Bush Says He Had No Advance Warning of 9/11

[arcos]

Bush Says He Had No Advance Warning of 9/11

President Bush insisted on Thursday he had no advance warning of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks as he challenged the assertions of a former aide who accused him of not placing a high enough priority on pursuing al Qaeda prior to the tragedy.

Visiting a community college in the election swing state of New Hampshire, Bush tried to shore up his credibility on national security, which may be key to stopping Democrat John Kerry from taking the White House from him in November.

"Had I known that the enemy was going to use airplanes to strike America, to attack us, I would have used every resource, every asset, every power of the government, to protect the American people," Bush said, appearing with Cheryl McGinnis, the wife of a pilot killed in the attacks.

Counterterrorism expert Richard Clarke, who served the last four U.S. presidents, said Bush did not take the threat of Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda organization seriously and downgraded its importance in comparison to the administration of former President Bill Clinton.

<snip>

http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=politicsNews&storyID=4663303

Can't he stop repeating the same BS? :puke:

[RobertSeattle]

1. I guess that means he was out of the loop

The White House is just plain LOOPY!

[JoFerret]

2. Note how very specific he is

i.e. he may be telling the truth - strictly speaking. But in general terms he is lying through his teeth because he knows he was asleep at the wheel dreaming of Saddam and clearing brush.

[gWbush is Mabus]

13. he didn't know they would be used to strike, but he did know there would b

be hijackings

[gulliver]

29. Very telling.

It is practically an admission of guilt. For a guy who is supposed to be such a straight shooter, he sure is a weasel.

It reminds me of his "the British have learned" weasel wording when he (as everyone now knows) falsely accused Iraq of trying to buy uranium from Africa in the 2003 State of the Union.

[sandnsea]

30. That's why he says it that way

And unfortunately, the very people we need to stand up and point it out won't because they're too busy trying to convince America that "Bush knew".

[livetohike]

3. He needs everything spelled out for him

Actually, he changed this BS line a little. The other day he said "if he had known terrorists were going to strike NYC by flying planes into the WTC, he would have stopped it."

I guess it isn't enough to have Clarke and others tell him there was an increased threat of terrorism. He had to know where and when. Jerk.

[Jim Sagle]

22. He thought it was going to be the Empire State Building.

[montanacowboy]

4. All we need is one thing

the PDB from August 6th - that is why the bushies need to keep that under wraps no matter what - that is the silver bullet which will put all his lies to rest once and for all

[snippy]

27. Exactly. August 6 ! August 6 ! August 6 ! August 6 ! August 6 !

[aquart]

5. Again?

Boy, everytime he says it, it just gets hollower. Because all these other guys knew......where the hell was he?

[skypilot]

6. Jesus Christ!! Are we back to THAT?!?!

What is today's date, Sept.12, 2001?

[underpants]

7. Given the status of HIS credibility he shouldn't have said anything

He has proven himself to be a liar of the first order and he (Rove) needs to just let this go for now. I know it is all the have (had) to run on but this will raise more doubts than it will put down.

[Beetwasher]

8. In Other Words:

He knew an attack was coming, but not EXACTLY what it was or EXACTLY how they were gonna do it or EXACTLY when or EXACTLY where, so he did nothing and went on vacation...

[yellowcanine]

9. Once again he answers the question that wasn't asked.

No one is saying he knew specifically what was going to happen (well, some are but most aren't). What they are saying is that he did not take the threat seriously enough - and Clarke's testimony - which they haven't specifically refuted - confirms that.

[RedEarth]

10. george...you're missing the point......anyone would have done

everything in their power to prevent the attacks.... had they known "the enemy was going to use airplanes to strike America". george, the main issue, is you were asleep at the wheel. You didn't care enough in the months before 911 to listen to Clarke and others who were warning of potential attacks against the US. george...you dropped the ball.

[Jade Fox]

36. Yes, he is defending his basic ability to function. Pathetic. n/t

[LynneSin]

11. Can I have a show of hands of everyone who is buying this load of crap?

anyone?????

[WildClarySage]

33. Err, sorry, no,.

I was scratching my nose.

[BrotherBuzz]

12. And he can prove it!

just as soon as he can find that pesky 06 August 01 PDB.

[tinanator]

14. Just one question, GW

After your first six months on the job, you took a one month vacation. What happened next?

[SilasSoule]

32. Another question GW

Do you know why they moved you from a land-based Hotel to an offhsore Navy Ship during the G8 in Genoa?

[Minstrel Boy]

15. And here's how he responded when he wasn't expecting the question:

http://images.indymedia.org/imc/washingtondc/media/video/6/9_11laugh.mpg

From the press conference of Monday, Dec 15, 2003:

Q: "Howard Dean recently seemed to muse aloud whether you had advance knowledge of 9/11...."

A: "yeah" - shifty eyes, looking down and away - "uh...uh there's time for politics" - backing away, with a deer in the headlights look - "and I, y'know" - head shake, long pause, shrug - "jus' a time for politics, and ah" - another long pause - "I uh" - and another pause, head shake - "it's a...it's an absurd assinuation."

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=104&topic_id=918713

[lightbulb]

20. thank you Minstrel Boy

This is perhaps my favorite bit of footage pertaining to 9/11. No captured moment thus far has so poignantly displayed the murderous culpability of this man. Nearly everyone I've shown it to is absolutely shocked by it.

[Media_Lies_Daily]

21. Thanks for the reminder on that little piece of history!

[LynneSin]

16. Look!!!!! Photographic Proof Bush had no idea!!!

I'm thinking, I'm thinking, my mind is drawing a blank. All I recall for that time period is the nice vacation at Crawford and some school children I read books

[enough]

17. Buzzflash answers this with Bush Administration's own words.

Buzzflash has had two very strong editorials on Bush and Condi's lies today and yesterday.

Today:
http://www.buzzflash.com/editorial/04/03/edi04021.html
This long article has several useful links to the sources.

Documentation of Plans to Crash Airplanes Into Buildings that Bush and Condi Claim They Knew Nothing About: They Lie, Assassinate People's Characters Instead of Refuting Their Evidence -- and They are, Most Dangerous to the Nation, Incompetent.
A BUZZFLASH EDITORIAL

snip>

Bush, Powell and Rumsfeld have been using carefully crafted "legal" statements this week in which they say that had they known planes were to be hijacked and flown SPECIFICALLY into the World Trade Center Towers and the Pentagon, they would have taken steps to prevent the incidents. It takes an idiot not to see that they are "protecting" themselves from being charged with lying. Lying about what? Claiming that they were not warned about potential imminent hijackings and use of planes as assault weapons in general.

They knew and did nothing.

This is not speculation. This is fact.

They are condemned by their own words.

We don't need a 9/11 Commission.

The truth about the Bush Administration ignoring blatant warnings about an imminent Al-Qaeda attack are already on the record.

more>


And yesterday:
http://www.buzzflash.com/editorial/04/03/edi04020.html

Here's Why Condi Rice Won't Testify Under Oath Before the 9/11 Commission: She Can't Handle the Truth. Bush Did Nothing to Prevent 9/11 Hijackings. The Source of this Allegation: Condi Rice.

A BUZZFLASH EDITORIAL

It's an open and shut case, courtesy of Condi Rice.

BuzzFlash is, frankly, tired of, once again, reminding the Pro-Bush American mainstream press that we need look no further than Condi Rice for proof that Bush failed to try and prevent 9/11, even though he was warned of a possible imminent attack in August of 2001.

snip>

But as BuzzFlash pointed out at the time -- and we assume most second graders would understand this, but apparently not the mainstream press -- the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon WERE hijackings.
If Bush had taken steps after his pre-9/11 security briefing to put law enforcement and airport security on heightened alert, he might very well have prevented the hijacking attacks on the WTC and the Pentagon. But the American press and the TV pundits couldn't figure out this little bit of basic common sense and convinced the American public that Condi had cleared everything up.

It staggers the mind that they could get away with this transparent, nonsensical, lie. Condi admitted that Bush was warned about potentially imminent hijackings the source of the 9/11 attacks -- and that he did nothing to prevent these hijackings: nothing! That is the bottom line, period. Remember that Condi Rice is the source of this information, not BuzzFlash. ("White House officials acknowledged that U.S. intelligence officials informed President Bush weeks before the Sept. 11 attacks that bin Laden's terrorist network might try to hijack American planes." .)

more>

Both these articles are clear and hard-hitting with all the documentation in one place.

[Lisa]

18. oh, so now he admits he couldn't "connect the dots" to save his life

Or more to the point, the lives of 3000+ fellow Americans who were trusting him and his administration to keep them safe?

Mr. Bush -- stand up, and offer your chair to Mr. Clarke. Yes -- the big comfy chair behind the Resolute Desk, in the Oval Office. If you claim that security is your main campaign issue, clearly you owe it to the American public to put someone competent in charge.

[young_at_heart]

19. August 6, 2001.........Presidential Daily Briefing

I've read several times that a congressional panel heard of the PDB which stated that Bin Laden's supporters were planning attacks in the US with explosives. Bush, evidently, will not release the August 6th notes about this briefing.

[dweller]

23. I believe it was released to the 9/11 commission

but only 1 person was allowed to view it. I think it was Gorelick, who has later stated the information would 'set your hair on fire'.

someone correct me if i'm wrong on that, but that's my understanding.
dp

[dweller]

28. Past edit

but that was correct.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=103x41680

just in case you wanted to read it.
dp

[laylah]

24. With advance apologies...

:puke: :puke: :puke: LIAR!!!!!!!!!

Jenn

[rustydog]

25. Say that under oath you lying bastard!

Impeach this poor excuse for a man before he kills any other people in a foreign land on the pretext of fighting terror.

[Octafish]

26. PDB: "Bin Laden Set to Strike in the United States."

That's what the CIA President's Daily Briefing was entitled. It must have scared Ashcan plenty, because HE stopped flying commercial. Too bad Bush didn't lift a finger to help the American public.

BTW: What was Bush doing in Crawford for the whole month of August? It's hotter than heck there that time of year. It is a good place to hide.

[Qutzupalotl]

31. Compare to an earlier statement

This is what Bush had to say when news of the August 6 PDB's existence was disclosed:
"Had I known that the enemy was going to use airplanes to kill on that fateful morning, I would have done everything in my power to protect the American people."

And now this:
"Had I known that the enemy was going to use airplanes to strike America, to attack us, I would have used every resource, every asset, every power of the government, to protect the American people."


Remarkable how similar the wording is, even though the statements are almost 2 years apart.

The question is about foreknowledge. The answer is about planes as weapons.

Follow up question, Mr. Bush? Before 9-11, did you have any non-specific advance knowledge of attacks in America coming from terrorist groups?

[marigold20]

34. Cue cards?

I saw a clip of Bush at his appearance today. When asked about this, he began to answer, then paused and looked down. For crying out loud, he had to look at his cue cards to figure out what to say?

[Nevernose]

35. Probably the truth

He would have had to have read them fancy "daily briefing" thingees to have had any serious understanding of what was happenening in the world...