Ashcroft Blames Previous Administration for Leaving Country Vulnerable

[happyending]

WASHINGTON (AP) - In a veiled swipe at the Clinton administration, Attorney General John Ashcroft testified Tuesday the nation was stunned by the Sept. 11 attacks because "for nearly a decade our government had blinded itself to our enemies."
Appearing before a commission investigating the worst attacks in the nation's history, Ashcroft also said he moved quickly once in office to overturn a "failed policy" that he said allowed American agents to capture terrorist leader Osama bin Laden but not assassinate him.

In a nationally televised appearance, Ashcroft said the government had become bound up in legal restrictions that grew steadily more restrictive. "Even if they could have penetrated bin Laden's training camps, they would have needed a battery of lawyers" to take action, he said dismissively.

<snip>

Thomas Pickard, who was acting director of the FBI at the time, said he was unaware the document had been prepared. The report said the FBI had 70 field investigations under way of individuals linked to al-Qaida. But one member of the commission, Slade Gorton, suggested that many of the probes related to fundraising activities rather than the threat of terrorist attacks.

more here
http://ap.tbo.com/ap/breaking/MGATTXCH0TD.html

[Gin]

1. It wasn't a veiled swipe...he came out of the box blaming Clinton..

he is nothing but a coward and a religious fanatic.

[DS1]

2. "unleash our warriors of justice"

he also did a Freudian slip saying that "Osama's faith, cough, face was the face of evil"

[Demeter]

3. I Vote WIth Missouri

Take a dead guy over Ashcroft any day of the week.

[VolcanoJen]

10. Hear, Hear!!! I'm With Missouri Voters!!!!!

They knew better when they chose a dead man over an incumbent.

:-( RIP, Mel Carnahan. :-(

[Media_Lies_Daily]

4. Incredibly blatant lie. Typical of the NeoCons.

[tom_paine]

6. Yep. And Free America is NOT blinded to our enemies

Bush, Ashcroft, Cheney, Foul, Sleezy, Fat Tony...

the list goes on.

More dangerous to Free America than their Business Partner Bin Laden could EVER DREAM OF BEING. (not that he's not a horrible, bastard, too, but hew cannot destroy America like it's True Enemies can)

We know who our enemies are.

[polar]

5. I agree somewhat

If all of their resources weren't allocated to defending themselves from false charges and frivolous investigations, Clinton might have been able to do a better job...what do ya think?

[joefree1]

7. BCF'ers?

Wow, they're still blaming Clinton. These creeps never take any responsibility. Losers.

[scottcsmith]

8. Wow, how original, blame Clinton!

From all I've read, the Clinton administration had lots of intelligence regarding Bin Laden and terrorist activities, and the incoming Bush administration took the data and shucked it into the nearest trash can.

I watched Ashcroft testify for about 15 minutes, and Ashcroft was asked about the Aug. 6, 2001 Daily Presidential Briefing memo, and Ashcroft had not seen it prior to 9-11. Ashcroft was also not aware of other intelligence info that a couple of FBI agents had compiled which indicated some terrorists might be in the United States to get flight training.

And to think a few years ago our government came to a halt to impeach Bill Clinton for lying about sex. It's becoming very clear now that the Bush administration had its collective heads up its collective ass. Not that the possibility of terrorist attacks would keep Mr. Vacation from hitting his Crawford ranch. Funny how Bush is always at the ranch when some serious shit hits the fan.

[moondust]

9. The Fly in Asscroft's Ointment.

The U.S. lost only a relative handful of people to terrorism on Clinton's watch, almost none on U.S. soil. Whatever they were doing obviously worked reasonably well.

[MsSnood]

11. Of course they blame it on Clinton

That's always the easy way out - everything is always Clinton's fault.

[Moderator]

12. duplicate

locking

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=102&topic_id=483956&mesg_id=483956