Media Orgy Over Tenet Resignation
June 3, 2004
Listen to Rush…
(...discuss how the media asks how Tenet's resignation can be spun to help Kerry)
(...roll facing-reelection Daschle's surprisingly reserved reaction to Tenet's resignation)
BEGIN TRANSCRIPT
Two liberals beat (New York Senator Charles) Schumer to the camera today to comment on (CIA Director) George Tenet going away. (Senate Democrat Leader) Tom Daschle beat Schumer and (House Democrat Leader) Nancy Pelosi beat Schumer. Daschle is the only guy, I have to tell you, Daschle is the only guy that said anything reasonably intelligent about this today. I can't believe it. This happened, oh, two hours ago now. [Program observer interruption] Just hang on. Two hours ago. It's an orgy. It is a media orgy over Tenet resigning. President said, he met with (Tenet) at the White House last night, it was a good meeting, said resigning "for personal reasons," and so now the endless speculation. See, I... (sighing) Oh, gee. I have a little knowledge of this. Not a whole lot, but I know enough that when I watch this stuff on TV, how absolutely asinine some of the things that, for example, (Former DCI) Stansfield Turner has said. (Summarizing), "I can't believe he was just quitting on his own. They don't do this at this time in the campaign. He wouldn't be leaving like this unless he was pushed out," and ABC has a story out today saying that there's a devastating Senate intelligence committee report coming, devastating to Tenet, devastating to the CIA on the weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. How much more devastating can it be, already? But apparently that's what ABC is saying. Daschle said, "We don't know enough about the resignation to make an intelligent comment," and really that's pretty much it, isn't it? (Laughing.) He said, "We don't know enough about the resignation to make an intelligence comment."
Now, Pelosi doesn't have to know enough because she doesn't have to make intelligent comments because we don't expect intelligent comments from her. She's on the attack, and I was watching her on the attack today, and I actually think we might want to consider Nancy Pelosi as a new CIA director because she never blinks, and it would just be... I mean, her eyes are going to be open at all times, and never miss a thing. Anyway, there will not be a new director named. They're going to stick with John McLaughlin who is the assistant DCI. They'll stick with him through the election because they don't want to bring up any confirmation hearings now. They don't want to go through these confirmation hearings. Can you imagine the Democrats on the confirmation committee reopening all of these intelligence failures? I mean, even if the nomination -- I think a great guy would be Giuliani.
Would not Giuliani be a great DCI, Director of Central Intelligence? I don't know if he'd do it. I mean, I'm just throwing a name out there, but even if they named Giuliani and did it now, the confirmation hearings would be an absolute zoo. I mean, the Democrats would take the opportunity, as they should in an election year. So they'll sit there with this caretaker guy, (John) McLaughlin. I'm not sure how he pronounces it. In the meantime this is going to be an all day orgy on the media. "What does it mean? He did a great job? He did a bad job. He should have gone a long time ago. We're glad he's gone. 'We're sorry he's gone.' What did you think it means?" There will be all these "experts." It's just over the top. But the reason that most of the media focus on this is because they think somehow this is tied to Bush and his weakness, and there's some hidden reason why this is happening to protect Bush. I happen to know that Tenet and Bush have become very close; they've gotten very close.
I happen to know that Tenet respects Bush as a man tremendously in ways that will probably never be reported if they're even know. I happen to know there's nothing personal in terms of animosity here. I happen to believe that Bush did not ask for this. I happen to believe when Tenet says that there are personal reasons. There may be others as well, but I do believe that there are personal reasons involved in this. The date he chose (to resign), July 11th, I am told also is his anniversary date. That's he when he began serving seven years ago. (program observer interruption) Wait, what are you frowning at me like this for, Mr. Snerdley? You think that I'm being naïve here just to assume there's nothing more. I didn't say, "There's nothing more to it." I said that the fact that there are personal reasons is probably a factor. I believe that that is a factor. See, even people on my staff who trust me implicitly just as you do, when I say something like this --this is how powerful all this is.
You just can't believe it would be for the stated reasons, can you? Snerdley just cannot believe that this is for the stated reasons. Well, we will find out. That's pretty much all there is to say about this. Sorry, I was going to try to do three hours on this but I just shot my wad. I got everything I have here. I have nothing left to say, and if whatever I say is going to be thrown right back at my by my own staff as though I don't know what I'm talking about, then why should I continue? Why should I act like all these other people on TV who don't know what they're talking about and act like they're experts nevertheless? So that's it. I don't know anymore. I don't really care. The CIA is going to run; the government is going to run - and this orgy in the media today about why and who is not interesting to me because it's the future. We can't know it. So until we know something concrete, we're not going to sit here and speculate about it in that sense. We're not electing the president with this, and that's probably what the Democrats are hoping. Christine. Let's go to the phones. People want to talking about – [sarcastic trumpet fanfare] Dadelut! Dadelut! Dadelut! Dadelut! -- George Tenet. Miami. Christine, I'm glad you called. Welcome. Nice to have you with us.
CALLER: Hi!
RUSH: Hi.
CALLER: Hi, Rush!
RUSH: Hi.
CALLER: Love your show.
RUSH: Thank you.
CALLER: I support the president a hundred percent, but I'm shocked that he's "disappointed" on the resignation of Tenet because it just gives the Democrats exactly what they want, a sound bite for the nightly news --
RUSH: No. No, no, no. No. No. No. Hold it. It's the wrong way to look at this. It's the wrong way to look at this. The right way to look at this is, the Democrats have been being demanding that heads roll. A lot of people have thought heads should roll, a lot of people, frankly. Let's just being honest, here, folks. A lot of people have thought that some of the things that have gone on here require a lot of people resigning in disgrace without even having to be fired. This removes a target. This removes a target in the Bush administration, and it allows for the agency to now begin to, you know, reform itself, reinvent itself however.
I mean, I don't think that this is going to harm Bush and that's why this media orgy that I've been watching all morning long is a little frustrating, because I don't think by the time the election comes this is going to be any kind of a factor. And the CIA's reputation right now and it's image can't go much lower. This will be looked -- I mean, the only potential negative thing, and there could be more, just haven't thought about it because I'm not in the greatest mood today, but the fact of the matter is when people out there start calling for the head of any agency leader and then that head rolls, then they get the energy to call for more heads. But this is a resignation, not a firing.
Of course I know some of you don't believe that. Some of you believe he was forced out. Now, let's just sit back. Let's juuust take it easy. Let's just let go of the reins for a minute and see what plays out. We've got the president and Tenet both saying "personal reasons." If you don't want to believe that, that's okay, but until we know more, it really is sort of -- "Oh, I know what you're saying, but, Rush, you speculate on all kinds of things!" Yeah, but I speculate on things I know like every square inch of my gorgeous naked body, like the liberals. I could expect what the liberals are going to do before they do it because I know, because I know that these people are not what they say they are. No, I just know them. In this situation, here's my burden. Friends this is my burden: I know things about this I just can't say because of the sourcing. I just know things about this, and I just know that half of what I've seen if not more on TV today, is flat out BS. But it's a dangerous thing.
I know I'm your host, and I'm supposed to vomit everything I know, and now here I'm holding back, and the only reason I'm holding back is because is if I were to regurgitate what I know it would identify who it is and that person would know. At this point, I can't do it. Just sit tight, sit with me on this. I'm telling you, half of this is speculation. Okay, let me tell you this. Tenet had planned on, was going to resign after the election anyway, meaning January. He couldn't resign right after the election, couldn't announce it, but they couldn't seat somebody, have to have the transition, have to have the Democrats protest the election. Kerry has hired 2,000 lawyers, by the way, to do that. Did you hear this? Hired 2,000 lawyers nationwide to make sure there's no shenanigans like they "had in Florida." More on that in a moment. To those who knew, this was not a surprise. I mean, today it was a surprise. The fact that he resigned was not a surprise to me, and these matters that surround this, some of them are indeed personal. Now, there may be more, and I will also admit that I could be the victim of a PR campaign itself, but I doubt it. That's why I'm not saying anything about it. I don't really know. [ear-splitting tone] I'm pretty trustworthy, pretty confident of my source but I'm not going to blow it.
COMMERICAL BREAK
RUSH: I want you to hear Daschle. I want you to hear Daschle on Tenet, then we're going to move on. Because I told you that Daschle, I hate to say it, but he's the only reasonable comment that has been made today among the Democrats about this and here's just a portion of his statement.
DASCHLE: I'm surprised. I didn't see this coming. I'm hopeful we can get more information about the reasons for his resignation. I think it's always good to have the facts before you make more comment, but I look forward to getting more information about the reasons why.
REPORTER: Do you think he was forced out?
DASCHLE: I can't comment. I have no idea whether he was forced out or whether there was a -- some personal matter involved, but whatever the reason I'm sure we'll find out.
RUSH: Yeah, we'll find out, and then we'll have some things to say to you. Come back then. But, I mean, as far as now, what else is there to say? Other than, "I don't believe anything anybody said," and who wants to say that till they really know for sure?
END TRANSCRIPT
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