(2004-09-15) — Former CIA director George Tenet today defended CBS news reporter Dan Rather for his use of potentially inauthentic documents to prove that then-Lt. George W. Bush sought special treatment to evade service in the Air National Guard in the early 1970s.

“Those memos are a slam-dunk,” said Mr. Tenet, gesturing broadly, “Dan Rather did the due diligence of seeking document experts who agreed with his predetermined opinion. What more can you ask?”

The Clinton-appointed former CIA director, said Mr. Rather shouldn’t worry about losing his job over ‘memogate’.

“Dan Rather asks the tough questions and does his homework, or gets someone to do it,” Mr. Tenet said. “If I were still at the Agency, I’d take a look at his resume, even if he typed it up in Microsoft Word.”