Quote:
Originally Posted by nononsenseguy
This isn't about 9/11, but since you mentioned it, let me remind you that it was Bill Clinton that was given specific warning about Muslims flying planes into skyscrapers, and he ignored the warnings ...
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Correction:
"Ignored"? What should a president do about such a warning? -attack someone???
Under Clinton, the CIA and the National Security Council instituted a special al-Qaida unit that thwarted several deadly conspiracies, including a scheme to blow up Los Angeles International Airport on Millennium Eve, and plots to bomb the Holland and Lincoln Tunnels in New York City as well as the United Nations building.
A month before Clinton left office -- and nine months before the planes hit the World Trade Center and the Pentagon -- the nation's most experienced diplomats in counterterrorism praised those efforts. "Overall, I give them very high marks," said Robert Oakley, former Ambassador for Counterterrorism in the Reagan State Department.
Paul Bremer, who had served in the same post under Reagan and later was chosen by congressional leaders to chair the National Commission on Terrorism, disagreed slightly with his colleague. Bremer told the Washington Post he believed that the Clinton administration had "correctly focused on bin Laden."
By December 2000, Clarke had prepared plans for a military operation to attack Osama bin Laden in Afghanistan, go after terrorist financing and work with police officials around the world to take down the terrorist network.
Because Clinton was to leave office in a few weeks, he decided against handing Bush a war in progress as he worked to put a new administration together. (Eight years later Bush wasn't so considerate.)
Instead, Clarke briefed national security adviser Condoleezza Rice, Cheney and others. He emphasized that time was short and action was urgent. The Bush administration
sat on the report for months and months. The first high-level discussion took place on Sept. 4, 2001, just a week before the attacks.
On Clinton's watch, the CIA and the National Security Council instituted a special al-Qaida unit that thwarted several deadly conspiracies, including a scheme to blow up Los Angeles International Airport on Millennium Eve, and plots to bomb the Holland and Lincoln Tunnels in New York City as well as the United Nations building. Timely American intelligence also prevented a deadly assault on the Israeli embassy in Washington. Meanwhile, the State Department and the CIA neutralized dozens of terrorist cells overseas through quiet prosecutions, extraditions, and executions undertaken by allies from Albania to the Philippines.
Then there is the 9/11 Commission Report:
"There were more than 40 intelligence articles in the PDBs from January 20 to September 10, 2001, that related to Bin Ladin." - 9-11 Commission Report pp. 254
"In the spring of 2001, the level of reporting on terrorist threats and planned attacks increased dramatically to its highest level since the millennium alert.At the end of March, the intelligence community disseminated a terrorist threat advisory, indicating a heightened threat of Sunni extremist terrorist attacks against U.S. facilities, personnel, and other interests." - 9-11 Commission Report pp. 255
"On June 25, Clarke warned Rice and Hadley that six separate intelligence reports showed al Qaeda personnel warning of a pending attack."- 9-11 Commission Report pp. 257
"On June 28, Clarke wrote Rice that the pattern of al Qaeda activity indicating attack planning over the past six weeks had reached a crescendo. A series of new reports continue to convince me and analysts at State, CIA, DIA [Defense Intelligence Agency], and NSA that a major 'terrorist attack or series of attacks is likely in July,' he noted. One al Qaeda intelligence report warned that something 'very, very, very, very' big was about to happen, and most of Bin Ladin's network was reportedly anticipating the attack."- 9-11 Commission Report pp. 257
"That same day(July 5th), the CIA briefed Attorney General 'Az croft' (it won't let me type the actual name!!!) on the al Qaeda threat, warning that a significant terrorist attack was imminent. 'Az croft' was told that preparations for multiple attacks were in late stages or already complete and that little additional warning could be expected." - 9-11 Commission Report pp. 258-259
"On June 30, the SEIB contained an article titled 'Bin Ladin Threats Are Real.' Yet Hadley told Tenet in July that Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz questioned the reporting."- 9-11 Commission Report pp. 259
"During the spring and summer of 2001,President Bush had on several occasions asked his briefers whether any of the threats pointed to the United States. Reflecting on these questions, the CIA decided to write a briefing article summarizing its understanding of this danger.Two CIA analysts involved in preparing this briefing article believed it represented an opportunity to communicate their view that the threat of a Bin Ladin attack in the United States remained both current and serious. The result was an article in the August 6 Presidential Daily Brief titled 'Bin Ladin Determined to Strike in US.' "- 9-11 Commission Report pp. 260 This also happened to be when Mr. Bush was on vacation in Crawford Texas.
"Late in the month, a foreign service reported that Abu Zubaydah was considering mounting terrorist attacks in the United States, after postponing possible operations in Europe. No targets, timing, or method of attack were provided."- 9-11 Commission Report pp. 262
Your right wing rewrite of history is hereby refuted and exposed.
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