George Tenet

At age 44, George Tenet became the youngest man ever to lead the CIA. He studied at Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service and Columbia's School of International Affairs and took a job on the staff of Pennsylvania Senator John Heinz. Two years later, he became staff director of the Senate Intelligence committee where he helped create the independent audit unit which oversees the CIA's secret accounts. He left the Senate Intelligence committee to work on President Clinton's national security transition team. After the inauguration, he was the principal adviser on intelligence in the National Security Council. In 1995, President Clinton named him deputy director of central intelligence. Two years later, he was nominated for the top job at the CIA. The U.S. Senate approved his nomination without a single dissenting vote. As Director of Central Intelligence, George Tenet enjoyed the trust and respect of both political parties. Though it has become customary for incoming Presidents to replace the sitting CIA director, George Tenet was considered so essential that President George W. Bush gladly retained him in office. When he returned to private life in 2004, Director Tenet was awarded the nation's highest civilian honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Here, we hear George Tenet in conversation with the host of MSNBC's Hardball, Chris Matthews.