Memo contradicts Condoleezza Rice
I had somehow (and somewhat naively, as it turns out) hoped that the 9.11 Commission's investigation might turn up something resembling the truth of what happened. I suppose that could still happen, but it is looking less and less likely. While the evidence seems to point towards something close to malfeasance on the part of the Bushies, the Administration is too busy furious spinning to address whatever the "truth" may be.
The reality here is that Job One for the Bushies is to get there man elected- by whatever means necessary. Truth may be the first casualty of war, but it is also the first casualty of modern Presidential campaigns. Three thousand dead American civilians seem almost beside the point.
Speaking only for myself, I am more interested in the truth than in laying blame. After all, we can't un-murder 3000 Americans. I want to understand how and why 9.11 happened, so that I can make peace with that tragedy in my own mind. Perhaps 9.11 could have been prevented if someone had correctly read the tea leaves. Perhaps it would have happened regardless. I don't "blame" George W. Bush for 9.11 any more than I "blame" Bill Clinton. To do so would be to miss the point. Nonetheless, would it be too much to ask for some honesty and spin-free analysis??
National Security adviser Condoleezza Rice insisted in her public testimony to the 9/11 commission last week that the document relating to the 6 August 2001 presidential briefing contained mostly historical information and did not warn of any coming attacks.
But the page-and-a-half memo contradicts Rice, revealing that President George Bush had been warned of an al-Qaida plan to attack the US.
The report said it had not been able to corroborate some of the "more sensational threat reporting" such as a report in 1998 that bin Ladin wanted to hijack a US aircraft to gain the release of those responsible for the 1993 bombing at the World Trade Centre.
IS this a warning that could have led to 9.11 being prevented? Who knows? I certainly don't. I just want to know who knew what and when. I'm just looking for a little peace of mind, not more election-year spin doctoring.
Yeah, like THAT'S going to happen....
