Bush Administration Divided Over Terror Alert; Some Say It Was Overblown

[iconoclastic cat]

Here you are. Mods: I hope this is breaking enough. Sorry if it's not.

http://abcnews.go.com/wire/US/ap20040528_47.html

White House Divided Over Terror Alert
Bush Administration Divided Over Need for New Terror Alert; Some Say It Was Overblown

The Associated Press

WASHINGTON May 28, 2004 — The FBI and Justice Department insist that warning the public about a possibly devastating terror attack in this country was justified by intelligence and may avert a repeat of the Sept. 11 attacks. But some Bush administration officials and lawmakers aren't so sure.

These officials and members of Congress with access to the same intelligence reports said the announcement by Attorney General John Ashcroft and FBI Director Robert Mueller was overblown and caused unnecessary public worry.

(more)

[SoFlaJet]

1. Oh yea

purely political,an obvious answer to the non-spike in approval ratings.They did it 2 years ago whenever his #'s would drop slightly.It was so repubs would be be able to spout"well 60% believe ..."blah blah blah.Sorry it ain't working.I just hope they don't pull their hijinx in Boston this summer-like they did to NYC.The "they"is the LIHOP or MIHOP "operatives"

[boobooday]

2. Ashcroft goes on TV -- tells no one in government

They didn't inform the mayors, they didn't give this list of suspects to the FBI for god's sake.

They are delusional madmen, scratching for power.



http://www.wgoeshome.com

[fearnobush]

3. Bush needs someone to read "The Boy Who Cried Wolf" to him.

Everyone I talk to, even Repugs - believe the so called warnings are bullshit. Their not too happy about them because they do have a negative impact on the economy.

[leesa]

6. And 'The Emporer's Clothes'. He's obviously not read that one either

[The Stranger]

4. Unnecessary -- except for Fundie Ashcroft to keep the hate on Muslims,

which is his real aim anyway.

[iconoclastic cat]

5. What really sucks about this is that if a real warning comes out,

people might get hurt because we blew it off. In this case, the Big Bad Wolf eats the bystanders and not the kid.
This is no longer a credibility gap, it's a credibility cancer.

[realcountrymusic]

7. Criminally negligent

Exactly right. These people have turned the "terror warning" entirely into a cynical manipulation of the news cycle, and this ranks among their greatest crimes. Even most pro-war-on-terra folks I know take these things as meaningless now, recognizing spin when they hear it.

In a true impending emergency, the government may have little credibility with large numbers of people. What price do we put on trust and credibility? Not only should we hold the regime accountable for 9/11, but they are well on their way to deserving blame for whatever new tragedy unfolds in the "homeland." First they invite it with a needless and incompetently prosecuted war guaranteed to inflame Arab opinion, earn recruits from the desperate and disaffected Muslim world, and stoke anger for years with indelible images of torture. Then they set us up like sheep to walk right into the trap they have designed for us, all the while bleating about Orange Alert This, and Homeland Security That, and Chatter and Threat Level and They Want to Take Away Our Freedom. Watch the birdie, because the ones taking away our freedom are the ones with little American flags on their lapels.

Rage, unbounded, consumes me.

Realcountrymusic

[efhmc]

8. That is what concerns me and it really is the nightmare of continually

crying "wolf".

[Moderator]

9. Duplicate topic, please add your link and discuss here, thanks

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=102&topic_id=587523&mesg_id=587523