2004081617

18.Aug.2004 WASHINGTON Lighten up, America! That advice from a federal advisory board isn't aimed at your mood _ it's aimed at your waistline and heart. URL: Printer Friendly Version

17.Aug.2004 www.boston.com/news/politics/president/articles/₂₀₀₄/07/14/republican_governor_criticizes_own_party/index.htm
https://newsvote.bbc.co.uk/mpapps/pagetools/print/news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/index.htm

The advisory board _ not for the first time _ is telling us to cut calories, eat more whole grain products and exercise moderately at least 30 minutes a day.

The recommendations are part of a revision of the Food Guide Pyramid, prompted by the fact that almost two-thirds of Americans are overweight or obese.

The board says adults should also cut down on salt. It's linked to high blood pressure.

The panel says five to 13 servings a day of fruits and vegetables help you avoid several chronic diseases.

The committee also recommends two servings of fish per week, especially those rich in omega-three fatty acids, to reduce risk of heart disease.

17.Aug.2004 Lawyer Says He Had a Deal With McGreevey: Lawyer for Man Accusing N.J. Governor of Harassment Says McGreevey Backed Out on Deal to Pay Y

Gay governor's 'victim' denies extortion claims: "He hit on me over and over," Golan Cipel, 35, told Israel's Yediot Y

Sex, Lies + Terrorism : How did Golan Cipel become New Jersey's 'anti-terrorism' czar? Y

17.Aug.2004 The killing of Muslims in the name of "freedom and democracy": It is time for all good men to stand up, + this means in the Muslim world, the Arab world and in America to say, "No more, No more, No more

17.Aug.2004 The Ultimate Stupidity: The Attack on Najaf:

17.Aug.2004 Interventionism Leads To War, War Generates Interventionism: A just + enduring peace can come only if governments stop contributing to a state of affairs in which extremists thrive.

And given their appalling historical form, that will take an unconscionably long time

17.Aug.2004 1.3 billion reasons to worry about oil: China to rival USA as oil guzzler

17.Aug.2004 Paul Krugman: Saving the Vote: Everyone knows it, but not many politicians or mainstream journalists are willing to talk about it, for fear of sounding conspiracy-minded: there is a substantial chance that the result of the ₂₀₀₄ presidential election will be suspect.

17.Aug.2004 Welcome to America: Detention of UK Travelers Brings New Policy: One by one, the UK travelers recounted their dizzying experiences upon arriving at USA airports:

17.Aug.2004 Gap between haves, have-nots expands: Wages are stagnant and the middle class is shouldering a larger tax burden. Prices for health care, housing, tuition, gas and food have soared.

17.Aug.2004 .I.A. Officer Denounces Agency and Sept. 11 Report: In his letter, he pointed with frustration to' failed USA plans to assassinate Mr. bin Laden, saying that "there is much more to the failure to fire cruise missiles at bin Laden" in the late 1990's than the report suggested. And he said that "you know that on at least one occasion the sale of F-16's to an Arab government was considered more important than acting to protect USA lives."

17.Aug.2004 Brain Dead, Made of Money, No Future at All: What is the difference between President Bush [BGW968] + USA President Bundy, Ted ? The answer: Bush [BGW968] killed more people than Bundy.

17.Aug.2004 Suckers For Jesus: How have the Christians, "the religious right," been persuaded to cast their lot with the Republican party?

17.Aug.2004 Iran: If Israel attacks us, we'll blow up Dimona: "The entire Zionist territory, including its nuclear facilities and atomic arsenal, are currently within range of Iran's advanced missiles," a senior Iranian official said yesterday. He warned that his country would strike at Israel if either "the Zionist regime or America will carry out its threats" against Iran.

17.Aug.2004 Mordechai Vanunu : "[The] hydrogen bomb has no justification, nor any real excuse for Israel's defense. It's a real holocaust weapon, a hydrogen bomb + it only can be used against civilians in cities..." Audio and transcript. 00.Feb.1869 In einem Brief an W. Hasenclever schreibt A. Bebel, daß die Differenzen zwischen den beiden Verbänden nur in der Person J. B. v. Schweizers lägen.
17.Aug.2004 However, four people were killed in isolated incidents. A pro-government activist was shot in the early hours of the morning on his way to vote, reportedly caught in the middle of shooting between criminals in his neighborhood in southwestern Caracas. 
In a poor neighborhood on the east side, several people threw stones at voters as they stood in line + a soldier, responding to the aggression, accidentally shot and killed a woman. 
In Maracaibo, a city in western Venezuela, a heated argument over the results of the referendum spiraled and one local resident opened fire on those who disagreed with him, killing two young men. 
Monday was like a day of mass hangover in the capital, with a climate something like that of New Year's Day, with everyone exhausted after spending up to 15 hours in line outside the voting stations. 
Chávez declared the day a holiday for public employees + urged private businesses to do the same. Most shops in downtown Caracas remained closed + only a few pharmacies and cafes opened their doors. 
Rafael Díaz, a tired-looking cashier in a bakery, said "The best thing is that it's all over. Now the only thing left is to get to work." _{article6757.htm}
17.Aug.2004 Referring to his victory and using terminology from Venezuela's national sport, baseball, Chávez also said "the ball must have fallen right in the middle of the White House. It's a present for Bush [BGW968]." 
The president was alluding to the constant verbal attacks he has received from the USA administration of President Bush [BGW968]. 
The markets reacted favorably to the announcement of Chávez's triumph, especially the oil market.

Analysts like Jon Rugby, with Commerzbank in London, said a Chávez defeat would have generated uncertainty, which would have been reflected in the price of oil. 
Venezuela is the world's fifth largest oil exporter and one of the top four suppliers of the USA, to which it exports 1.5 million barrels a day. 
But the international reactions were cautious as governments waited for Carter and Gaviria to give their final opinions on the referendum. A communique from the French Foreign Ministry said it was premature to make a statement until all parties had accepted the results. 
And a few minutes before the start of the press conference offered by Carter + Gaviria,

a USA State Department spokesman in Washington, Tom Casey, refused to comment until first hearing what the international election observers had to say. 
The voting went smoothly on Sunday + Carter + Gaviria congratulated the Venezuelan people for the massive turnout.

The head of the Carter Center said more than 10 million of the 14 million registered voters came out. _{article6757.htm}
16.Aug.2004 International Observers Ratify Chávez's Triumph in Referendum "IPS"- CARACAS -

Although the opposition complained of fraud, the international election observer missions monitoring the recall referendum in Venezuela agreed Monday that President Hugo Chávez had won+ said they found no signs of fraud. 
Nobel Peace laureate and former USA president Jimmy Carter + Organization of American States (OAS) Secretary-General César Gaviria said in a joint news briefing in Caracas that Chávez survived Sunday’s referendum. 
"Our information coincides with the partial results presented by the National Electoral Council (CNE)," said Carter. 
"The results are compatible with our figures + we have not found any elements of fraud," said Gaviria. 
In the early hours of Monday morning, the CNE issued a report containing the preliminary results, according to which 58 % of the ballots tallied up to that point were in favor of Chávez completing his term,

00.Jan.2007 -until- while nearly 42 % called for his removal. 
But the initial report was only approved by the three pro-government members of the CNE + was rejected by the two opposition members. 
With 94 % of the votes from the electronic polls tallied, 4.99 million voted "No" to the revocation of Chávez's term + 3.57 voted "Yes", said the president of the CNE, Francisco Carrasquero. 
Just over 10 % of the electorate cast their ballots under the old manual voting system + those results are not yet in. 
"These numbers are based on 90 % of the electorate + it is impossible for the tendency to be reversed," said another member of the CNE, Jorge Rodríguez. 
The opposition members of the CNE, Ezequiel Zamora and Sobella Mejías, denounced a few alleged procedural irregularities. 
The leaders of the Democratic Coordinator opposition coalition, which links around 50 political parties, business + labor organizations + civil society groups, had initially cried fraud + appeared on radio + TV stations early Monday to say they did not accept the outcome. 
However, Gaviria said "the opposition should review their results," and indicated that the projections of the international observers coincided with the preliminary outcome announced by the election authorities. 
Carter said an initial count by Súmate, the opposition alliance's technical arm, found that 55 % of voters were in favor of Chávez + 45 % against. _{article6757.htm}
URL: https://alfatomega.com/₂₀₀₄081617.htm
URL: https://library.fes.de/fulltext/bibliothek/chronik/band1/e235e11.html
12.Jul.1833 J. B. v. Schweitzer in Frankfurt a. M. geboren.
 17.Aug.₂₀₀₄URL: https://www.spiegel.de/wissenschaft/erde/0,1518,druck-313655,00.html
17.Aug.2004 In den Überlieferungen heißt es, dass Johannes der Täufer im Dorf Ein Kerem geboren wurde, das heute ein Stadtteil von Jerusalem ist.

Nur vier Kilometer davon entfernt, im Kibbuz Tzuba, haben Archäologen eine rund 22 Meter lange + jeweils dreieinhalb Meter breite+hohe Höhle in einem Kalksteinhügel gefunden,von der sie annehmen, dass sie von Johannes benutzt wurde
_00-000.0800-_00.000.0500 -vor Chr.Israeliten schlugen die Höhle in den Stein, glaubt der UK Archäologe Shimon Gibson, der die ersten Grabungen betreut.

Es scheint, so der Forscher gegenüber der Nachrichtenagentur AP, dass die Höhle anfangs als rituelle jüdische Badestelle diente.
Nur wenige Funde, die direkt auf Personen des Neuen Testaments hinweisen, wurden bisher im Nahen Osten gefunden. Die Höhle könnte deshalb eine der wichtigsten Entdeckungen der biblischen Archäologie sein, so Gibson.
17.Aug.2004 Höhle von Johannes dem Täufer gefunden?
Archäologen glauben eine Höhle gefunden zu haben, in der Johannes der Täufer seine Anhänger taufte.

Sie fanden Tausende von Tonscherben, die vermutlich von Krügen für rituelle Waschungen stammen + Wandbilder mit Darstellungen des biblischen Predigers. _{URL: https://www.spiegel.de/wissenschaft/erde/0,1518,druck-313655,00.html}

17.Aug.2004 Agenda 2010: Arbeitgeber könnten zehn Milliarden Euro sparen

17.Aug.2004 Urlaubsverhalten: Viele Deutsche schämen sich für Landsleute

17.Aug.2004 Nadschaf-Konflikt: Sadr-Sympathisanten kidnappen irakischen Agenten

17.Aug.2004 Hurrikan: Charley macht zehntausend Menschen obdachlos

17.Aug.2004 US-Truppenabzug: Unionspolitiker bangt um Europas Sicherheit

17.Aug.2004 Death Valley: Unwetter fordern mindestens zwei Tote ,

17.Aug.2004 Wespenattacke: Marmeladenlaster rast gegen Brückenpfeiler

17.Aug.2004 Heilsames Rauschmittel: Cannabis soll Hirntumore stoppen

17.Aug.2004 Skandalverdacht: Der Professor und die falschen Schädel

17.Aug.2004 Intelligenter Beamer: Kintopp auf der Blümchentapete

17.Aug.2004 Heute in den Feuilletons: "Ratsch und Tratsch aus der Terrorbuchhaltung"

17.Aug.2004 Apple, Adidas, Adobe: Warum Firmen heißen, wie sie heißen

17.Aug.2004 Rhein-Sperrung: Tankschiff mit explosiver Ladung auf Grund gelaufen

17.Aug.2004 Editorial: Interrogating the Protesters

17.Aug.2004 Cornwall: Flutwelle spült Dutzende Autos ins Meer

17.Aug.2004 Hintergrund Saarland: "Das französischste Stück Deutschlands"

17.Aug.2004 Hintergrund Saarland-Wahl: Mehrheitsverhältnisse im Bundesrat

17.Aug.2004 Saarland: Lafontaine wird zum CDU-Wahlkämpfer

17.Aug.2004 Zweifel in London: Blairs ehemaliger Gesandter befürchtet Scheitern im Irak

17.Aug.2004 Anschlag in Bagdad: Granaten töten mehrere Menschen

17.Aug.2004 Saturn: "Cassini" entdeckt zwei neue Monde

17.Aug.2004 Bierreklame-Skandal: Miller verzichtete auf schwarze Künstler ,

17.Aug.2004 Queensland: Buschwandern mit Waran

17.Aug.2004 Vermittlung in Nadschaf: Sadr ruft den Papst zur Hilfe

17.Aug.2004 Wurm Mydoom.S: LOL!;))) ----- :-(

17.Aug.2004 Zeugenaussage: Motassadeq soll zu Attentätern enge Beziehung gehabt haben

17.Aug.2004 Kopftuchkonflikt: Muslimische Lehrerin will ins Ausland

17.Aug.2004 ZEW-Prognose: Ein bisschen Aufschwung - dann geht's bergab

17.Aug.2004 Reformruine Arbeitsmarkt: Jung, gefördert, chancenlos

17.Aug.2004 Uno-Sicherheitsrat: Italien will Sitz für Deutschland verhindern

17.Aug.2004 Bushs Abzugpläne: Unruhe an den Standorten

17.Aug.2004 Krawallrocker "The Libertines": Unersättlich im Dauerzoff

17.Aug.2004 Markensterben: Daewoo wird zu Chevrolet

17.Aug.2004 Archäologie: Höhle von Johannes dem Täufer gefunden?

17.Aug.2004 Wissenschaft auf Wanderschaft: Hiergeblieben, Hirn!

17.Aug.2004 US-Rückzugspläne: Struck spricht von schwerem Verlust

17.Aug.2004 Schwarzgeld-Prozess: Kanther wehrt sich

17.Aug.2004 Börse am Nachmittag: Allianz gewinnt über drei Prozent

17.Aug.2004 Kanther vor Gericht: "Linke Speerspitze stumpf gemacht"

17.Aug.2004 Kanther vor Gericht: "Dem linkswütigen Zeitgeist entgegengestellt"

_{URL: https://www.spiegel.de/wissenschaft/weltraum/0,1518,313697,00.html}
17.Aug.2004 Beryllium-9 entsteht, wenn Supernovae schwere Atomkerne durch den Raum schleudern und diese auf leichtere Kerne treffen. Das in den Sternen von NGC 6397 gefundene Beryllium muss sich über etwa 200 Millionen Jahre in der jungen Milchstraße angereichert haben, glaubt das Team um den Eso-Astronomen Luca Pasquini. Die Galaxie sei deshalb rund 13,6 Milliarden Jahre alt.
Dieser Wert ergibt nur scheinbar einen Widerspruch zu bisherigen Theorien über das Alter des Universums, das derzeit - unter anderem anhand der kosmischen Hintergrundstrahlung, dem "Nachglühen" des Urknalls - auf 13,7 Milliarden Jahre beziffert wird. Wegen des 200 Millionen Jahre langen, sternenlosen "Dunklen Zeitalters" dürfte die Milchstraße demnach höchstens 13,5 Milliarden Jahre alt sein.
"Die Theorien haben noch immer eine große Fehlertoleranz", betont Pasquini im Gespräch mit SPIEGEL ONLINE. Sein Team gab für das Alter der Milchstraße eine mögliche Abweichung von bis zu 800 Millionen Jahren an. "Mit 13,6 Milliarden Jahren passt der durch die Beryllium-Messung ermittelte Wert sehr gut zu den Annahmen über das Alter des Universums", so Pasquini _{URL: https://www.spiegel.de/wissenschaft/weltraum/0,1518,313697,00.html}
17.Aug.2004 Als sich die kosmische Ursuppe nach dem Urknall abkühlte, brach das "Dunkle Zeitalter" herein: Sonnen gab es noch nicht, im jungen Universum herrschte tiefe Finsternis. Erst nach 200 Millionen Jahren, so der derzeitige Forschungsstand, zündeten die ersten Sonnen ihr nukleares Feuer und ermöglichten die Entstehung aller anderen Himmelskörper.
Schon in dieser frühen Periode des Weltalls entstanden die ersten Sterne der Milchstraße, wie Astronomen der Europäischen Südsternwarte (Eso) jetzt herausgefunden haben. Mit dem Paranal-Observatorium in Chile nahmen die Forscher den 7200 Lichtjahre entfernten Kugelsternhaufen NGC 6397 im Sternbild Ara ins Visier. Erstmals maßen sie den Gehalt an Beryllium in zweien seiner Sterne.
Dabei stellte sich heraus, dass die Sonnen bereits vor 13,4 Milliarden Jahren entstanden sind - und nicht die ersten in der Milchstraße waren. Denn das Beryllium in den kosmischen Methusalems konnte nicht beim Urknall, sondern erst durch die Explosion der ersten Sonnen entstehen. Wann diese erste, längst vergangene Generation von Sternen der Milchstraße entstand, war bislang unklar. _{URL: https://www.spiegel.de/wissenschaft/weltraum/0,1518,313697,00.html}
17.Aug.2004 Eso-Teleskope auf dem Paranal-Gipfel in Chile: Beryllium verrät das Alter der Milchstraße

_{URL: https://www.spiegel.de/wissenschaft/weltraum/0,1518,313697,00.html}
17.Aug.2004 Kugelsternhaufen NGC 6397: Treffen der Ältesten
Als sich die kosmische Ursuppe nach dem Urknall abkühlte, brach das "Dunkle Zeitalter" herein:

Sonnen gab es noch nicht, im jungen Universum herrschte tiefe Finsternis.

Erst nach 200 Millionen Jahren, so der derzeitige Forschungsstand, zündeten die ersten Sonnen ihr nukleares Feuer + ermöglichten die Entstehung aller anderen Himmelskörper.
Schon in dieser frühen Periode des _{URL: https://www.spiegel.de/wissenschaft/weltraum/0,1518,313697,00.html}
17.Aug.2004 13,6 MILLIARDEN JAHRE
Milchstraße ist fast so alt wie das Universum
Die Milchstraße ist kaum jünger als das Weltall selbst. Neue Messungen ergaben, dass die ersten Sterne unserer Galaxie bereits vor 13,6 Milliarden Jahren entstanden - am Ende des "Dunklen Zeitalters" nach dem Urknall.
17.Aug.2004 13,6 Milliarden Jahre: Milchstraße ist fast so alt wie das Universum )

17.Aug.2004 Tankschiff-Unfall: Explosive Ladung geborgen

17.Aug.2004 Terror-Prozess: Acht Verdächtige in Großbritannien angeklagt

17.Aug.2004 Familientragödie: Amerikanerin lässt sieben Kinder in Nigeria zurück

17.Aug.2004 Nahost: Israelische Soldaten erschießen Neunjährigen

17.Aug.2004 Arbeitsmarkt: Unternehmen wollen Unfallschutz aufkündigen

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03.Jun.2004 Bush [BGW968]'s remarks on Tenet -The Associated Press-

Here is the text of President Bush [BGW968]'s remarks Thursday on the resignation of USA CIA Director George Tenet, as transcribed by eMediaMillWorks Inc.:

"I met with George last night in the White House. I had a good visit with him. He told me he was resigning for personal reasons. I told him I'm sorry he's leaving. He's done a superb job on behalf of the USA people. I accepted his letter.

"He will serve at USA CIA as the director until mid- 00.Jul.2004 , at which time the deputy director of USA CIA Central Intelligence Agency, McLaughlin, John will serve as the acting director.

"George Tenet is the kind of public servant you like to work with.

He's strong, he's resolute.

He's served his nation as the director for seven years.

He has been a strong and able leader at the agency. He's been a strong leader in the war on terror.

And I will miss him.

"I send my blessings to George + his family.

I look forward to working with him until the time he leaves the agency.

And I wish him all the very best."
03.Jun.2004 Tenure spans seven tumultuous years - Key moments in the tenure of USA CIA Director George Tenet:

00.May 1998 India + Pakistan conduct nuclear weapons tests that were nOt predicted by USA CIA.

00.Aug.1998 North Korea launches a three-stage rocket + appears closer to developing a missile capable of reaching the USA. USA intelligence experts failed to anticipate the development.

00.Oct.1998 President Clinton praises Tenet for helping to hammer out a Middle East peace accord between Israel + Palestinian leaders.

00.Dec.1998 USA CIA Director Tenet, concerned about Osama bin Laden, tells USA deputies, "We are at war."

00.May 1999 -during the NATO air campaign to stop repression in Kosovo- USA warplanes, acting on faulty USA CIA intelligence, bomb the Chinese Embassy in Belgrade, Yugoslavia,.

00.Dec.1999 USA CIA Director Tenet warns of possible millennium attacks.

A customs agent in Washington state catches Ahmed Ressam trying to enter from Canada with a large cache of explosives.

Ressam confesses to plotting to blow up Los Angeles International Airport.

00.Aug.2001 : USA CIA Director Tenet warns President Bush [BGW968] that terrorists might be preparing to hijack a plane in the USA + might be targeting a building in lower Manhattan.

11.Sep.2001 Nineteen al-Qaeda hijackers fly jets into the World Trade Center + Pentagon.

USA CIA is later faulted for not identifying a hijacker it had previously tracked on a terrorist watch list + for failing to share information with USA FBI.

00.Dec.2002 Tenet assures Bush [BGW968] that evidence of Iraq's weapons of mass destruction is a "slam dunk."

00.Jan.2003 Bush [BGW968] says in his State of the Union address that Iraq tried to buy uranium ore in Africa.

USA CIA had previously raised doubts about the claim.

00.Feb.2003 With Tenet seated behind him, Secretary of State Colin Powell tells the United Nations Security Council about what he calls new evidence of Iraq's efforts to develop + conceal chemical, biological + nuclear weapons.

00.Dec.2003 USA troops, helped by USA CIA intelligence information, catch Saddam Hussein in a hole in the ground near his hometown in Iraq.

00.Feb.2004 In a speech at Georgetown University, Tenet acknowledges that USA intelligence "may have overestimated" Iraq's progress in building a nuclear weapon + that no chemical or biological arms had been found.

Contributing: Sources: USA TODAY research + Plan of Attack by Bob Woodward Tenure spans seven tumultuous years 04.Jun.2004 Politics home  

03.Jun.2004 Tenet leaves legacy of intelligence lapses-USA TODAY WASHINGTON — To his critics, the question wasn't why USA CIA Director George Tenet resigned on Thursday.

It was how he had managed to survive for so long.

Tenet served as the nation's top intelligence official through a litany of intelligence failures:

the unforeseen testing of nuclear weapons by India + Pakistan, the 11.Sep.2001 attacks on New York City + the Pentagon,the assurances to the UN + White House before the war that Iraq was hiding weapons of mass destruction.

Tenet defenders, President Bush [BGW968] among them, argue that Tenet helped rebuild the Central Intelligence Agency, improving morale + providing stability through difficult times.

By its nature, they say, USA CIA's successes remain secret while its failures are trumpeted on front pages + investigated by congressional committees.

Whatever history's judgment, Tenet's departure leaves a vacancy in a critical job at a dangerous time + at an agency often caught in the push-and-pull among policymakers at the State Department, Pentagon + White House.

It may open the door to an overhaul of the intelligence services that Tenet opposed.

It also could make the blunt-spoken Greek-American from Queens a handy scapegoat when reports are issued in coming weeks by the commission investigating the 11.Sep.2001 attacks +

by the Senate Intelligence Committee on the pre-war assessment of Iraq.

Both are expected to castigate the agency Tenet has led for seven years.

Sen. Evan Bayh, D-Ind., a member of the Senate committee, calls its report "scathing."

The two documents will blast USA CIA from opposite directions.

The 11.Sep.2001 commission faults USA CIA for failing to recognize the threat from al-Qaeda before 11.Sep.2001 .

The Senate committee accuses USA CIA of exaggerating the threat from Iraq before the war.

Tenet's departure "gives Bush [BGW968] a chance to show the public he's making a clean start, in some sense," says Richard Betts of Columbia University, a former staffer for the Senate Intelligence Committee + consultant to USA CIA.

"This gives a chance for the president to do something to suggest that we're moving ahead from the bad old days of 11.Sep.2001 + Iraq to something better."

Nonetheless, Tenet's departure was surprising — in part because he has been defying predictions of his imminent demise for years.

Tenet was a Clinton administration holdover, not generally a helpful credential with Bush [BGW968].

00.000.1999 -But in-Tenet had the Bush [BGW968] family's gratitude for naming USA CIA's headquarters after the first President _Bush [BGHW948], a former USA CIA chief.

00.Nov.2000 -after the election- Tenet developed a relationship with Bush [BGW968] when he gave daily intelligence briefings to the president-elect.

00.Nov.2000 -after the election-Since then, the two men — both plain-spoken + no-nonsense — have forged a friendship.

In an emotional farewell at USA CIA, Tenet offered "a word of special thanks" to Bush [BGW968]; he didn't mention Clinton.

When Bush [BGW968] announced Tenet's resignation, the president praised Tenet's work as "superb" + added, "I will miss him."

-in the past three years- A half-dozen times, Bush [BGW968] has brushed aside demands that Tenet be fired.

Tenet's skepticism of Ahmad Chalabi, an Iraqi exile leader now accused of passing USA secrets to Iran, put him at odds with some conservatives influential at the Pentagon.

For the families of those killed in the 11.Sep.2001 attacks, he has been a lightning rod.

The central role USA CIA has played in the war on terror + in Iraq has given him a higher profile than predecessors.

"Resigning is nice; kicked out or booted out would have been better," says Monica Gabrielle, whose husband, Richard, died in the attack on the World Trade Center. "I'm still waiting for someone to be held accountable for failures."

White House officials insist that Tenet's decision to resign now was voluntary + personal.

Friends describe him as exhausted by one of Washington's most grueling jobs.

At dinner last week, former USA CIA director Deutsch, John says Tenet, 51, "talked in general terms about how tired he was."

Even so, Deutsch says he was surprised when his resignation followed so soon + at a time USA CIA is under fire. Tenet had suggested to associates that he wanted to leave, but at a time of triumph — when, say, Osama bin Laden had been captured.

"This is the most difficult decision I have ever had to make," Tenet said in his remarks at USA CIA, gesturing toward his family +

then addressing his teenage son, John Michael. "You've just been a great son + I'm now going to be a great dad."

Even some Republicans called his departure overdue.

"USA CIA director says it's personal, but I would say the storm clouds are gathering," says Rep. Rob Simmons, R-Conn., a former USA CIA spy. He calls it "a good time to clear the decks."