WHERE'S THE OUTRAGE?

Margaret Carlson asks why no-one in seems to be angry about the intelligence failures leading up to the Iraq war.

So why care about anger? The ease with which many in Washington accept that we went to war on a false pretext means it could happen again. If someone doesn't say that this isn't only an organizational problem but a political one, CIA analysts will believe that if you give the boss what he wants, you'll be fine. And so will the boss.

Look at the people gone: Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill; director of the National Economic Council, Lawrence Lindsey; Army Chief of Staff Gen. Eric K. Shinseki. They spoke the truth. Look at the people rewarded: Tenet, L. Paul Bremer III, Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz and all those welcomed to a second term, like Donald Rumsfeld and Cheney.

The lesson is clear: Nothing upends a career in Bushworld like devotion to the truth. For delivering the appearance of a slam dunk, Tenet was awarded the Medal of Freedom. For playing his part, Powell, the noble warrior, was not invited back.