Bush is finished if terror alert suspect; Dean had inside info?

[quinnox]

I just checked both NY Times and Washington Post, they both are leading with the terror alert being questionable. I think Bush will be finished insofar as the election goes if this gets enough play and blows up into a full flown controversy.

It makes me wonder if Dean had inside information when he made his charges on CNN last night, because here it is a short two days after his charges and this comes out.

Good for Dean!

[candy331]

1. This might not be good since Kerry said he did not agree with

what Dean said and distanced himself from Dean's comments. A sign of disunity in the ranks for repubs to strike at.

[Bluebear]

4. He distanced himself brilliantly though

He pointed out that it should be taken seriously, true enough. If we were lied to (WMD's anyone?) no one would fault Kerry, he would say he believed the President.

[scottxyz]

5. Kerry didn't really say he disagreed with what Dean said

The only quote from Kerry about the terror warning was:

"We are taking them at their word."

which was the only thing he COULD say. He gave the Commander in Chief the benefit of the doubt.

This isn't a sign of "disunity". This is a sign that Kerry knows how to respect the chain of command.

Of course, now that Bush has been exposed as crying wolf, Kerry still looks statesmanlike for having "taken him at his word." The one who looks like an idiot (or a liar) is Bush now.

Bush did this to himself without any help from Kerry.

[Hamlette]

9. some conservative talking head was pissed at Kerry

because Kerry did not call Dean a nut case for questioning this.

What is REALLY frightening to me is that they made us think THIS warning was different than the ones before. They had Bush out there this time, with all his hench men, Ashcroft, Ridge, Condi. To make it look like a very important warning.

Oliphant said this is the make or break warning for bush. If it turns out to be false, Bush will lose. Or words to that effect.

[AndyTiedye]

13. Then They'll M(ihop)AKE it True

It's way early for an October surpise, but maybe they have a whole
bunch of suprises planned for us.

[msanthrope]

27. It was very well coordinated, wasn't it?.....

Kerry 'believes' the President, Dean is used as a pitbull.

My oh my, sounds lke the Democrats may just have planned this all and carried out a unified attack.

It warms my heart.

[Jim Sagle]

14. Horseshit.

[TeacherCreature]

29. Well then Kerry should fall in line

cause he keeps getting it wrong and dean keeps getting it right.

Regardless, Kerry didn't back away from Dean, he said he disagreed. That is good for Kerry, because now he can say Dean was right after all without losing too much face.

[alfredo]

2. Can we see a list of the dates of terror alerts and bush poll n#

and a time line of news events/revelations that could have been damaging to bush?

I'd love to see if there is any relationship.

[scottxyz]

6. I've been hearing more and more calls for this sort of thing

I think it's about time someone put a timeline like this together.

Some examples:

(1) That woman Coleen Rowley who was a whistleblower at the FBI. The day after she testified to Congress, Bush set up the Department of Homeland Security.

(2) The Sandy Berger thing. That had been sitting around for months. They timed the release of it to coincide with attacks on Wilson.

(3) This latest terror "warning". Timed to erase any "bounce" Kerry might get from the convention. (Jon Stewart pointed this out nicely Monday night, I hear.)

[shraby]

16. There were a couple of other

terror alerts too only those times they didn't raise the color code.

[NYCGirl]

32. They didn't raise the color code in NY this time, either.

It's been orange in NYC since the color coding was instituted.

[REP]

17. Yes, Stewart Did

And he did a brilliant job of destroying the "first most liberal" thing, too. Totally wiped the floor with Bonior.

[radfringe]

18. been tracking it for past couple of years

http://radicalfringe.freeservers.com/about.html

will be updating the graphs later today to reflect the "orange alert" and new polling numbers

[alfredo]

34. It appears that the alerts don't always work

for the junta. Let's see how the latest one plays.

[DoYouEverWonder]

20. Here's a list of the terror alerts

August 1 2004
US homeland security director Tom Ridge annouces "unusually specific" information on imminent terrorist attack against financial institutions in US - including NY Stock Exchange. Government raises threat from Code Yellow to Code Orange - from "elevated" to "high" risk of attack.

December 21 2003
Government goes to Code Orange. Mr Ridge highlights potential danger to large gatherings during holidays.

More police at shopping malls, rail stations, and power plants. Three weeks later threat reverts to Code Yellow.

May 20 2003
Threat raised to Code Orange because, it is claimed, al-Qaida entered operational period worldwide following attacks in Saudi Arabia and Morocco.

Government says it has no "credible, specific information with respect to targets or methods of attack".

March17 2003
Department of homeland security goes to Code Orange, citing belief in intelligence community "terrorists will attempt multiple attacks against US and coalition targets worldwide in event of US-led military campaign against Saddam".

Mr Ridge says many indications al-Qaida's planning included WMD. Threat reverts to Yellow on April18.

February 7 2003
Department goes to Code Orange as result of "reports corroborated through multiple intelligence sources" suggesting al-Qaida might attack Americans in US or abroad.

Level reverts to Yellow on February 27 at end of the Haj.

September 10 2002
Threat goes to Code Orange after intelligence community warns of possible attacks for September 11 anniversary. Threat lowered September 24.

December 3 2001
Mr Ridge announces general alert based on intelligence suggesting increased volume of activity involving threats of terrorist attacks, though it did not point to "any specific target or attack".

October 29 2001
FBI announce terrorist alert. Next day Mr Ridge said alert based on credible, though not specific information from multiple sources saying US to be attacked within two weeks.


http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,3604,1274736,00.html

[Surf Cowboy]

26. I started a thread for just that purpose

in this forum, titled "expose terra warnin's for what they are." I listed the three trends of info we need:

1. Dates of poll releases (and their results);
2. Dates of terra warnin's;
3. Info that warnin's were based on.

If we take all this info and juxtapose it, I think we're going to find a pattern...

[bossfish]

3. Like us, Dean has a good bullshit detector....

[joanne]

7. Just dont count on the Chimpster being finnished

They have gotten away with a lot worse. :mad:

[cthrumatrix]

31. he used "expereince" as his weapon of choice when it comes to this

liar in office. Dean knows how they work. He spoke out against them before the war. He called a spade a spade.

People can't accept the truth of how TPTB run this world. They can give a shit about using people as pawns of power.

[Bluebear]

8. Debkafile weighs in

DEBKAfile’s terror experts find two al Qaeda operatives held in Pakistan unlikely sources of up-to-date intelligence on terror plots for US financial centers and UK.

Organization is too compartmented for single operatives to have access to that many secrets – especially when, like Ghailani and Khan, they are past their prime as active terrorists.

http://www.debka.com/article.php?aid=885

[Only Me]

10. It has happened so much ....It has become actually predictable. nt

[Bluebear]

11. Of course this time it is based on real intelligence

that they SAT ON for three years until politically handy for them.

[marley]

12. Subtle

This terror alert is much more subtle in nature, doesn't anyone find it strange that the terror alert came after the DNC ? There doesn't need to be any attack, just a perceived threat, before the Republican convention. Very simple association, terrorists want to attack Repubs, because they are tough on terroism, so one should assume that this must means Dems are weak on terroism. This is the message that the administration wants to convey.

[Old and In the Way]

15. Excellent point......

But I stll find it hard to believe that they'd make this announcement, given the facts that are exposed about the sourcing. I get the impression that no one is playing along with this administration anymore. They are really looking stupid and, if this was a political stunt, I have to believe that Bush just lost another couple of points......he is history.

[Dem2theMax]

24. It didn't seem very subtle to me.

Exact locations named, employees of all said locations warned, armed guards everywhere, etc.

To me, it came off as one big excuse to ban all protesters planning to disrupt the RNC. A couple hundred showed up for the DNC. Sounds like a million are expected in NYC. How could * force one million people into a 'free speech zone?' He can't and chances are, they'd actually get air time - something the * gang has been able to avoid so far. By raising the alert level, he can ban them from coming period.

As someone else said in this thread, I hope * loses it, on TV, in PRIME time. :evilgrin:

But if he loses it, he has to take Cheney with him. I don't want HIM 'officially' running the country for even one second.

[Booster]

28. Thank God, New Yorkers are tough and probably know

their city like the back of their hand. I would be willing to bet Rove is wringing his hands because he knows this will be one of the largest protests ever and they won't be able to handle it, so this terror alert was to beef up security in NY for the protesters not the terrorists. Hopefully, the NY police won't fall for this and will "miss" a few protesters getting through the fences. New York is probably the worst place they could have picked for their convention. hehehehe

[Raiden]

19. Howard Dean is one smart cookie

That's for sure. I supported Dean's candidacy way before he was annointed frontrunner and now I remember why.

After Dean lost Iowa, I asked my Dad what went wrong, and he said an old Chinese Proverb, something like "Leaders should never get to far ahead of their subjects" and he explained that one of Dean's major weaknesses was that Dean was always right too early... e.g. It's good that we caught Saddam, but it doesn't really make us any safer. Is it really any shock that he's still a few steps ahead?

I really hope that this gets major, major airtime and blows up in Bush's face. Using terror alerts for political gain is totally inexcusable. Unfortunantly, I'd bet my house that the mainstream media ignores this, especially with real important shit like the Lori Haking Case unfolding. It'll probably just be another free pass from the 'liberal' media. Add it to the Abu Gharab Scandal, lies about Iraq, the Plame Investigation, Halliburton, Bush's use of 9/11 casualties for political ads, etc., etc., etc.

[Disturbed]

22. "conservative talking head was pissed "

Lieberman said Dean's comments were outrageous.

[cthrumatrix]

33. jomentum...the definition of irrelevant

[Blue Gardener]

23. Olberman covered this issue last night

He seemed to be pretty neutral on the subject, but at least he's putting the idea out there so people can at least consider that the terror warnings are based on political manuevering buy the Bush* crowd.

[skip fox]

21. W. is trying to keep SO MANY scandals from exploding

before the election, that he must be haunted . . . waiting for a dozen "other shoes" to drop, Plame, prisoner abuse, Chalabi & neo-cons, FISA warrants discouraged in the first 8 months of his administration, etc. . . . not to mention the old faithfuls: Halliburton, Harken . . .YIKES!!!!

He's ready to blow and I hope he does it on air.

[blm]

25. Actually, Dean worded it very shrewdly.

He said basicly, Who's to know when the alerts are based partly on truth and partly on politics.

Point being that there should be NO politics in the alert at all so people can TRUST the word of the WH. And, unfortunately, we cannot. That is dangerous, when a WH can't be trusted on terror alerts. Especially when a real one comes along.

[jpgray]

30. Dean had the same inside info as we do--we've lived this crap for years

We know what to expect.