WHY did Bush/Cheney go on vacation? | Clarke: Gov't on alert July & Aug 01

[Stephanie]

Someone needs to ask Bush & Cheney:

• Did they go on vacation because they knew it was too dangerous to stay in Washington?
  
  
• And if so, why did they do nothing to protect the people of New York and DC?
  
  
• Why did they allow thousands to die, and protect only themselves?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

During the spring as initial policy debtes in the Administration begain, I e-mailed Condi Rice and NSDC STaff colleagues that al Queda was trying to kill Americans, to have hundreds of dead in the streets of America. During the first week in July I convened the CSG and asked each agency to consider itself on full alert. I asked the CSG agencies to cancel summer vacations and official travel for the counterterrorism response staffs. Each agency should report anything unusual, even if a sparrow should fall from a tree. I asked FBI to send another warning to the 18,000 police departments, State to alert the embassies, and the Defense Department to go to Threat Condition Delta. The Navy moved ships out of Bahrain.

- Richard Clarke, Against All Enemies, p. 236

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Secrets of September 11

April 30 (2003) — Even as White House political aides plot a 2004 campaign plan designed to capitalize on the emotions and issues raised by the September 11 terror attacks, administration officials are waging a behind-the-scenes battle to restrict public disclosure of key events relating to the attacks.

<snip>

Some sources who have read the still-secret congressional report say some sections would not play quite so neatly into White House plans. One portion deals extensively with the stream of U.S. intelligence-agency reports in the summer of 2001 suggesting that Al Qaeda was planning an upcoming attack against the United States—and implicitly raises questions about how Bush and his top aides responded. One such CIA briefing, in July 2001, was particularly chilling and prophetic. It predicted that Osama bin Laden was about to launch a terrorist strike “in the coming weeks,” the congressional investigators found. The intelligence briefing went on to say: “The attack will be spectacular and designed to inflict mass casualties against U.S. facilities or interests. Attack preparations have been made. Attack will occur with little or no warning.”

The substance of that intelligence report was first disclosed at a public hearing last September by staff director Hill. But at the last minute, Hill was blocked from saying precisely who within the Bush White House got the briefing when CIA director Tenet classified the names of the recipients. (One source says the recipients of the briefing included Bush himself.) As a result, Hill was only able to say the briefing was given to “senior government officials.”

www.msnbc.com/news/907379.asp?0cv=KA01

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Summer Spinning
Aug 29, 2001

<snip>

The White House had announced that Bush would stay at his 1,600-acre ranch in Crawford from Aug. 4 through Labor Day on Sept. 3, a 31-day stretch that would have broken a modern record for a presidential vacation, held by Richard M. Nixon for a 30-day trip to San Clemente, Calif., in 1969. News reports played up the record, and a Gallup Poll found that 55 percent of respondents thought Bush's vacation was too long.

The length of the trip revived old questions about Bush's work ethic, and the poll and the news coverage caused consternation in the White House. Aides said they had planned an ambitious schedule for Bush as long ago as late June, but reporters were not told about it, even after they landed here. The White House, suddenly defensive, took every opportunity to show Bush on the go and even created a "Western White House" logo for the briefing room at Crawford Elementary School. Bush revealed that his ranch had new video conferencing equipment for keeping in touch with his national security team.

www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn?pagename=article&node=&contentId=A15957-2001

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A Working Vacation
Aug. 15, 2001

Vice President Dick Cheney took time off from his month-long working vacation Monday to outline his plans for August in Jackson Hole and to reflect on "an amazing year."

Cheney, who will live at his Teton Pines home about six miles west of Jackson until Labor Day, defended his energy policy, supported a local decision to limit drilling around the Gros Ventre Wilderness, recalled a life of service in Washington and said his health problems are not affecting his ability to fish for trout on his favorite Western waters.

www.jacksonholenews.com/Archives/NewsArchive/2001/010815-News.html

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ashcroft Flying High
WASHINGTON, July 26, 2001

(CBS) Fishing rod in hand, Attorney General John Ashcroft left on a weekend trip to Missouri Thursday afternoon aboard a chartered government jet, reports CBS News Correspondent Jim Stewart.

In response to inquiries from CBS News over why Ashcroft was traveling exclusively by leased jet aircraft instead of commercial airlines, the Justice Department cited what it called a "threat assessment" by the FBI, and said Ashcroft has been advised to travel only by private jet for the remainder of his term.

"There was a threat assessment and there are guidelines. He is acting under the guidelines," an FBI spokesman said. Neither the FBI nor the Justice Department, however, would identify what the threat was, when it was detected or who made it.

www.cbsnews.com/stories/2001/07/26/national/main303601.shtml

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Looks to me like they saved their own skins and left NY & DC and the airline passengers to fend for themselves.

Next question:

Did they fail to act because they needed a "new Pearl Harbor?"

[DoYouEverWonder]

1. Even after vacation was done

they kept W hopping around the whole country everyday pushing his education program. It was like they were still trying to keep him out of DC.

Another oddity is the fact that W slept over in Florida on 9-10 - 9-11. W never does overnighters, unless he's on one of his big overseas trips. Otherwise, if he's anywhere in the US he hightails it home at the end of the day, except on 9-10-01?

[Stephanie]

2. Exactly

Bush actually came home a few days early, IIRC, because of the criticism of his long vacation. But he went straight to Camp David. One vacation spot to another. Then Florida.

[leftofthedial]

3. yes

Did they fail to act because they needed a "new Pearl Harbor?"

Absolutely. They would not allow public servants like Richard Clarke or FBI field agents to stand in the way of their vision of American hegemony in the oil industry end times.

[Stephanie]

4. A few more links, thanks to ParanoidPat

ParanoidPat posted these in another thread.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/september11/story/0,11209,719231,00.html

<Snip>

On September 10 last year, the last day of what is now seen as a bygone age of innocence, Mr Ashcroft sent a request for budget increases to the White House. It covered 68 programmes, none of them related to counter-terrorism.

He also sent a memorandum to his heads of departments, stating his seven priorities. Counter-terrorism was not on the list. He turned down an FBI request for hundreds more agents to be assigned to tracking terrorist threats.

Nevertheless, he began using a chartered private jet to travel around the country, rather than take commercial airliners as Ms Reno had done. A justice department spokesman said this was done as a result of an FBI "threat assessment" on Mr Ashcroft, but insisted that the assessment was not specifically linked to al-Qaida.

But Mr Ashcroft stopped using commercial flights in July, just as the intelligence "chatter" about a possible al-Qaida strike on US soil was getting louder.

<Snip>

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/gate/archive/2002/06/0...

<Snip>

Ashcroft used to fly commercial, just as Janet Reno did. So why, two months before Sept. 11, did he start taking chartered government planes?

CBS News correspondent Jim Stewart asked the Justice Department.

Because of a "threat assessment" by the FBI, he was told. But "neither the FBI nor the Justice Department ... would identify what the threat was, when it was detected or who made it," CBS News reported.

The FBI did advise Ashcroft to stay off commercial aircraft. The rest of us just had to take our chances.

The FBI obviously knew something was in the wind. Why else would it have Ashcroft use a $1,600-plus per hour G-3 Gulfstream when he could have flown commercial, as he always did before, for a fraction of the cost?

<Snip>

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2001...

<Begin>

For Mayor Willie Brown, the first signs that something was amiss came late Monday when he got a call from what he described as his airport security - - a full eight hours before yesterday's string of terrorist attacks -- advising him that Americans should be cautious about their air travel.

The mayor, who was booked to fly to New York yesterday morning from San Francisco International Airport, said the call "didn't come in any alarming fashion, which is why I'm hesitant to make an alarming statement."

In fact, at the time, he didn't pay it much mind.

"It was not an abnormal call. I'm always concerned if my flight is going to be on time, and they always alert me when I ought to be careful."

Exactly where the call came from is a bit of a mystery. The mayor would say only that it came from "my security people at the airport."

Mike McCarron, assistant deputy director at SFO, said the Federal Aviation Administration "routinely" issues security notices about possible threats. He said two or three such notices have been received in the past couple of months, but none in recent days.

<Snip>

[enough]

5. Agreed, this question should be front and center.

http://www.cooperativeresearch.org/timeline/2001/wpost080701.html

A White House On the Range

Bush Retreats to Ranch For 'Working Vacation'

by Mike Allen
The Washington Post
August 7, 2001

 CRAWFORD, Tex., Aug. 6 -- By the time President Bush returns to Washington on Labor Day after the longest presidential vacation in 32 years, he will have spent all or part of 54 days since the inauguration at his parched but beloved ranch. That's almost a quarter of his presidency.

Throw in four days last month at his parents' seaside estate in Kennebunkport, Maine, and 38 full or partial days at the presidential retreat at Camp David, and Bush will have spent 42 percent of his presidency at vacation spots or en route.

Many of those days are weekends, and the Camp David stays have included working visits with foreign leaders. But administration officials, who initially believed that regular trips to the Texas ranch enhanced Bush's image as a rugged outsider, are acting like they may be worried about the perception that he is loafing.

more>

[Broadslidin]

6. Mr. Rove's Propaganda Machine.

Drawing on the Bush family's historic fondness and support of Mein Kampf and
the Nazi propaganda machine,
It is well understood by Mr. Rove,
the resulting fear generated by a successful attack on the U.S.
would be of utmost importance in manipulating the minds of the people.

Just as with the approving wink and a nod given to Mr. Sharon,
feeding the fires of fear and hate can be used to politcal advantage.

[maggrwaggr]

7. I want to see bush asked that DIRECTLY

He is worse than a coward.

[Stephanie]

10. I wonder if CLARKE knows the answer to this question?

Mr. Clarke, were Bush and Cheney hustled out to the boondocks for the month of August for their OWN SAFETY while thousands were left to fend for themselves in our cities?

[Oddman]

8. Excellent Post!

We need to keep this in front of the American public and undecided voter. IF bu$h was so involved in anti-terrorism why on earth did bu$h go on vacation while all these terrorism warnings were coming to light? He was on vacation from August 4th 2001 to September 4th 2001. He returned to Washington just a week before 9/11 - it is very obvious that bu$h DID NOT take terrorism seriously and an even bigger tragedy is that his personal grudge to get Saddam allowed Al Quaeda to splinter and spread all over the world making it far more dangerous now than it was pre 9/11. Plus bu$h's unprovoked attack and invasion of Iraq has cost us many allies and has ignited the hate of America among many, many nations.

[Stephanie]

9. Answer: Bush was NOT on vacation. Bush was IN HIDING from al Queda.

That's the bottom line. Bush is a Coward. Cheney is a Coward. They knew about the threat so they GOT OUT OF TOWN.

And now they want people to vote for them because of their "leadership" around 9/11.

What if all the NYPD/NYFD went running THE OTHER WAY after the planes hit the towers? What if all the rescue workers cared more about their own safety than those whom they are supposed to protect? Well, we don't have to wonder about that because it didn't happen. Our NYPD/NYFD/PA lost their LIVES on 9/11 because they rushed TOWARD the danger, instead of RUNNING AWAY.

How can George Bush explain his actions? Who will ask him to?

[Stephanie]

38. dupe

.

[Stephanie]

11. & we need to ask WHY the admin went to Iraq instead of finishing al Queda!

All week we've heard Clarke say that the admin failed to fight terrorism by diverting resources to Iraq.

The obvious follow-up question is WHY would they do that? Someone needs to ask it.

Ask Clarke. WHY did they abandon the hunt for bin Laden? Why did they invade Iraq instead?

The answer is in Wolfie's PNAC playbook and it's not pretty.

Who will ask WHY?

[Trajan]

12. Once again ....

Stephanie gives us a "gift of great value" ...

I have SO many of your threads saved Stephanie: HALF My bookmarks are yours ....

We are blessed with such attention to detail in DU ...

Thank you Steph ....

[Stephanie]

13. You're kidding!

wow.

:toast:

[Trajan]

18. No jest here, Hun ....

Your thread on the PNAC (BOTH threads) must be among the most read of ANY threads on ANY forum .... One might wonder how many government underlings and pundits on BOTH sides were 'educated' by those threads .... I KNOW they (the threads) come up on search engines .....

Our praise is well founded and deserved ....

You rock ....

[thebigidea]

14. the 9/11 families should do a public push to get Dick n' Dork to testify

under oath.

in public.

None of this "visit" shit.

None of this "I don't testify" - you make a bad joke about bad pilots, you say you saw the first plane hit, you talk about a trifecta, your family does business with OBL's family - you damn well better testify.

[Stephanie]

15. George Bush Jr.: I don't testify

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4179618 /

"RUSSERT: Will you testify before the commission?

BUSH: This commission? You know, I don't testify. I mean, I will be glad to visit with them. I will be glad to share with them knowledge. I will be glad to make recommendations, if they ask for some."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

LIHOP

[thebigidea]

17. They need to keep hammering away regardless.

Look at the bad press they're getting over Condi - drag this one out as long as possible and make George look bad.

[adriennui]

31. if president clinton

found time to testify in public about a BJ he received i think bush should find the time to make his case about a much more important matter.
BUT, i wouldn't count on it. between his whoring for money and non-stop vacations he's much too busy. what bothers me, is that he's so damn blatant about it....sort of like a "let them eat cake" attitude.

[Trajan]

16. Stephanie ?....

Yet another angle of scrutiny for support of Clarke's assertions would be the actual diplomatic policy pursued by the Bush WH in Afghanistan after he took office ...

Which Bush team objectives drove administration policy vis a vis the Taliban in those early weeks and months after Bush assumed office ??? ...

Did they pursue a strong, anti-al Qaeda, Anti-Terror stance against the Taliban/Al Qaeda regime ?? ... or did they pursue a policy of economic and petro-chemical development at the expense of National Security ??? ...

We have read the Madsen articles, we have read Sy Hersh's expose's .... but can we correlate this material with reporting from the major media outlets ? ...

What does CBS, CNN, ABC et al have to say about the "Pipeline Politics" of the early Bush administration ?? ...

SURELY: The Energy Task Force papers include the thrust of policy objectives in Afghanistan ..... were'nt some of these papers revealed to Judicial Watch and Waxman ?? ... What do they say about US policy prior to 911 ??? ...

There is SO much that Clarke brings to the argument: .... so many avenues to explore again .... You have a gift for gathering and presenting this kind of information in an easily digestible form ...

Perhaps there is fruit ripe for the picking on these trees ? ...

[Stephanie]

19. Hersh wrote that the NSC was put at the service of the Energy Task Force

Recently Seymour Hersh covered that - very early on the NSC was told to coordinate with the Cheney's Energy Task Force.


Reporters need to start asking the right questions. No one is asking about motivations. WHY would they have ignored the threats? What were their goals?

Perfect, Trajan. WHO is asking these questions?

[Trajan]

21. Well Steph .....

So far: ... just me and you ... at this point ....

Chuckles ...

But: ... These stories have been exposed primarily in the second tier, MINOR media outlets, and have been brushed off by most as 'tin-hat conspiracy theory' stories of no probative value .... They were dismissed ...

NOW ? ... with Clarke bringing the Bush WH's actions PRIOR to 911 into focus: ... Clarke's assertions are CORRABORATED by these earlier revelations ....

NOW: .. these outstanding media reports, like those of CBSnews.com's story about Ashcroft's switch to private aircraft ... serve to buttress Clark'e primary assertion: That Bush and his WH team were LESS interested in Anti terror actions, and MORE interested in making economic deals with the Taliban regime that would benefit Halliburton, UNOCAL and Enron, at the expense of following the more secure and patriotic policy of confronting the Taliban and Al Qaeda instead of trying to play nicey nice with them ...

Someone said yesterday: ... a search of the nexus lexus for ALL stataments uttered by Bush and Condee of the words "Al Qaeda" and/or "Taliban" in the period between taking office and 911 came up with ....

Drum roll .............

Zero ....

Nada ....

ZILCH ! ....

They did NOT focus on Al Qaeda when they took office: .. they focused instead on THEIR pocketbooks ....

We only need to show that those early policies were favorable to the Taliban and ignored Al Qaeda en toto .... and Clarke is completely and utterly rehabilitated ...

Honesty: ... Bush Co. is done .... they 'fucked with the wrong marine', as Col Jessup might say .....

Clarke has the goods: he is getting hammered by the GOP hate machine, and it will be ALL of these corresponding FACTS that will support Clarke, and sink the GOP lies about US Terrorism Policy on Bush's watch ....

[Stephanie]

27. Here's the New Yorker article about the NSC and Cheney's energy panel

I'm surprised this didn't get more play. What's in the secret memo? Who has it now? Who wrote it?

The other night Carville asked, 'how many meetings do you think Cheney had with his energy task force CEOs as compared to his anti-terrorism team.' I think the answer is something like 'jillions to none.' We know Cheney did nothing about terrorism after trashing the Hart Rudman report in favor of his own.

But WHY was the NSC put at the service of the Energy Task Force? That's a very big mystery. Unless you think you know the answer already.

And who might this refer to: "written by a high-level N.S.C. official"?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

http://www.newyorker.com/fact/content/?040216fa_fact

CONTRACT SPORT
by JANE MAYER
What did the Vice-President do for Halliburton?
Issue of 2004-02-16 and 23
Posted 2004-02-09

<snip>

For months there has been a debate in Washington about when the Bush Administration decided to go to war against Saddam. In Ron Suskind’s recent book “The Price of Loyalty,” former Treasury Secretary Paul O’Neill charges that Cheney agitated for U.S. intervention well before the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. Additional evidence that Cheney played an early planning role is contained in a previously undisclosed National Security Council document, dated February 3, 2001. The top-secret document, written by a high-level N.S.C. official, concerned Cheney’s newly formed Energy Task Force. It directed the N.S.C. staff to coöperate fully with the Energy Task Force as it considered the “melding” of two seemingly unrelated areas of policy: “the review of operational policies towards rogue states,” such as Iraq, and “actions regarding the capture of new and existing oil and gas fields.”

A source who worked at the N.S.C. at the time doubted that there were links between Cheney’s Energy Task Force and the overthrow of Saddam. But Mark Medish, who served as senior director for Russian, Ukrainian, and Eurasian affairs at the N.S.C. during the Clinton Administration, told me that he regards the document as potentially “huge.” He said, “People think Cheney’s Energy Task Force has been secretive about domestic issues,” referring to the fact that the Vice-President has been unwilling to reveal information about private task-force meetings that took place in 2001, when information was being gathered to help develop President Bush’s energy policy. “But if this little group was discussing geostrategic plans for oil, it puts the issue of war in the context of the captains of the oil industry sitting down with Cheney and laying grand, global plans.”

<more>

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

[Insider]

41. curiouser and curiouser

that official energy report does not mention afghanistan once, and iraq only once. i just cannot fathom that we happened to invade/attack two countries in as many years that coincidentally HAVE oil, but did not get mentioned virtually at all. helluva coincidence. but i seem to remember talk that the report was scrubbed before it was released. maybe to remove references to those two countries, even though it made sense that they would be included legitimately whiel studying world energy resources..

my question for cheney is: how're we doing on the energy situation? are we better off now than we were in may 2001? how so? hmmm?

if energy was as important as they said it was back then ('this country has no energy plan'), it is completely reasonable to expect a follow up report near the end of their term in office. hell, they should be BRAGGING about how they have improved our situation, right? answer: we have hundred-year lease on afghanistan/iraq.

call it tinfoil, but it seems rational to me: the attacks in ny & dc, and the subsequent invasions by us (and the hijackers were NOT from either country, right?) WAS the energy plan.

[Stephanie]

43. Well, there was the pipeline across Afghanistan

And the "suitors" for Iraqi oil, all planned for. So yes, I believe you're right!

"the attacks in ny & dc, and the subsequent invasions by us (and the hijackers were NOT from either country, right?) WAS the energy plan."

[belle]

20. I vote it's because Bush is a lazy slob. Cheney may be another story...

but I don't know. It's enough to me that they were asleep on the job.

[Stephanie]

25. bush may have gone along with it because he is a lazy slob

But I think he was hustled out of DC for a reason. I'd like someone to ask Condi this question.

[Zorra]

22. Decisive Bu$h anti-terrorist strategy responding to Aug. 6, 2001 PDB:

August 7, 2001
Bush Golfs at Texas Ranch, Enjoys Vactation from DC

WACO, Texas (AP) - President Bush rolled out of his ranch at dawn Tuesday for golf and talk, saying he is thoroughly at home amid the outdoor play and work of his Texas vacation.
snip.....
``Washington, D.C., is a fine place and I'm honored to be working in the Oval Office,'' he said. ``But I need to be outdoors. I think it's important to be outside and do work.''
snip.......
``I'm amongst friends in Texas,'' Bush replied. ``There is no political heat here. It's a lot more partisan in Washington, people dig in and fight.''

The president, who received his daily security briefing while his motorcade traveled to the golf course, said he is making progress on a number of issues. He said he is not ready to announce a decision on allowing federal funding of stem cell research.

Wearing tan slacks and a red striped polo shirt, Bush walked over to the first tee, where he joined his morning golf partners. They were two Waco physicians, Dr. Kent Starr and Dr. Ned Snyder, and David Sibley, a Texas state senator from Waco.

http://www.evote.com/index.asp?Page=/news_section/2001-08/08072001Texas.asp

Maybe his golf partners gave him some advice on how to deal with the terror threat he supposedly read about the day before, (or possibly that morning while he was on his way to the golf course)that were described in the in the Aug, 6 2001 PDB.

Or maybe he should have gone golfing with Richard Clarke.

[Stephanie]

23. I can't even laugh at that

It hurts too much.

The callous prick. I bet there are a lot of people who would like to take him golfing right now. I bet some of those young men who lost limbs in Iraq would like a chance to GOLF with that chimp.

[Zorra]

24. "Nearly a laugh

but you're really a cry"

Pink Floyd
PIGS
Big man, pig man, ha ha, charade you are
You well heeled big wheel, ha ha, charade you are
And when your hand is on your heart
You’re nearly a good laugh
Almost a joker
With your head down in the pig bin
Saying ’keep on digging’
Pig stain on your fat chin
What do you hope to find?
When you’re down in the pig mine
You’re nearly a laugh
You’re nearly a laugh
But you’re really a cry.

Stephanie, thank you, your original post was excellent. High time these questions were addressed.

[moondust]

26. Sure looks suspicious.

Suggests LIHOP or MIHOP rather than incompetence or mere negligence. What action did any of them (besides Clarke) take in response to the serious threat warnings? What's worse, when the head of the gov't goes on a long vacation I think it sends a message to the rest of the gov't that everything is going smoothly, it's okay to sit back and relax, take a breather. It puts people off guard.

[Stephanie]

32. Bunnypants went down the rabbit hole for the month of August 2001

He was SCARED to come out til the tewwowists had done their dirty work. Bunnypants did what he's always done - kept "out of harm's way." No wonder he's always parading around in pilot's outfits and cowboy gear. Playing dress-up. He has no idea how grown men behave in the face of danger.

[DeepModem Mom]

28. kick

[Jack from Charlotte]

29. Rice's statement: "We were at battle stations...."

during this time (July/August/Sept. of '01)needs to be compared to AWOL's, Cheney's and Rice's dates on Vacation during August and early September of '01.

Does anyone have the exact date and a link to her statement about them being "at battle stations?"

There is great hay to be made by comparing this remark to the month long vacations they were all on. Also, compare their "at battles stations" (over potential terrorist attacks) to their public comments at the time about everything EXCEPT any concern over possible terrorist attacks.

[Stephanie]

30. They were busy talking about stem cell research

Also, it was a month of public appearances for Chimpy. It was like make-work. They were LOOKING for projects for him to fill up his time out of DC.

I think Rice was with him in Crawford, wasn't she?

[Bushknew]

33. Excellent point Steph, it should be a commercial

[Stephanie]

34. Yes! Pix of Bush in his plastic glasses clearing BRUSH

Pix of Bush riding around in his phony pickup on his phony photo-op ranch. Bush giving speeches about STEM cells.

All the while Richard Clarke is in the WH every day shitting bricks.

And these are the "grown-ups?"

To me, though, it's not the fact that they went to Crawford and ignored the problem - it's that they went to Crawford BECAUSE of the problem. Because they are COWARDS.

[Bushknew]

35. LOL!!!

Not only is that a great image but itÕs a great talking point but why wait for the commercial, every Dem that is on TV should bring it up, itÕs devastating.

[Stephanie]

36. I want them under oath to answer:

Did they leave DC because of the heightened threat alert?

Is that why they both took the longest (minus one) vacations in presidential history, at a time when it was not politically advisable to do so?

Did they leave town to ensure their own safety, while leaving thousands to die on their watch?

[Bushknew]

37. Yeah, they are suppose to be the party of É

National defense and whatnot.

But, how helpful were Republicans in fighting terrorism?

In 1996, Clinton proposed chemical markers in explosives that could help track terrorists.

Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, called Clinton's proposed study of taggants "a phony issue."

http://www.cnn.com/US/9607/30/clinton.terrorism/

During the Clinton years, were Republicans more concerned with capturing Clinton than capturing terrorists?

What specifically, by way of legislation, did Republicans É

try to pass or do against terrorists, terrorism and Al Qaeda, during the Clinton years?

How much money did they spend on that vs. Whitewater and the impeachment fiasco?

[Stephanie]

39. Dear Richard Clarke:

Was Bush Jr. stashed in Crawford for the entire month of August 2001 to keep him out of harm's way because of the impending attacks?

And Cheney? Did SS or others send Cheney off to Wyoming for a month to get him out of the danger zone?

Mr. Clarke, WHY was the White House without (official) leadership for the entire month of August 2001?

Whose idea was it, exactly, to send them away? Were Bush & Cheney afraid for their lives? Or did protocol demand that when a serious threat to DC is identified that the POTUS is stashed somewhere else until the danger passes?

Just thought you might know the answers to these questions, Mr. Clarke, since clearly no one else is going to answer them.

[Bushknew]

40. hee hee, I love it

<<Mr. Clarke, WHY was the White House without (official) leadership for the entire month of August 2001?>>

[bpilgrim]

46. CLEARING BRUSH

"I remember -- I remember campaigning in Chicago, and one of the reporters said, would you ever deficit spend? I said only -- only in times of war, in times of economic insecurity as a result of a recession, or in times of national emergency. Never did I dream we'd have a trifecta. (Laughter.)"
(President Discusses Importance of Homeland Security Department June 7, 2002)
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2002/06/20020607-4.html

more...
http://news.globalfreepress.com/trifecta

peace

[bpilgrim]

42. pfft... he went on another MONTH VACATION even when we are at WAR

he still couldn't care less :puke:

betcha, he won't during the campaign season though... his pop might blacken the other eye :evilgrin:


can you say 'cipro' ;->

peace

[Stephanie]

44. I think he did that to keep up appearances

I think the subsequent vacation was cover for the first. Sort of reinforcing the alibi - "Look! We ALWAYS take month-long vacations."

[bpilgrim]

45. probably didn't want to be recorded in the WH plott'n like NIXON

:shrug:

i don't think they are gonna slip this 'noose' and you KNOW rummy&dick must be expeiancing a lot of haunting dejavu' ;->

i wonder if they will go quietly?



peace

[Stephanie]

47. Nice pix!

I don't think it's about recordings - I think it's the old CHICKENHAWK mentality - they wanted to start something, but they didn't want to be anywhere near the fighting. They left that to the NY firemen. Danger is for the plebes.

I think the admin is about to break down in massive infighting. Powell threw Wolfowitz overboard the other day - backed up Clarke on 9/12 Iraq arguments. Cheney & Condi can't get their story straight.

I think the end is nigh for the neo-cons and anyone who can separate themselves from the lying crooks is going to do it now, or go to jail with them.

[bpilgrim]

51. thnx

"I think it's the old CHICKENHAWK mentality"

but they came back before the attacks occured. though that doesn't prove anything either, but the way this admin behaves and if you give any stock to LIHOP at all it certainly fits as well.

maybe it's both :shrug:

'I think the admin is about to break down in massive infighting'

yep, already happening as you noted, though powel has always been at odds with wolf and rummy etc. but it certainly isn't gonna get any better during this long hot summer ;->

'I think the end is nigh for the neo-cons'

agreed, i just hope they go out without any further damage and horror.

:hi:

peace

[Stephanie]

52. They came back because Bush's vacation was so long it was raising eyebrows

He came back and immediately went to Camp David for Labor Day weekend. (I need to find a link for that - I remember it). Then it was off to Florida. They kept him out of Washington as much as they could.

I think they LIHOP but I think they didn't know exactly when it would come down. I think they did what they could to get themselves out of the line of fire, but didn't try to stop it.

New Pearl Harbor.

[Bushknew]

53. Man, I would have loved to have heard the argument

before he got the black eye. :evilgrin:

[Oddman]

48. This has to be kept in the public eye!

We must make sure evey person and especially the undecided voter remembers that bu$h and Cheney were on vacation for a month before 9/11 - we must keep reminding them that bu$h and company DID NOT take terrorism threats seriously. Keep writing to newspapers and newstations asking them why bu$h was on vacation until just a few days before 9/11. Keep bumping this up.


"So we wuz on vacation while the terrorists waz planning - so what!!"

[Stephanie]

49. Yes, but I think they took the threats VERY seriously. For THEMSELVES

They took the threats so seriously they had to leave TOWN. They knew what was about to come down so they got OUT. That's what I want people to know. That's the question we need to ask Condi. Let's see the memos before the vacations. Were the vacations in response to the threat assessment?

We cut them a break when we attribute these things to laziness or ineptitude. It's far worse than that.

[Oddman]

50. Great point . . .

Let's see why they took one of the longest vacations in the history of the Presidency just before 9/11 . . . .