Why the PDB is going to save Bush's ass.

[grytpype]

I haven't seen the PDB yet, but according to CNN, the report contains a fact that is going to save President Gump's ass:

A report that at least 70 FBI investigations were under way in 2001 regarding possible al Qaeda cells/terrorist-related operations in the United States.

I think Dear Leader can plausibly say that with 70 FBI investigations going on, it looked to him like a lot was being done about the Al Qaeda problem. Seventy investigations does sound like a lot.

(more)

http://grytpype.dailykos.com/story/2004/4/10/191849/947

Update: I'm asking whether the PDB makes Bush look better or worse, and I still think it's a net positive. Which is what one of the Dem Commissioners said, he couldn't understand why they were withholding it.

If you read my diary post, you'll see I think counterterrorism was a low priority for the Bush administration due to the LIHOP Hypothesis (Weak Version). Even so, the PDB tends to disprove the LIHOP Hypotheses (Strong Version).

[Ruby Romaine]

1. only stealing the election will save his ass

and we can't let that happen again

[yardwork]

2. There are bigger fish to fry.

Sure, Chimpy did a lousy job preventing 9/11, but if that was the only thing he'd done wrong, people would forgive him.

The much, much bigger problem is: Why did we invade Iraq? There are no Weapons of Mass Destruction. There is no democracy there, and none in the foreseeable future. American troops are dying every day, and for what? Our international support is eroding quickly, and we're creating a crucible of rage and hate against the west in what was previously a fairly neutral country in the middle east.

If there is any justice, and if there is a fair election in November, the invasion of Iraq will be the mistake that ousts Chimpy.

[pinto]

6. good point, Yard. where's the PDB linking 9/11 to Saddam? duh.

[Prodemsouth]

15. The distinguished Prof who reviewed Condi's thesis said the exact same

thing you did. Lousy job on 9/11: forgives. Iraq war: unforgivable

[grytpype]

20. I agree.

We never thought Bush would really be vunerable on the issue of 9/11 itself. Like Operation AWOL, it surprised me a bit when it became a central issue for awhile.

[Birthmark]

3. Nonsense

It is not necessary to know the specifics of a possible attack to put REACTIVE measures in place. Since hijackings are specifically mentioned it is not unfair to expect the WH to put extra fighters in the air especially around our largest city and our nation's capitol - especially since both cities were specifically named.

Bush is DOOOMED! 9/11 is now laid on the doorstep of the Bush Admin, most specifically Dr. Rice's complete inaction. Clinton doesn't even enter the equation. I repeat: Bush is DOOMED!

[Nashyra]

4. No it won't

because the principals were not meeting and sharing the information. It was called the "Intell Link" during the liars testimony on Thurs. If 70 investigations were going on then it was crucial for the President to be "on the Job" and in Washinton making sure that the head of the depts met to exchange the information. The head of the CIA was worried it might be "the guy taking flight lessons" after hearing of the crash of the first tower. The * responded with "one bad pilot", if * knew that there were 70 investigations going on he should have known and reacted immeadiately. With 70 investigations going on why was this guy on vacation? I don't care how many big wigs briefed him daily, they should have been in Washington so that they brief each other.

[Prodemsouth]

5. No, They said he was tired of swatting flies remember.

So that would contradict his thinking that too little was being done.

[skooooo]

10. That's why Bush called off the hunt for Bin Laden...

...in May of 2001.
============================================
Bin Laden's Trackers Point to Threat of Major Attacks: From New York to Israel to the Gulf, Terror Chief Demands the World Pay Attention
_Forward_
New York, N.Y.
Jun 29, 2001
Authors: Donadio, Rachel


Connecting the dots, experts said that Mr. Bin Laden was on the warpath. The warnings issued around the world before the weekend "related to a specific piece of American intelligence that indicates that Osama Bin Laden is planning to launch an attack imminently," Vincent Cannistraro, a former head of counterterrorism at the Central Intelligence Agency, told the Forward.


Mr. Bin Laden, however, remains at large. A paramilitary contingency operation to go clandestinely into Afghanistan and arrest him, pursuant to a 1998 federal indictment issued in New York, was "considered too risky" and called off by the Bush administration "about six weeks ago," Mr. Cannistraro said. The operation, originally conceived during the Clinton administration, would have caused too many casualties and relied on inadequate support from bases in neighboring countries, he said.

[Prodemsouth]

12. Thanks I hope that is preserved in amber.

n/t

[Mike Niendorff]

7. which brings up a critical point:

Why, then, did Ashcroft try to re-task the FBI *away* from counterterrorism during 2001?
Why did he repeatedly refuse their requests for additional counterterrorism funding during 2001?
Why did multiple offices and agents speak openly and with alarm about a counterterrorism "roadblock" at FBI HQ?
Why did the FBI and DoJ(OIPR) refuse to pursue a FISA warrant against Moussaoui during this period?
And, at the same time, why did Ashcroft quietly pull all commercial flights from his own schedule?

Lots of questions here. The fact that there were this many ongoing investigations merely underscores the point.


MDN

[Prodemsouth]

9. Excellent point Mike.

Thread starter we luv ya, but this theory is getting the shit kicked out of it.

[grytpype]

18. Well, no.

I'm asking whether the PDB makes Bush look better or worse, and I still think it's a net positive. Which is what one of the Dem Commissioners said, he couldn't understand why they were withholding it.

If you read my diary post, you'll see I think counterterrorism was a low priority for the Bush administration due to the LIHOP Hypothesis (Weak Version). Even so, the PDB tends to disprove the LIHOP Hypotheses (Strong Version).

[alvis]

16. I have a couple more questions myself

If there was a terrorist threat, why wasn't Richard Clarke briefing the President?

Why wasn't the Counter-Terrorism Task Force that Cheney was chairing meeting?

[LittleApple81]

8. But he FBI on Friday disputes Rice's testimony:

BY KNUT ROYCE AND TOM BRUNE
WASHINGTON BUREAU


WASHINGTON -- The FBI on Friday disputed National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice's testimony that it was conducting 70 separate investigations of al-Qaida cells in the United States before the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.

Rice, testifying before the Sept. 11 commission Thursday, said that those 70 investigations were mentioned in a CIA briefing to the president and satisfied the White House that the FBI was doing its job in response to dire warnings that attacks were imminent and that the administration felt it had no need to act further.

But the FBI Friday said that those investigations were not limited to al-Qaida and did not focus on al-Qaida cells. FBI spokesman Ed Coggswell said the bureau was trying to determine how the number 70 got into the report.

The Aug. 6, 2001, memo was prescient in its title, which she divulged for the first time as "Bin Laden Determined to Attack Inside the United States."

more...

http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/nation/ny-rice0410,0,3695500.story?coll=ny-nation-big-pix

[teryang]

22. Good pick-up Little Apple! Rice Field order-perjury

<That, too, is news to the field offices. Commissioner Timothy J. Roemer told Rice that the commission had "to date ... found nobody, nobody at the FBI, who knows anything about a tasking of field offices." Even Thomas Pickard, at the time acting FBI director, told the panel that he "did not tell the field offices to do this," Roemer said.>

[Mikimouse]

11. OK, quick question for those more informed than I...

If there were 70 investigations going on in 2001, then my question is when were those investigations initiated? My experience with bureaucracies tells me that it takes a while to get any governmental action into gear, so is it possible that these were ongoing investigations initiated by the Clinton administration?

[Not Me]

13. Either way you cut it...

(with attribution to Randi Rhodes)
Either * got good intelligence prior to 9/11 and failed to do anything about it, OR he got poor intelligence and did nothing.

Giving them the benefit of their claims:
If the intelligence around 9/11 was piss poor, and the intelligence around Iraq's WMD was also poor, then why haven't heads rolled in CIA, FBI and in the Warrior Princess' department??????

They have TWO major fuckups on their hands.

This is steady leadership in uncertain times??????

He is going DDDDDD-----OOOOOOOOO--------WWWWWWWW-------NNNNNNNN !!

[skooooo]

17. down down down...in that flaming ring of fire....

lol...

bye bye George. you'll have plenty of days to fish with poppy soon.

[Fridays Child]

14. Remember that Condi said this PDB was in response to a request from...

...the president for information on terrorist activity in the US. Such a request by B*sh shows that he was clueless, in spite of the fact that Cheney had been "tasked" with that very issue, months earlier. (Of course, we know that Cheney never held a single meeting on terrorism.)

So, I'm guessing that the numerous, ongoing investigations referred to in this PDB were not initiated under B*sh's watch. They began under Clinton and, like most of the workings of government, did not stop just because a new administration came in.

[peacetalksforall]

19. 70 only represents quanitity...a list...if it doesn't have Rowley and

the Arizona report or if it has it and nothing was done, quantity won't make any difference. It appears we already know the answer...the dots weren't connected and not many agents or their bosses were that concerned about terror dots.

70 = pssstttt means nothing - until we know context and follow through.

[LittleApple81]

21. AGAIN, look at thread 8: the FBI says it does not know where 70 came

from.

[teryang]

23. "If it doesn't fit you must acquit"

Focus on this single document is absurd. As if this document of all the thousands of curious facts and circumstances surrounding 911 were dispositive.

The focus on this document is a kind of psychological slight of hand that has nothing to do with fact finding. A Commission on a political crime like 911 is worthless when the responsible parties control the WH, Congress and the SCt. Why even bother? This regime is totally unaccountable.

See, we looked into and the evidence shows there is nothing there! "We need intelligence reform for structural problems." Yeah right, no dereliction of duties, no prior knowledge, no obstruction of justice, no treason.

[Beetwasher]

24. No, That's Why It Will Bury Him

Some of those investigations turned up very relevant and pertinent info that never made it to the people it should. It was Bush and Condi's job to follow up and make sure it did. How did Tenet know about Moussaoui and brief Bush daily and NOT mention that? How did Tenet know on 9/11 exactly what was going on as soon as the first plane hit and Bush Said "That's one bad pilot!"? No, this damning...

[Warren Stuart]

25. What exactly is an investigation?

Is it a phone call, or an official proceeding with a paper trail?

The Coles bombing happened in late 2000, The FBI was involved in the investigation, I think this is where most of the 70 investigations came from.

If there was a comprehensive investigation, then Rowley's memo would have made it further up the food chain.

This dosen't exonerate Bush at all, it only highlights his failure as president. 70 investigations are going on, and no one notices the one person jumping up and down waving a red flag?

Ya can't have it both ways.

[robbedvoter]

26. 70 investigations started under Clinton, UNUSED by W

and if you read the PDb 9or what they allowed us to read) you'll see both NYC and DC are mentioned, with "surveillance of federal buildings in NYC" and the first WTC bombing mentioned right after the title as OBL model. Only the date was missing.
And what did W do? Play golf.
As for the posters saying that this was 'forgivable", people of New York are sending you and W a hearrty "Fuck uou!"

[baronessniki]

27. Did he ever check in on any one of those investigations? NO!!!

Just having 70 investigations going on and going fishing is not being a leader. With all that increased intel and 70 investigations going on should not the President at least have called his top security advisors TOGETHER and knocked some heads together? The fact is, Cheney had not given Bush orders to do so. They were too busy getting their genda together on Iraq, assiling the Clinton administration, and anetheticizing the public with missile defense and tax cuts.

[RoadRunner]

28. Hi baronessniki, Welcome to DU!!

Great first post! Gladya' found us. :hi:

[Robb]

29. Hi baronessniki!

Welcome to DU! :hi:

Missile defense and tax cuts, bread and circuses, whichever. ;)