In a speech at Clowes Memorial Hall at Butler University last month, former director of the Central Intelligence Agency George Tenet expressed both hope and concern about our nation and the international intelligence community.

The issues on everyone's minds dominated much of his 45-minute speech: terrorism and the war in Iraq.

Tenet praised worldwide efforts to bring known terrorists to justice, noting the acts of many Americans who risked their lives to capture them. However, he called nuclear proliferation the greatest threat facing the United States, in particular the danger posed by China and other Asian nations. North Korea can manufacture nuclear bombs and has the political will to use them, he said. In addition, Pakistan and India, despite being friendly with the United States, have tested nuclear weapons.

Tenet touched on other topics, too. He said he does not support establishing a National Intelligence Director as recommended by the 9/11 commission; such an official, who does not get "his hands dirty," he said, is just another kind of bureaucrat.

He also talked about what it was like to work in Washington, D.C. Tenet made clear he doesn't consider himself a Washington insider. In fact, the closest he ever got to politics was working with former Sen. H. John Heinz III in the early 1980s.

He concluded his speech with what he saw as the bottom line:

With terrorism, pandemics like AIDS, and nuclear proliferation, the world remains dangerous, but the global intelligence community is capable and motivated. But he avoided voicing political opinions and refused to answer politically charged questions during the Q&A section that followed.

Five Y-Press members listened to Tenet, and they came away with five different reactions to his speech and what it might mean for their future.

Robin Wetherill, 15:

George Tenet seems to be a likable man who has spent most of his adult life in a business where that is not always an asset. Tenet's speech was not a campaign speech, even though many of the questions posed by the audience afterward were blatantly leading and political in nature.

I respect Tenet's efforts -- however futile -- to de-politicize the atmosphere, an almost impossible task on the night before the Nov. 2 election.

The speech was not designed to inform, but to re-establish the respect once granted the CIA. In an era in which false or faulty information led this nation into a war that has now caused the deaths of more than a thousand Americans, it is difficult to trust the national intelligence agencies as we once did.

It was this trust Tenet hoped to restore. Unfortunately for him, because of his association with the president, most of those in the audience would have trusted him anyway -- or would have remained unconvinced, no matter what he said, for the same reason.

Matt Stone, 18:

I was thoroughly impressed by George Tenet. He gave a good explanation of the CIA's role in the Iraq war without being politically biased. In fact, whenever he was asked a politically leaning question, he would reiterate that he is not a politician and move on to the next question.

To my surprise, George Tenet had great form as a public speaker. He stood upright, spoke to the audience at a reasonable pace, and was good at giving detail, particularly when he told about an undercover agent capturing a top al-Qaida terrorist. He also told some great jokes.

It was great that Tenet came to this town. He is a great speaker and offered insight into the workings of our government and the security of our nation.

Stephen Miller, 15:

I was half-expecting a get-out-the-vote speech, especially since it was the day before the elections. Yet it appeared that Mr. Tenet was more than a man in search of power. He seemed to be a rare individual who truly loved his job and his country. He was passionate about his topic and truly proud of the men and women under his command. He also appeared not the least bit bitter over his resignation, and stated he and President Bush were good friends who had seen some hard times together.

During the question session, he never hesitated to answer a question asked by an audience member. He was always kind enough to point out that the view is a lot different from the top and that hindsight's vision is 20/20.

Watching his performance, his readiness to listen and explain, and his kindness to people who, from his point of view, probably didn't really understand what his life had been like, I felt a certain kind of pride well up inside me. Listening to his speech convinced me to pursue a career in government service, possibly in the CIA.

Zoe Hayes, 16

For 45 minutes, Tenet basically made two points: The CIA is only human and people make mistakes (regarding the non-existent Iraqi weapons of mass destruction), and China is a national threat (though if that is true, what is Saudi Arabia?).

Instead of offering insights on issues related to domestic and international security, he was making excuses. The CIA is not supposed to make mistakes that can send a country to war, killing thousands of U.S. soldiers and Iraqi civilians. Furthermore, China has not presented itself to us as a national threat, but Saudi Arabia has. Most of the 9/11 hijackers came from Saudi Arabia, yet the Bush administration has made no move to quell the terrorist activity there.

Tenet could have answered so many questions in this speech, such as whether he personally could have done more to prepare President Bush for the war on terrorism, for example. But he turned an opportunity to take responsibility for his actions into a conservative rally.

His speech cemented my distrust of the current administration. I was already in firm disagreement with their actions and policies, but I still could have respected them if their behavior was based on actual moral beliefs. It is not. I now respect them less than I trust them.

Brian Reissaus, 18:

George Tenet's speech emphasized the strength of current U.S. intelligence alliances and their efforts to protect our country. My fear was not that these facts had been slanted in some way, but that our leaders do not value honesty as much as I do.

I was deeply disturbed when Tenet stated that "good men" do not look back at their decisions and admit fault because the going gets tough (in defense of the decisions made prior to the war in Iraq). I agree that it is a value not to quit just because the road you're on takes you into uncharted territory. However, that does not mean you should keep driving because you refuse to accept that you made a wrong turn. Some have said that to admit a mistake would be a sign of weakness in the current administration, but since when is honesty a sign of weakness?

Hearing Tenet crystallized for me the issue that was most important as I stepped into the voting booth for the first time on Nov. 2. It was not abortion or the war in Iraq or education; it was whether or not I had faith in either candidate to be honest with the American people.

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