It is now 12 minutes after 7, and GMA has already referenced the George Tenet "bombshell" three times. They've quoted the same two sentences from his book and repeatedly stressed that this is devastating to the administration.

What did Tenet say? “There was never a serious debate that I know of within the administration about the imminence of the Iraqi threat,” Mr. Tenet writes in a devastating judgment that is likely to be debated for many years. Nor, he adds, “was there ever a significant discussion” about the possibility of containing Iraq without an invasion.

What is new here? We've known from the beginning that they believed Iraq was a threat, but they actually made great pains to not use the word "imminent." If I remember correctly, the President's point was that to wait for the threat to be imminent would put our nation in extreme danger, something that still makes complete sense.

Why is it that the facts can so completely be ignored? The fact that it was not just American intelligence indicating that Saddam had weapons of mass destruction. The fact that Bill Clinton made almost the exact same statements about Iraq and Saddam, as well as the Democratic members of Congress when Clinton was in power. Virtually everyone in the world believed that Iraq was a huge threat to international security. George W. Bush just happened to be the guy in charge when it was crucial to make a decision about what to do.

"No significant discussion" about containing Iraq without an invasion? What about the 14 UN Resolutions that were passed and summarily ignored by Saddam Hussein? What about the years of UN inspections leading up to the point when Saddam mysteriously kicked them out? The idea that we "rushed to war" is completely overstated.

If you look at the rest of what's in Mr. Tenet's book, it's actually not that devastating at all, which is why the media will focus on these two supposedly new revelations, a move from their playbook that gets rehearsed every single time someone close to the administration decides to unload some frustration. Because clearly George Tenet has reason to be frustrated. He did pretty much get thrown under the bus, but it was the MEDIA who demanded it. President Bush tried to hold on to him for quite a while. The truth of politics and media in this country is that scapegoats are demanded. Those playing the game are aware of this, and they all know that their number could be up any day, no matter what level they are playing on. George Tenet was media enemy #2 (after Bush) until he came out with these supposedly shocking revelations. All it takes to get on the good side of our esteemed news agencies is to slam President Bush, period. Need to regain your credibility, write a book about how terrible the Bush administration has been. It works every time.

From The New York Times: Mr. Tenet takes blame for the flawed 2002 National Intelligence Estimate about Iraq’s weapons programs, calling the episode “one of the lowest moments of my seven-year tenure.” He expresses regret that the document was not more nuanced, but says there was no doubt in his mind at the time that Saddam Hussein possessed unconventional weapons. “In retrospect, we got it wrong partly because the truth was so implausible,” he writes.

Would that be the truth that Saddam didn't actually possess weapons of mass destruction, even though quite a few defected scientists have said that he did? Even though there is evidence that they were moved out of Iraq into Syria before the invasion? Even though he actually used chemical weapons against his own people? Just because we didn't find them doesn't mean that they weren't there. Anyone even slightly familiar with the madness of Saddam Hussein has to consciously make an effort to conclude that he wouldn't have been seeking these weapons, and that he wouldn't have used them at the first possible opportunity. Or are we supposed to have faith that he actually was just a misunderstood nice guy, and he really didn't mean us any harm? Give me a break.

What's interesting about Tenet's book is that he expresses surprise that Al Qaeda hasn't sent suicide bombers into American malls on any given day. He says, "I do know one thing in my gut. Al Qaeda is here and waiting." And yet that is less newsworthy than the fact that President Bush found Iraq to be a serious threat that needed to be dealt with swiftly and harshly. You're right, Diane, that's just shocking.