Bush hampered fight against Al Queda -Gen Franks notes resouce denial

[papau]

===============================
THE DAILY MIS-LEAD
< www.Misleader.org >
===============================

BUSH HAMPERED FIGHT AGAINST AL QAEDA
President Bush yesterday said that because of his leadership, "America and
the world are safer."<1> But almost three years after 9/11, Osama bin Laden
remains at large, while the U.S. government admits top al Qaeda leaders are
planning attacks on America from the Afghan-Pakistan border region.<2> And
now a new book confirms the President actually shifted key resources away
from the fight against al Qaeda in Afghanistan.

Knight-Ridder reports that in his upcoming book, U.S. Sen. Bob Graham (D-FL)
disclosed that General Tommy Franks told him on Feb. 19, 2002, four months
after the invasion of Afghanistan, that many important resources were being
shifted to prepare for a war against Iraq. Graham, who was chairman of the
Senate Intelligence Committee at the time, said the administration moved
things like the Predator drone aircraft out of Afghanistan even though it is
"crucial to the search for Osama bin Laden and Al Qaeda leaders."<3>

Graham's account is consistent with reports from earlier this year. In March
2004, USA Today reported that the White House in 2002 shifted special forces
off of the hunt for bin Laden in Afghanistan and into preparations for an
Iraq invasion. The administration also took intelligence "specialists away
from the Afghanistan effort to ensure Iraq was covered."<4>


Sources:

1. "President's Remarks at a Victory 2004 Rally in Poplar Bluff, Missouri,"
WhiteHouse.gov, 9/06/04,
http://daily.misleader.org/ctt.asp?u=1338421&l=53536.
2. "Officials: Bin Laden guiding plots against U.S.," CNN.com, 7/08/04,
http://daily.misleader.org/ctt.asp?u=1338421&l=53537.
3. "9/11 hijackers tied to Saudi government, Graham says in book," Boston
Globe, 9/05/04,
http://daily.misleader.org/ctt.asp?u=1338421&l=53538.
4. "Shifts from bin Laden hunt evoke questions," USA Today, 3/28/04,
http://daily.misleader.org/ctt.asp?u=1338421&l=53539.

Correction on 9/03/04 Misleader: "The average taxpayer spent 1 hour and 29
minutes longer filing his or her taxes in 2003 than in 2002."
Source: "Economic Snapshot: Tax system more complicated, time consuming
under Bush Administration," Economic Policy Institute, 9/2/04,
http://daily.misleader.org/ctt.asp?u=1338421&l=53540 (the original story said 80 minutes - and the correct increase in our newly simplied FIT under Bush is 89 minutes extra thanks to Bush.

[Poiuyt]

1. This could be very damaging to Bush's anti-terror image

I can't wait for this book. It looks like it's going to show that Bush has been weak on terror and that his actions after 9/11 have made us LESS safe. If you combine what insiders Paul O'Neill (whatever happened to him) and Richard Clarke have said, it would make a very strong case against Bush as being strong on terror.

Now it's up to the Kerry campaign to make some hay with this.

[StClone]

2. It's so obvious

If Bush were the anti-terror Prez why did Ossam escape his attention prior to 9-11? Why did he have NO plan whatsoever prior to 9-11 against terrorism in general. Why did he not keep up on Clinton's urgings that terrorism was going to be a big? Why did he not even consider terror let alone Ossam when the first plan hit the WTC when I along with many others had that thought?