, a claim that has been thoroughly debunked. Who put that lie in the SOTU?

Bush also said that Iraq had:

1. 25,000 liters of anthrax
2. 38,000 liters of botulinum toxin
3. 500 tons of sarin, mustard and VX nerve agent
4. 30,000 chemical munitions
5. several mobile biological weapons labs
6. advanced nuclear weapons development program
7. a design for a nuclear weapon
8. five different methods of enriching uranium for a bomb
9. high-strength aluminum tubes suitable for nuclear weapons production

Here is that portion of the speech that Bush gave:

In addition to the Niger yellow cake uranium lie, for which CIA Director Tenet just fell on his sword, there are other lies about WMD that Bush told in the State of the Union speech. Here is the portion of the White House transcript:

The United Nations concluded in 1999 that Saddam Hussein had biological weapons sufficient to produce over 25,000 liters of anthrax -- enough doses to kill several million people. He hasn't accounted for that material. He's given no evidence that he has destroyed it.

The United Nations concluded that Saddam Hussein had materials sufficient to produce more than 38,000 liters of botulinum toxin -- enough to subject millions of people to death by respiratory failure. He hadn't accounted for that material. He's given no evidence that he has destroyed it.

Our intelligence officials estimate that Saddam Hussein had the materials to produce as much as 500 tons of sarin, mustard and VX nerve agent. In such quantities, these chemical agents could also kill untold thousands. He's not accounted for these materials. He has given no evidence that he has destroyed them.

U.S. intelligence indicates that Saddam Hussein had upwards of 30,000 munitions capable of delivering chemical agents. Inspectors recently turned up 16 of them -- despite Iraq's recent declaration denying their existence. Saddam Hussein has not accounted for the remaining 29,984 of these prohibited munitions. He's given no evidence that he has destroyed them.

From three Iraqi defectors we know that Iraq, in the late 1990s, had several mobile biological weapons labs. These are designed to produce germ warfare agents, and can be moved from place to a place to evade inspectors. Saddam Hussein has not disclosed these facilities. He's given no evidence that he has destroyed them.

The International Atomic Energy Agency confirmed in the 1990s that Saddam Hussein had an advanced nuclear weapons development program, had a design for a nuclear weapon and was working on five different methods of enriching uranium for a bomb. The British government has learned that Saddam Hussein recently sought significant quantities of uranium from Africa. Our intelligence sources tell us that he has attempted to purchase high-strength aluminum tubes suitable for nuclear weapons production. Saddam Hussein has not credibly explained these activities. He clearly has much to hide.

http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2003/01/20030128-19.html

You thought he gave two hoots about the State of the Union???

"Union, I hate the union, always riling up the people, demanding more money, more health benefits, time off, safe workplaces, clean environment... the ruination of America." (Bush on the union)

That is why he is a holdover. But he's not really the boss. He and dim wit are servants of greater powers. It makes you wonder if Tenet was serving two masters during the Clinton administration. The bombing of the Chinese embassy in Belgrade and the bombing of the pharmaceutical plant in Khartoum come to mind. If I didn't know better I'd say he was working for the same crowd back then. He's got so much dirt on so many treasonous acts that he can't be touched. I doubt that he would even settle for a misdemeanor charge.

Tenet really can't blow the whistle. It would be political suicide. He's demonstrating his loyalty in an effort to save the regime.

This is exactly the kind of less damaging tempest that the could be good political cover to get rid of this crowd while the questions of the greater crime, the treason of 911, go forever unaddressed.

so that's all that's required? I know Bush isn't the smartest guy and he may be a puppet, BUT isn't it in his job description?

Whenever I publish anything, I expect to take the blame and repercussions if anything in it is untrue or unfounded. I can't say someone else is responsible for it. I can explain why I took the word of another but I can't excuse my own poor judgement for publishing false information. This is what I was taught as a youth. They call it ethics. Dim son doesn't have any.

The idea that the content of the speech was determined by another is ridiculous. This defense is tantamount to an admission that he isn't really running anything. The more obvious explanation is that it was intentional disinformation. The political cronies around dim wit believe in deception as part of their credo. It is part of their elitist contempt for democracy.

sign off on anything that they want printed before it goes to the press. They look over a final document and sign it. That way, if an error is discovered in the document after it is printed, they have acknowledged that it THEIR fault that they missed the error. The printer is only responsible if he makes a mistake while printing.

If Bush had any honor or integrity at all, he would say the buck has to stop with him. It was HIS speech, not Tenent's.

It WAS his speech, not Tenet's. Will the press "fall" for the spin? I would think that most people know in their hearts, minds and guts that if you give a speech it's YOUR responsibility.