Bremer Speech Before 9/11 - Bush Admn. Paying NO Attention to Terrorism

[otohara]

Bremer criticized Bush on terrorism before attacks

Thursday, April 29, 2004 Posted: 8:35 PM EDT (0035 GMT)

WASHINGTON (AP) -- L. Paul Bremer, the U.S. administrator in Iraq, said in a speech six months before the September 11, 2001 attacks that the Bush administration was "paying no attention" to terrorism.

"What they will do is stagger along until there's a major incident and then suddenly say, 'Oh my God, shouldn't we be organized to deal with this,"' said Bremer at McCormick Tribune Foundation conference on terrorism on February 26, 2001.

Bremer spoke at the conference shortly after he chaired the National Commission on Terrorism, a bipartisan body formed by the Clinton administration to examine U.S. counterterrorism policies.

The remarks drew attention on the same day Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney appeared before the September 11 commission to explain the precautions they took to prevent a terrorist attack after taking office in January 2001.

more....
http://www.cnn.com/2004/ALLPOLITICS/04/29/bremer.bush.ap/

[truthisfreedom]

1. hey, paul, notice how they weren't paying any attention to terrorism when

they put your a** in a sling in Iraq? it's a pattern, paul... switch parties and do some good in the world, buddy!

[Streetdoc270]

2. anyone got the full speach? n/t

[Tansy_Gold]

12. This was reported last week

The URL I have on the printed copy is

www.chicagoreader.com/hottype/index.html.

Title of the article is "9/11: He Saw It Coming."


<snip>

Bremer's remarks, somewhat abridged, survive in Terrorism: Informing the Public , the McCormick Tribune Foundation's book-length report on the conference. By the time it was published, in 2002, that window of opportunity had been slammed shut.

<end snip>

[MGKrebs]

3. Wow.

How the hell did Rove let this guy get vetted for the Iraq gig?

[Gold Metal Flake]

4. You folks must realize...

Let's say Gore took office.

Clinton's counter-terrorism systems in place would have remained in place.

It WOULD have been funded.

Staffing needs WOULD have been met.

John O'Neil WOULD have gotten back into Yemin, over Bodine's objections and the info gained WOULD have been useful.

FISA warrants WOULD have continued to be issued, especially in Moussoui's case.

The link from Moussoui to Atta's roomate WOULD have been followed up. Two FISA warrants later and Atta WOULD havebeen in custody and the common flight threads gathered.

With ALL intelligence entities now on balls-out red alert, all of the other flight leads WOULD have been shaken loose from the CIA, FBI and locals. Soon, most, if not all of the highjackers WOULD have been rounded up ahead of 9/11.

With Gore, 9/11 WOULD NOT have happened. O'Neil WOULD still be alive, along with so many others who deserved to live.

Please try to tear this apart. I think it holds water, and it pisses me off.

[West Coast Democrat]

8. I've always thought so

I think we should make this sort of a mantra for the election.

[leesa]

13. Well, not to mention that the Bush Crime Family would not have aided and

abetted whoever pulled off 9-11. It could not possibly have happened without heavy assistance from the current administration.

[Lostnote03]

14. By God!!!!

...You've Got It!!!!....Welcome to DU!!!....Clarity is the key to rebutting Bush/Cheneys' National Security mantra!!!.....Shortly after 911 two die-hard Repubs were ready to begin swinging fists at me for suggesting incompetence/complacency/participation wrt the cabals handling of our defense intelligence posture....They have since apologized and assured me that they will vote Dem this fall...Best Wishes

[Streetdoc270]

15. Talk about hitting the nail on the head!

This is the sort of insightful argument that I need when I face the 'Gore would have done nothing' people! I like you already GG! Welcome to DU :party:

[Lugnut]

18. Exactly!

And that's the best explanation I've seen to date.

Welcome to DU! :hi:

[leftchick]

20. you are absolutely Right!!

It pisses me off too! :mad:


oh and, Welcome to DU GG ! :toast:

[trof]

22. Plus the Hart/Rudman report

on national security would have been studied and implemented.
The chimp*, in the perennial Anything Not Clinton mode, shelved it in favor of a study to be done by Cheney at some vague later date.

[Just Me]

25. Oh,...how true!!!

Merely continuity could have prevented 9/11. That's just one of the reasons I am a LIHOP-per.

Welcome to DU, GG!!!

:yourock:

[Bandit]

30. But Bush* would have missed out on his month long vacation!!

:shrug:

[Tiberius]

33. good points

And the other thing to remember is that Clinton did stop the planned millenium bombing of LAX.

[Lindacooks]

36. Fabulous!!!!!!!!

And welcome to DU - you've nailed it.

[killbotfactory]

5. It's a historical statement!

And Bremer is "disloyal".

It's also Clinton's fault.

[Kukesa]

6. Blame it on Clinton.

I agree, blaming the situation on Clinton is a lot easier than thinking.

Kukesa

[fearnobush]

7. Freepers Sorry, Truth hurts.

WASHINGTON (AP) -- L. Paul Bremer, the U.S. administrator in Iraq, said in a speech six months before the September 11, 2001 attacks that the Bush administration was "paying no attention" to terrorism.

"What they will do is stagger along until there's a major incident and then suddenly say, 'Oh my God, shouldn't we be organized to deal with this,"' said Bremer at McCormick Tribune Foundation conference on terrorism on February 26, 2001.

Bremer spoke at the conference shortly after he chaired the National Commission on Terrorism, a bipartisan body formed by the Clinton administration to examine U.S. counterterrorism policies.

[Cocoa]

35. the truth keeps piling up

when will people see the obvious, that Bush fucked up, like he had done his whole life?

[UTUSN]

9. All Shrub Did Then Was Read The Very Hungry Caterpillar

The only difference since then is NOT reading TVHC (in public).

[yardwork]

10. And the official WH response?

{McClellan} said, "The actions we took prior to September 11 demonstrate that we took the terrorist threat seriously. The first major foreign policy directive was a comprehensive, aggressive strategy to eliminate al Qaeda."

LOL! Was that the POS that they threw together on September 10, that was essentially an unfunded "plan" to resume Clinton's plan, which Chimpy and Co had dropped upon taking office?

Interesting that it was released a whole day before 9/11. Almost like Chimpy's team knew that they would need a "plan" to wave around after the fact.....almost like they knew that something was coming.......

[MGKrebs]

11. Clinton's penis was the REAL terrorist

and they were working hard to make sure it did not attack again.

[Clyde39]

16. Where is the outrage?

This is pretty damning but if the media ignores it, then it is meaningless.

[KAZ]

24. It was even reported on my local news this a.m.

CBS 2, Chicago. Getting a fair amount of play.

[balanced]

34. The networks have reported it. But I have seen a plentiful

lack of follow-up. What does Bremer say? What does Bush say? What does Kerry say? What does anybody say?

[DS1]

17. He got the job in Iraq both as a warning, and as a "shut up" gift

[liarliartieonfire]

19. Watch your back Paul

Now that you're in Iraq, anything can happen..lots of baaad insurgents.

[gristy]

21. That story was reported on NPR news this morning.

NPR's on a roll: yesterday they played the actual recording of *'s non-answer to the question "Why is it necessary that both you and the vp appear in front of the 9-11 commission together?" They actually played an extended version of the interchange between * and the reporter (maybe this was at his last press conference) where the reporter followed up with the same question a second time after *'s first non-answer (thinking * didn't understand the question), and * gave the same non-answer to the question a second time!

It's that little interchange that gives fuel to my mirth when I heard that * is so proud of himself in that after appearing in front of the 9-11 commission yesterday, he reported said that "he answered all their questions."
:eyes:

[Tansy_Gold]

23. See my post above -- THIS WAS REPORTED LAST WEEK

If I didn't get the link to it here, I got it from Buzzflash -- two of my three main sources for news.

I have a print-out dated 4/23/04.

It was also reported 4/29 on The O'Franken Factor by David Sirota of Center for Amerian Progress, who said someone had sent it to him.

[SoCalDem]

26. WE were ALL OVER this story LAST WEEK !!!

I am more convinced than ever, that the news people are "mining our gold".. This is what I saw when I went online today :):):)

[underpants]

27. I think the "Attack machine" just short circuited

Heads exploding all around.

[Dhalgren]

29. The "Green Zone" may be

Bremer's "Green Mile".

[Rockholm]

28. How remarkable! When will Bremer be replaced?

Replaced after June 30th, but watch him get removed beforehand.

[NickB79]

31. I've always had this feeling that Paul won't be coming home alive

It would be in *'s best interests if Bremer never came home to talk about all this, especially with elections coming up. Better to set him up on a little trip through a "pacified" area of Baghdad, have him martyred in Iraq and his death used as a rallying cry for the "war on terra."

[Rockholm]

32. I have often thought that Bremer would get "killed"

Remember, the day the coalition building was bombed, Bremer left earlier that day. I think it was a couple of days before Saddam was "captured" (turned over by the Kurds)