Today's American History Lesson

DECEMBER 14, 2004:

President Bush awards the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor, to former CIA Director George Tenet, saying he had played a "pivotal roles in great events," an allusion to the 9/11 attacks and wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Also receiving the medal are retired General Tommy Franks, who oversaw combat in Afghanistan and the initial invasion of Iraq, and former Iraq administrator L. Paul Bremer.

AUGUST 21, 2007:

A report released by the CIA includes new details of the agency’s missteps before the 9/11 attacks, including the failures to grasp the role being played by terror mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and to assess fully the threats known to 50 to 60 intelligence officers.

It is recommended that Tenet be held accountable for the failure of top agency officials to put in place a strategy to dismantle Al Qaeda in the years before the attacks.