Bush: Memo had no 'actionable intelligence'

[PfcHammer]

http://edition.cnn.com/2004/ALLPOLITICS/04/11/911.investigation/index.html'

Bush: Memo had no 'actionable intelligence'

Ben-Veniste: Briefing wasn't specific, but was warning

Sunday, April 11, 2004 Posted: 2232 GMT (0632 HKT)

FORT HOOD, Texas (CNN) -- President Bush said Sunday that an intelligence memo he read shortly before September 11, 2001, contained no "actionable intelligence" that would have helped him to try to prevent the 9/11 attacks.

"The was no indication of a terrorist threat," Bush said during an Easter Sunday visit to Fort Hood to decorate wounded soldiers.

"There was not a time and place of an attack. It said Osama bin Laden had designs on America. Well, I knew that. What I wanted to know was, is there anything specifically going to take place in America that we needed to react to."

<snip>

"It seems to me, the FBI has more questions to answer than Condoleezza Rice or Dick Clarke or anyone we've had testify before us so far," Gorton said.

Hart, Rice talked security before attacks

Former Democratic Sen. Gary Hart of Colorado, who was co-chairman of an earlier bipartisan commission that studied national security, said Sunday that he met with Rice five days before the September 11 attacks because he was concerned that the Bush administration was not moving on his panel's call for action against al Qaeda.

<snip>

[WillParkinson]

1. Oh, that's funny!

Neither does Bush!

[kanrok]

2. Yo, Chimpy...actionable this.

Douchebag. Oops! Sorry...president Douchebag.

[kanrok]

3. Yo, Chimpy...actionable this.

Douchebag. Oops! Sorry...president Douchebag.

[Onlooker]

4. Maybe if he didn't take 30 days vacation ...

Maybe if he didn't take a month off after getting the memo, he could have led the government to follow up on all the warnings in the memos and come up with some actionable intelligence. The idiot hears that there are Al Qaeda cells in the US bent on committing terrorist actions, and then takes a month off? That's criminally irresponsible!

[sallyseven]

9. Ever notice

that when his back is to the wall he visits the wounded soldiers as if he had nothing to do with their wounds. I would kick his butt if I were lying in that bed. I saw Fineman on Tweedy and he said that behind the scenes that outing of (Plame) a security person was going full steam ahead. In the mean time we can all just wallow in the hearings.

[diamond14]

5. briefing was CLEAR: the words NEW YORK and WASHINGTON

were clearly highlighted....New York was written several times...bin laden made threats against Washington was noted...


the briefing said: hijack airplanes....

the briefing said: al quaeda is IN AMERICA

the briefing said: World Trade Center

[abb9]

13. No info of threat,but yet Clinton should have did something about it?i

I love these two bit liars,like Bush and his whole Repugnant lying,evil Cabal.He expects that the world should absolve him of all negligence for 911,while we should hold his predecessor,the Clinton administration guilty for not taking care of the Osama problem?
What did they want before they acted? The exact time,date,and specifics?
Every last on of them need to be brought to justice for Treason,,Negligence,crimes against Humanity,and War crimes


I remember when the Clinton admin went after Osama Bin laden,the hue and cry was at time by the Repug, that Clinton was doing it to divert attention from the Lewinsky affair.
These people are the worst slime in the history of America,I do hope their is a just God,as these same people all swear that is on their side,I do hope there is a just God,one who will give mete out justice as deserved,and that everyone gets their just due.

[leesa]

18. Really. You think he might have notified the airlines, the FAA, the city

mayors and councils and their respective emergency response teams, etc...nothing actionable!

[ConcernedCanuk]

6. OK, where's the "actionable" intelligence that Fallujah has the people

.
.
.

That did the killings?

Photos?

Statements?

over 600 dead later, have they arrested anyone connected with those killings?

Feckin' Bush.

He's nothing but a serial killer with an army!

Or is that a Sociopath?

sumthing like that.

[leesa]

19. We don't know who did the 9-11 killings. It's never been investigated.

[ConcernedCanuk]

22. wasn't this action to "arrest" those responsible for the mutilations?

.
.
.

And the US is blowing the shit out of Iraq now for, Why?

The US is making one excuse after another to blow the country to sh*t, and killing indiscriminately.

There ARE no wmd's, Saddam is gone, let the Iraqis do the rest.

More civilians than soldiers are being killed.

Ooops.

Silly me

I furgot

Tommy Franks said "we don't do body counts"

:silly:

[kodi]

7. george, it's called terrorism 'cause you dont know when & where its occurs

bush should be impeached and convicted for gross negligence

[belle]

15. But those color-coded warnings help so *much*

Top-level memo with some specifics and clear sense of urgency signals: go on vacation, Mr. President. Take a month. But *we're* all supposed to, what, buy duct tape and plastic sheeting because of some murky threat somewhere, sometime? And remain perpetually scared?

Well, *yeah,* I expect so: lookie here, Bush is on vacation *again*!

Cheney out of the country; Rice busy in CYA mode; none of them talk to each other and none of them take the responsibility for jack-all. And we're supposed to put our faith in them? Fat fucking chance.

[ant]

8. um...

Has anyone actually showed him the memo yet?

I can't believe that he would describe a document called "Bin laden determined to strike in US" as not containing an "indication of a terrorist threat." I can't believe he would say those things after the damn things been released and we're all looking at it.

Is he really such a self-centered, egotistical asshole that he thinks he can walk out on a sunny, clear day and declare the sky is green, and people will believe it?

[belle]

16. In a word, yes.

Also, hey, it's worked before; why wouldn't it now?

[JPZenger]

10. Briefing Happened to be Released on Easter Weekend

Does anyone else think it was intentional that the Intelligence Briefing was released on Easter Weekend - when few people are watching the news and many of the best reporters are not working?

As was pointed on the Daily Show, Rice insisted on her testimony that the Clinton DEFINATELY DID NOT present her with a Plan to address Al Queada. Instead, they simply provided a "list of actionable items." Then Clarke presented a plan the Bush Administration to address Al Queada, which the Administration did not approve - supposedly because it was inadequate. However, that plan was almost identical to the plan the administration approved right after September 11th.

[leesa]

20. And Congress is out of session.

[DoYouEverWonder]

11. All Bu$h had to do at his Aug 7th Press Briefing

was to tell the American people that we had serious concerns about a possible al Qaeda attack, possibly involving hijackings. If the general public was more aware that there were concerns about hijackings, 19 middle eastern men, would never have gotten away with crashing 4 planes at the same time.

Instead all he was concerned about that day was setting us up for going after Saddam. Instead of talking about Osama and this major threat, he talked about big, bad Saddam and getting inspectors back into Iraq to find his WMD's.

[htuttle]

12. I read the memo, and I can think of all sorts of 'actions' to take...

1) Moving through FAA to require hardened cockpit doors
2) Reexaming FAA hijacking guidelines to incorporate the possibility of plane being crashed into building.
3) Increase Air Marshalls, with an emphasis on flights to and from East Coast

And that's just on the hijacking + crashing into buildings portions.

For the 'cells in the US' portion:
4) How about 'shaking the trees', or better yet, send out personnel to each FBI regional office to meet with field agents in groups regarding al Queda.
5) Get the Director of the CIA and FBI together to chat.

I don't think this is just hindsight. I think that any competent manager of anything should have been able to look at this intelligence and do something.

Bush is incompetent.

(added on edit)
Finally on the morning of 9/11:
1) Since we know there are planes hijacked 45 minutes before the first plane hits, there's no excuse to give each a fighter escort. I still don't understand what the fuck went on with this.
2) After the first plane hits, you know there are 3 other planes still in the air (due to communications with ground control by this time). You've read about the plans to crash into DC and the WTC, and they've already hit the WTC once this morning. Call up the FDNY, and warn them that there are other planes on the way. The South tower might get evacuated in time, instead of having everyone return to their offices.
3) Again, you know at this point what the other planes are going to end up doing. There's no way to save the people on the planes -- shoot them down.

The only reason not to follow this course of action on the morning of 9/11 is fear of political backlash. And with the Bush admin, everything is politics. There's nothing else.

[belle]

17. One other reason: Bush was Going On Vacation, dammit.

And didn't want his beautiful mind to be disturbed with such depressing things. Besides, all that would have been *work.* In August! He would've had to cut his R & R time short! I mean, really.

[CO Liberal]

14. CO Liberal: "Bush HAS No Actionable Intelligence"

:dunce:
Bush

[ulTRAX]

21. More Self-Serving Bush Bullsh*t

The memo did NOT have to contain any firm threats. It should have been a sufficient warning that the government get off its ass and LOOK for evidence of threats... shaking the trees, as Clarke dubs it.

[Moderator]

23. Please update this story here

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=102&topic_id=480464&mesg_id=480464