NIGHTLINE (8/5/04): Questions About Terrorism

[huckleberry]

I wonder why bushco doesn't want to participate in tonight's show?


Nightline Daily E-Mail
August 5, 2004

TONIGHT'S FOCUS: Arrests in Albany, N.Y. More arrests in England. Barricades and heavily armed police on the streets in New York, Washington, and Newark. The new intelligence is too old, or too new. What should we make of all this?

This is a question that we have faced every time there is a new development in the war on terrorism. Okay, what do we do now? A warning that something may happen, somewhere, sometime. So do I change my habits? Run for the hills? The pattern has become somewhat routine. There is an announcement, and a flurry of activity. That happened with the announcement this past weekend of new information and specific targets, or possible specific targets in the U.S. Then, as time goes on, more information comes out. Some of that new information turned out to be years old. Okay, do I breathe a sigh of relief? But then comes the report that al Qaeda routinely does surveillance on possible targets for years before striking. So much for my sigh of relief.

This is a question that we have faced every time there is a new development in the war on terrorism. Okay, what do we do now? A warning that something may happen, somewhere, sometime. So do I change my habits? Run for the hills? The pattern has become somewhat routine. There is an announcement, and a flurry of activity. That happened with the announcement this past weekend of new information and specific targets, or possible specific targets in the U.S. Then, as time goes on, more information comes out. Some of that new information turned out to be years old. Okay, do I breathe a sigh of relief? But then comes the report that al Qaeda routinely does surveillance on possible targets for years before striking. So much for my sigh of relief.

I figure that all of you are asking the same questions all the time too. So tonight we're going to try something different. We have crews in Washington, New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Dallas going out and asking people what their questions are? What do they want to ask the White House about terrorism? This email is so late because we have been waiting for a response from the White House. We asked them this morning to make available whoever they would designate to answer your questions. We have been waiting all day, and they have finally come back to say they will not participate. So we'll play those questions tonight for a panel of experts in the various aspects of terrorism and let them answer. Hopefully, we'll cover your questions too. I hope you'll join us.

Leroy Sievers and the Nightline Staff
Nightline Offices
ABC News Washington Bureau

[Bozita]

1. This show has possibilities