Knives are out, the first big head rolls: CIA boss

But while Bush said he had told Tenet he was sorry to see him go and that he had done ‘‘a superb job on behalf of the American people,’’ there was immediate speculation that there was much more behind the departure than Tenet’s wish to leave the demands of a post he has held since 1997.

Tenet and the CIA have come under intense criticism since the terror attacks of September 11, 2001. The critics, in the government and outside it, have assailed the CIA, along with the Federal Bureau of Investigation and other agencies, for failing to ‘‘connect the dots,’’ or put together what in retrospect seemed to be a cornucopia of clues, and head off the attacks.

More recently, Secretary of State Colin L Powell has reportedly been pressing the CIA to explain why he was apparently misinformed about Saddam Hussein’s supposed possession of deadly chemical and biological weapons. Those weapons, which Powell told the United Nations were already in Iraq’s arsenal and which were a key rationale for the American-led war to topple the Baghdad dictator, have so far not been found.

Bush announced the resignation in a way that was almost bizarre. He had just addressed reporters and photographers in a fairly innocuous Rose Garden session with Australian Prime Minister John Howard. Then the session was adjourned, as Bush apparently prepared to depart for nearby Andrews Air Force Base and his flight to Europe, where he is to take part in ceremonies marking the 60th anniversary of the Normady invasion and meet European leaders — some of whom have been sharply critical of the campaign in Iraq.

But minutes later, Bush reappeared on the sun-drenched White House lawn, stunning listeners with the news of Tenet’s resignation, which the President said would be effective in mid-July. Until then, Bush said, the CIA’s Deputy Director, John McLaughlin, will be acting Director.

The President praised Tenet’s qualities as a public servant, saying: ‘‘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.’’

Then Bush walked away, declining to take questions.

The official announcement was unconvincing to a former CIA chief, Stansfield Turner, who held the post under President Jimmy Carter.

Turner said the resignation is ‘‘too significant a move at too important a time’’ to be inspired by nothing more than personal considerations.

‘‘I think he’s being pushed out,’’ Turner said in an interview on CNN. ‘‘The President feels he has to have someone to blame.’’

Turner went on: ‘‘I don’t think he would pull the plug on President Bush in the midst of an election cycle without being asked by President Bush to do that.’’