"They knew, but did nothing"

[deminks]

This is an exclusive excerpt from Philip Shenon's book, a New York Times reporter. A reputable source.


http://www.smh.com.au/news/world/they-knew-but-did-nothing/2008/03/07/1204780065676.html?page=fullpage#contentSwap1

In this exclusive extract from his new book, Philip Shenon uncovers how the White House tried to hide the truth of its ineptitude leading up to the September 11 terrorist attacks.

(snip)

Even reporters in Washington who covered intelligence issues acknowledged they were largely ignorant that summer that the CIA and other parts of the Government were warning of an almost certain terrorist attack. Probably, but not necessarily, overseas.

The warnings were going straight to President Bush each morning in his briefings by the CIA director, George Tenet, and in the presidential daily briefings. It would later be revealed by the 9/11 commission into the September 11 attacks that more than 40 presidential briefings presented to Bush from January 2001 through to September 10, 2001, included references to bin Laden.

And nearly identical intelligence landed each morning on the desks of about 300 other senior national security officials and members of Congress in the form of the senior executive intelligence brief, a newsletter on intelligence issues also prepared by the CIA.

The senior executive briefings contained much of the same information that was in the presidential briefings but were edited to remove material considered too sensitive for all but the President and his top aides to see. Often the differences between the two documents were minor, with only a sentence or two changed between them. Apart from the commission's chief director, Philip Zelikow, the commission's staff was never granted access to Bush's briefings, except for the notorious August 2001 briefing that warned of the possibility of domestic al-Qaeda strikes involving hijackings. But they could read through the next best thing: the senior executive briefings.

[leftofthedial]

1. The 9-11 Commission was a coverup

9-11 was NOT what the official cover story says it was. It is the underlying reason they have been able to destroy our economy so fast.

[mac2]

3. Spitzer told the families he would investigate 911 when

they got the petition and went to court. The now US Attorney General held it up and refused to hear it.

http://www.911truth.org/article.php?story=20041221155307646 Questions still not answered by our government.

I call that interfering with an investigation of a crime (one of the worst in our history). That judge should lose his license but no he was promoted and Congress approved his appointment (even though the people disaproved of it). Promotion seems to be the reward for breaking the law and hiding the real events of 911.

[leftofthedial]

6. 2000 was a coup

they are all criminals or are afraid of the criminals.

who gets rewarded in a crime syndicate? the biggest, worst scumwads.

[mac2]

9. I agree.

[mac2]

28. My link to 911 family questions again.

http://www.911truth.org/article.php?story=20041221155307646

[fasttense]

2. They knew and did absolutely NOTHING

They are complicit and as guilty as Bin Laden.

[mac2]

5. That alone is reason to impeach.

What leaders?

[SpiralHawk]

4. "LIHOP - neener, neener, neener. Smirk." - Commander AWOL

"You'll never pin this on me and my corrupt republicon cronies, you dirty rotten seekers after truth, justice and American honor. Smirk."

- Commander AWOL

[LizW]

7. 9/11 was the best day of Bush's life

And Cheney's.

Why would they have done anything to stop something that shot Bush's approval rating through the roof and allowed them to start wars that made them, their families and their cronies rich beyond belief?

[mac2]

10. It was their "Trifecta" as well as the Queen who was almost

out on her fanny prior to 911 attacks. Now the Commonwealth has had their rights taken away because of 911 and the London Bombing. The Empire is back in power.

The Queen knighted Rudi a hero of 911. Rudi who failed to protect NY City WTC when it had been attacked previously. He also allowed the rescue workers to inhale debris. They were ordered to do their job without masks, etc. Some of them now sick or dying.

Interesting that Rudi was in London at the time of the London Bombings. Like 911 the investigations and documents, etc. secret.

It was their Pearl Harbor event to bring about their PNAC.

[Ilsa]

17. It makes me ill to hear Bushwipe say that the most important duty

of his office is to protect the people of the US instead of the Constitution. He sacrificed the people so he could also trample the Constitution.

[mac2]

25. Orwellian speak for sure.

[donkeyotay]

26. Bush would have been in deep shit without 9/11

His approval rating was low and doubts lingered about the legitimacy of his election, the economy was getting ready to tank, and we were just about to be clued in on a little scandal called Enron. Fortunately for the Education President and his war cabinet, they got a new agenda.

[mac2]

30. And the "dog and pony show" of war distracted from the

stolen election. DA! I knew when the jets hit the WTC it was a coup for war and to destroy our democracy. The signs were everywhere since GH Bush's reign. No defense planes to be seen when more than one jet hit on 911. Then everyone in our government disappeared except Dan Rather...for a very long time to create fear.

Secretary of State Madeline Albright had been trying to get us to go to war against Iraq since President Clinton (and they pressured him too). She demanded students fight for Israel at the peace conference in Ohio. They said, hell no we won't go to war for Israel. When 911 happened she got her wish. Still the students didn't want it. They protested. Madeline said of the Shock & Awe, it was worth it. Of-course Madeline had no family going to war or having the bombs drop on her city did she?

I can only say that those who are given power and office in DC who betray us are globalists (members of a secret group of elitists who don't represent our interests) . They have a different agenda then protecting and defending our country and future. They have no patriotism but their own power and self interest.

Power must be some type of mental disease because some abuse it. They can never have enough.

[Bright Eyes]

8. Wrong forum.

You want The Dungeon.

[Hissyspit]

11. Of course they knew!

[mac2]

20. Even the so called Liberal newspaper NY Times said so.

It was in huge letters across the front page..."He Knew".

[jgraz]

12. Not even Rice is that stupid.

An administration with this huge of an appetite for covert intelligence does not simply ignore the warning signs that were presented to them. There is no doubt they allowed this to happen.

[mac2]

21. Or did it.

[formerfed]

13. Take it from the new guy

Take it from someone who was once on the inside years ago. We did, and knew a lot more things then anyone ever found out about. Dont really know about the 911 cover-up, but can imagine.

[deminks]

15. Welcome to DU, formerfed.

I suspect you are correct. Why do they keep so many secrets? None of them will keep forever. I look to the foreign press these days.

[mac2]

18. Someone said just think of the horrible things we do know about 911.

The criminal behavior is so much more than we could imagine.

[mac2]

29. You probably know about the Bush crime family

from the Iran Contra hearings. Insider Al Martin's book, The Conspirators tells it best.

[warren pease]

14. The Bush criminal enterprise might as well be a giant version of the Gambino family...

...except the Gambinos seem to base their activities primarily on standard risk/reward principles and potential profit margins.

The Bush family, while second to none in sheer unrestrained profit lust, also seems to produce an abnormally high number of pure sociopaths and therefore acts without the conventional moral constraints that keep other marginal personalities and their followers from going over the edge.

This use of the word "sociopaths," by the way, isn't a product of my own amateurish, long-distance diagnosis; rather, it's the considered opinion of numerous mental health professionals – psychiatrists, psychologists, clinicians, counselors – who have spent a good deal of time this past seven-plus years observing the weird behavior of the most consistently odd group of leader-like caricatures in memory, regardless of role, class or social ranking. OK then; we'll use the pros' terminology.

As sociopaths, the Bushies can't recognize consciousness in others -- in fact, can only see others as things in the way -- and therefore will never suffer normal human qualms of conscience over their own actions. This allows them to pursue their mania for acquisition and self-enrichment with absolutely no superego-imposed limits on depravity or cruelty or inhumanity.

In other words, the mass murder of 3,000 people on 9/11, as well as the mass murder of more than one million Iraqi non-combatants, is just a business expense and leaves the perps remorse-free. They'll do whatever it takes, no matter how objectively monstrous and shocking, to accomplish their objectives. This is the key to their actions, motives and follow-up initiatives post 9/11.

Other obvious differences include the fact that, while the Gambinos aren't hurting for money or weaponry, the Bushies have about a half trillion dollar annual armaments budget to play around with and lawful access to the world's finest killing technologies.

And, of course, the Bushies are in possession of the nuclear launch codes.

Other than that, their MOs aren't all that different. Both either buy off, threaten or "disappear" anyone who might rat them out. They each employ hordes of "button men" to do the "hurd wurk." Both seem to have some dirt on everybody of consequence who might possibly drum up the courage to oppose them. They both operate internationally. Their business operations include the drug trade, arms smuggling, supplying slave labor, running protection rackets and money laundering schemes, and carrying out assassinations for political or business reasons.

Both are also big in the environmental destruction business. The Bush syndicate practices it on a global scale through wars, opting out of international climate control treaties, enthusiastic support for generating power from fossil fuels and the like.

The Gambinos and other New York crime families keep it mostly local. This usually means using force to take background control of a toxic waste disposal company, continuing to charge clients normal rates that include passing on the stiff fees for legal disposal, then taking it all into the woods or down by the Hudson or East Rivers and emptying the truck into the ecosystem.

So it's just a matter of scale. The Bushies act globally, while the Gambinos for the most part act locally. The only other difference of any consequence is the amazing fact that the Gambinos can get busted for doing business their way.

The Bushies, however, can just keep stealing elections, bombing civilian populations, ruining entire economies, kidnapping and torturing their designated enemies as if Torquemada was running the CIA, stealing anything that isn't bolted down, lying by default, ignoring any laws or regulations that conflict with their objectives, making up new ones to tighten the screws down just a little more, and generally inflicting their demented agenda on us here and all the poor bastards around the world who just want a little peace and sanity in their lives.

The latter groups have been wondering for years how much shit Americans will swallow before rising up and tossing the shit-shovelers into the deepest, darkest, dankest, most impenetrable dungeon still standing from medieval times.

I'm afraid the answer is an infinite volume and a lifetime free pass for the shovelers.


wp

[dweller]

19. and as stated in the linked article

"It seemed to Gorelick that Rice had "assumed away the hardest part of her job" as national security adviser - gathering the best intelligence available to the White House and helping the President decide how to respond to it. Whatever her job title, Rice seemed uninterested in actually advising him. Instead, she wanted to be his closest confidant - specifically on foreign policy - and to simply translate his words into action. Rice had wanted to be "the consigliere to the President", Gorelick thought."


point well made.
dp

[mac2]

27. When you sleep with dogs Condi you get fleas...

http://www.911truth.org/article.php?story=20041221155307646

[Ilsa]

16. AG Ashcroft quit flying commercial flights in August before 9-11-01.

They knew. And they knew it would involve commercial aircraft. They are complicit with the terrorists and should be treated as traitors.

[yorgatron]

22. it's not "ineptitude"

everything they've ever done has made a profit for their friends.

[mac2]

24. Cheney was running military exercises which left us

open to attack. There was a stand down. Yet...he's still in "incompetent" power. He's not Secretary of Defense nor is it his duty. He's not qualified. Explain that one to me.

I don't feel safe.

[Richard Steele]

23. K&R