White House lapses led to 9/11, Clark says

[Whoa_Nelly]

PORTSMOUTH, N.H. -- Retired Army General Wesley K. Clark yesterday suggested that President Bush bears some responsibility for the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, saying the administration had been warned about the threat of Osama bin Laden but did not act quickly enough to prevent the tragedy.

"Now, we know who did 9/11," Clark told a roomful of business people at a law firm in Portsmouth, saying the Bush administration should be investigated for its actions prior to the attacks. Bush, he said, is "responsible for our preparation, our defense, and that's the issue. . . . This was a president who was in charge in this country for almost nine months, and failed" to defend the country.

Clark's remarks, among his sharpest critiques of Bush, were delivered as his campaign has stepped up its rhetoric. At other points yesterday, Clark referred to Bush as "a reckless, radical, and heartless leader" and said the war in Iraq "casts doubts on his competence as a commander in chief."

<snip>
He also suggested that Republicans consider Dean an easy target in the general election.

"There's a reason why Karl Rove is supporting my friend, the former governor of Vermont," Clark said.


more...
http://www.boston.com/news/politics/president/clark/articles/2003/12/10/white_house_lapses_led_to_911_clark_says/

Rove supporting Dean???? Strange remark! Anyone else ever hear that?

[radwriter0555]

1. Karl Rove Wants Dean Against Bush for 2004

by Juliet Eilperin Saturday July 05, 2003 at 05:14 AM


Rove told a companion, " 'Heh, heh, heh. Yeah, that's the one we want,' " according to Daniel J. Weiss, an environmental consultant, who was standing nearby. " 'How come no one is cheering for Dean?' " Then, Weiss said, Rove exhorted the marchers and the parade audience: " 'Come on, everybody! Go, Howard Dean!' "

http://www.sf.indymedia.org/news/2003/07/1624957.php

[tinrobot]

10. That was 6 months ago...

What is he saying today?

[alittlelark]

14. Novak is pushing for Dean as the nominee he wants also

and he looks terrified of Clark - you can see spittle flying from his mouth on Crossfire whenever Clark is brought up

[BlueEyedSon]

2. Sure, republicans are CONTRIBUTING to Dean.

I'm sure someone will post a link to that effect and that Rove is pushing the initiative.

on edit: see? I'm clairvoiant... look above....

[lebkuchen]

3. I'd like to also hear a dem candidate discuss the 9-11 investigation

or lack thereof.

[Whoa_Nelly]

6. And the Wilson/Plame leak

and more about Cheney business re: Halliburton and its subsidiaries...and the lies about WMD and the real reasons BushCo invaded a sovereign nation and has kille thousands of innocents.

Where are the truthsayers? Who has the guts?

[UpInArms]

4. I believe that is in reference to this

http://www.livejournal.com/users/fireball1244/14796.html

Karl Rove for Howard Dean

At this years Palisades Citizen's Association Fourth of July Parade, Bush political strategist Karl Rove tried to excite the crowd to cheer for Howard Dean as supporters of the former Vermont governor marched down the street. Saying "Yeah, that's the one we want," Rove called for observers to cheer "Go Howard Dean!"

Rove usually plays his cards closer to his chest than this.

Does Rove really want to face Dean in November 2004? If he does, then making a big public show of support about it is probably the last thing he should do. Perhaps he has seen the same thing that Dean's supporters have -- that Dean is the only major Democratic candidate not running a "Bush Like Me" campaign of regurgitating White House positions from a a less stringent stance. The last thing someone like Karl Rove wants next year is a real choice put before the electorate. Much better to run against a Bush Lite donkey than a real Democrat.

...more...

[Maple]

5. Try here

"But Team Bush believes that Dean's support for same-sex unions, abortion rights and higher taxes not only energizes the conservative Republican base but turns off independent voters.

"Dean drags the Democratic dialogue even further to the left," a senior Bush source said, "and this is not a left-wing country in presidential elections."

In addition, "Dean will never pass the leadership threshold test," another Bush adviser argued. "He comes across as a morally superior liberal elitist who isn't ready to be President."

The Bush camp's glee presumes that the economy will continue its rebound and the situation in Iraq, which White House aides say is the biggest potential threat to Bush's reelection, will have improved considerably in six months."

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/story/144493p-127803c.html

[goforit]

12. This Rove confidence comes with.......Rigged Computers!!!!

Just wait and see!!!!!!!!

:puke:

[Say_What]

7. Clark may be interested: 9/11 Victim’s Wife Files RICO Case Against Bush

Someone might want to forward this information on to Clark and the other pres. candidates. It's hard to believe that a 911 victim's wife in suing Bush and Co. and nobody knows. Press released were sent to 3,000 media outlets and ONE reported it. Also see her open letter to Bush at www.911citizenswatch.org The press is burying this bigtime.

<clips>

911 Victim’s Wife, Ellen Mariani, files RICO Act

Federal Court Complaint against President Bush
and Cabinet Members

(Philadelphia, PA – 11/26/03) - Philip J. Berg, Esquire, announced today that he, attorney for Ellen Mariani, wife of Louis Neil Mariani, who died when United Air Lines flight 175 was flown into the South Tower of the World Trade Center on 9-11 at a news conference regarding the filing of a detailed Amended Complaint in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania on 11/26/03 in the case of Mariani vs. Bush et al that he is alleging President Bush and officials including, but not limited to Cheney, Ashcroft, Rumsfeld and Feinberg that they:

1. had knowledge/warnings of 911 and failed to warn or take steps to prevent;

2. have been covering up the truth of 911; and

3. have therefore violated the laws of the United States; and

4. are being sued under the Civil RICO Act.

Berg stated: “I will be detailing the charges against Bush and others and handing out copies of the:

1. Amended Complaint;

2. a Letter from Ellen Mariani to President Bush that sets forth her beliefs that President Bush knowingly and willfully failed to act and prevent the murder of her husband on 911 and the ongoing obstruction of justice; and

3. a Sworn Affidavit that the United States government twenty-eight <28> years ago undertook a study to prevent the very events of 911.

http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/WO0311/S00261.htm

[goforit]

13. Take it all the way to the Supremes.........Congress is out of business!!

Bush's Congress is USELESS!!!!

[Zero Gravitas]

8. WTF?

he thinks that Bush* should take responibility for (not) defending the country against terrorists? How crazy! Bush* has NEVER taken responsibility for ANYTHING in his entire WORTHLESS life.

[Donna Zen]

9. Ah___

I think that's his point.

[Zero Gravitas]

15. sorry

was attempting sarcasm.

[goforit]

11. Well Clark, Why don't we take it straight to the Supreme Court????

If Congress won't do their job, we do have another branch in gov't!!!

Sue the pants off the thugs!!!

But get to work on it. Talk is cheap!!!
After all this is our little Milosovich brewing right now.

[san antonio]

16. What should have been done...

What is Clark claiming should have been done?

[Stephanie]

17. Respond to the warnings

Take the Hart/Rudmann report seriously. Pay attention when Clinton's team tells him bin Laden is his number one worry. Respond to the many, many warnings that came in from foreign intel agencies. Warn the airlines about the intel that hijackings are likely. Have NORAD on alert. Follow up on FBI investigations into ME flight school students. Focus your efforts on PREVENTING an attack, as Clinton did with the Millenium attacks.

Do a little more than just getting your own cowardly ass out of town when you know terrorist attacks are imminent.

www.msnbc.com/news/907379.asp?0cv=KA01
The Secrets of September 11
The White House is battling to keep a report on the terror attacks secret. Does the 2004 election have anything to do with it?

April 30 — 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.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn?pagename=article&node=&contentId=A15957-2001
Summer Spinning
To GOP, Vacation Boosted Bush Agenda; To Democrats, Voters See a Shirk Ethic
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.jacksonholenews.com/Archives/NewsArchive/2001/010815-News.html
News story - Aug. 15, 2001
A Working Vacation
Vice President Cheney plans to fish, travel during month-long valley sojourn.
By Angus M. Thuermer Jr.

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

[DoYouEverWonder]

18. Something more than all the people

in the chain of command sitting on their hands on the morning of 9-11 until after the Pentagon was hit. Other, than that, I don't expect much from this crew either.