swatting flies and waiting for Catastrophic Event

[radfringe]

driving home from work yesterday, I tuned into Neal Boortz on the radio..

Boortz was doing his usual crap -- but something he said got me to thinking. According to Boortz, plans to invade Afghanistan were being drawn up back in March-April of 2001. Boortz went on to say (paraphrased) -- imagine the 'outrage' of the american public if bush* had gone into Afghanistan in the spring of 2001...

Outrage of the American public at a spring 2001 invasion aside (for a moment) -- why was bush* drawing up invasion plans 5-6 months BEFORE 9-11? Could it be because the Taliban refused to be 'carpeted in gold' via the pipeline? Was bush* planning on invading Afghanistan because of the pipeline -- or because he had intelligence reports about Bin-Laden/terrorist attacks?

I have often wondered why it only took approximately 1 month after 9-11 for us to launch the invasion when it took poppy bush* several months to launch an attack after Kuwait was invaded by Saddam. It has always seemed to me that bush* had something in the works and was prepping for it long before 9-11.

Condi also stated that takes a catastrophic event before something is done. Going back to Boortz's comment about "the outrage of American people", coupled with the Afghanistan invasion plans -- was bush* waiting around for a catastrophic event to occur in order to justify invading Afghanistan?

Condi's testimony (at least the part we were allowed to watch) seemed to imply that bush* was on top of the terrorists threats. Well, if he was on top of terrorist threats -- then why wasn't appropriate actions taken BEFORE 9-11?

Could it be that appropriate actions would have been 'just swatting flies' and that bush* inc. wanted to take more substantial actions (like an invasion) -- but invading before a Catastrophic Event occurred would put his political standings at serious risk - whereas sitting around and waiting for a Catastrophic Event to occur and THEN invading would boost his political standing?

all of this brings us back to the same questions --- What DIDN'T bush* know and when DIDN'T he know it?

[murielm99]

1. Maybe their talking points are trying to smooth the way

for some acceptance or acknowledgement of LIHOP, depending on what comes out over the next few weeks.

I am sure we will never see the real details of that PDB. But will the commissioners see it? Will it begin to dawn on some of them that bushco may have known something, but kept his/their heads in the sand?

I am not a real believer in conspiracies, but they could have known something was afoot, but they were just too busy planning for Iraq. They may have had some nebulous plans for Afghanistan, but those were really the plans that were "to the side." Maybe that is why it did not take them long. After all, they must have had something in the works to protect their precious pipline, if it became necessary.

[sadiesworld]

2. Are you distinguishing b/t Clarke's plan to use military action

against AQ and an invasion of Afghanistan? I guess it makes sense that military action against AQ ( say, following CIA confirmation of AQ responsibility for the Cole bombing ) in and of itself, wouldn't have done anything re the Unocal pipeline. An invasion of Afghanistan would.

Kind of thinking aloud here. Thanks for helping me clarify this point! :)

[radfringe]

3. my understanding

is that it was invasion plans against AFGHANISTAN and not just action to take out Al-Qeada

perhaps I misunderstood? -- correct me if I'm wrong

in either event -- a plan was set into motion for some sort of military action in Afghanistan months before 9-11

[sadiesworld]

4. I think we're on the same page...

Military plans to take out AQ would not be "news", miliary plans to invade Afghanistan would.

Of course, Boortz breaking news is a bit of a contradiction, but floating a trial balloon--sure.

Boortz talking out his ass is a distinct possibility too. :7

[jimshoes]

5. Kinda puts the "trifecta" comment

into a new light. It gave them a reason to implement an Afghanistan invasion, go forward with the vendetta on Saddam and take out Bin Laden. (In their minds anyway) At least we know now that they were at least planning on Iraq and Afghanistan well before 9-11. Bin Laden seems to be an afterthought.