http://thinkprogress.org/2006/09/26/rice-clinton-terrorism/
Rice Falsely Claims Bush´s Pre-9/11 Anti-Terror Efforts Were `At Least As
Aggressive´ As Clinton´s
This morning, in the Fox-owned New York Post, Secretary of State
Condoleezza Rice reacts angrily to President Clinton´s criticisms of how
the Bush administration approached the terrorist threat during their
first eight months in office. (The Post headlines the article "Rice Boils
Over Bubba") An excerpt:
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice yesterday accused Bill Clinton of
making "flatly false" claims that the Bush administration didn´t lift a
finger to stop terrorism before the 9/11 attacks.
... "What we did in the eight months was at least as aggressive as what the
Clinton administration did in the preceding years," Rice added.
The 9/11 Commission Report contradicts Rice´s claims. On December 4,
1998, for example, the Clinton administration received a President´s
Daily Brief entitled "Bin Ladin Preparing to Hijack US Aircraft and Other
Attacks." Here´s how the Clinton administration reacted, according to the
9/11 Commission report:
The same day, [Counterterrorism Czar Richard] Clarke convened a meeting
of his CSG [Counterterrorism Security Group] to discuss both the
hijacking concern and the antiaircraft missile threat. To address the
hijacking warning, the group agreed that New York airports should go to
maximum security starting that weekend. They agreed to boost security at
other East coast airports. The CIA agreed to distribute versions of the
report to the FBI and FAA to pass to the New York Police Department and
the airlines. The FAA issued a security directive on December 8, with
specific requirements for more intensive air carrier screening of
passengers and more oversight of the screening process, at all three New
York area airports. [pg. 128-30]
On August 6, 2001, the Bush administration received a President´s Daily
Brief entitled "Bin Laden Determined to Strike U.S." Here´s how the Bush
administration reacted, according to the 9/11 Commission report:
[President Bush] did not recall discussing the August 6 report with the
Attorney General or whether Rice had done so.[p. 260]
We have found no indication of any further discussion before September 11
among the President and his top advisers of the possibility of a threat
of an al Qaeda attack in the United States. DCI Tenet visited President
Bush in Crawford, Texas, on August 17 and participated in the PDB
briefings of the President between August 31 (after the President had
returned to Washington) and September 10. But Tenet does not recall any
discussions with the President of the domestic threat during this period.
[p. 262]
Rice acknowledged that the 9/11 Commission report is the authoratative
source on this debate: "I think this is not a very fruitful discussion.
We´ve been through it. The 9/11 commission has turned over every rock and
we know exactly what they said."
Digg It!
Alamaine, IVe
Grand Forks, ND, US of A
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
"All are lunatics, but he who can analyze his delusion is called a
philosopher." - Ambrose Bierce (1842-1914)
Don't ask about caste or riches but instead ask about conduct. Look
at the flames of a fire. Where do they come from? From a piece of
wood"and it doesn't matter what wood. In the same way, a wise
person can come from wood of any sort. It is through firmness and
restraint and a sense of truth that one becomes noble, not through
caste. -Sutta Nipata
~~~~~~~
In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this
site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior
interest in receiving the included information for research and
educational purposes.
