The great puzzle

Andrew McCarthy looks at Tenet's attempts at public rehabilitation.

He addresses the canard of the "16 words" and the State of the Union address and concludes.

Shame on the administration for not vigorously defending itself

But this raises a larger question: Why won't they fight?

There have to be at least a dozen cases where lies and half-truths have taken hold and the White House has done little or nothing to set the record straight. I find this puzzling.

This public lethargy as they lose credibility is one of the enigmas of the Bush years.