FBI Budget Squeezed After 9/11 (Counter-terror funds WH cut two-thirds)

[RamboLiberal]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A13541-2004Mar21.html

In the early days after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, the Bush White House cut by nearly two-thirds an emergency request for counterterrorism funds by the FBI, an internal administration budget document shows.

The document, dated Oct. 12, 2001, shows that the FBI requested $1.5 billion in additional funds to enhance its counterterrorism efforts with the creation of 2,024 positions. But the White House Office of Management and Budget cut that request to $531 million. Attorney General John D. Ashcroft, working within the White House limits, cut the FBI's request for items such as computer networking and foreign language intercepts by half, cut a cyber-security request by three quarters and eliminated entirely a request for "collaborative capabilities."

The document was one of several administration papers obtained and given to The Washington Post by the Center for American Progress, a liberal group run by former Clinton chief of staff John D. Podesta. The papers show that Ashcroft ranked counterterrorism efforts as a lower priority than his predecessor did, and that he resisted FBI requests for more counterterrorism funding before and immediately after the attacks.

The documents are being released as Clinton and Bush administration officials prepare to testify this week about their counterterrorism efforts before the commission investigating the Sept. 11 attacks. They add to an already vigorous debate in which Bush officials and former Clinton aides are blaming each other for failing to take the terrorist threat seriously enough.

[alittlelark]

1. drip, drip, drip

which one will break the dam?

[Joanne98]

3. God I don't know but I'm soooo tired of waiting

The dam has so many holes in it now, I can't believe it's still standing.

[wellst0nev0ter]

4. IOKIYR

It's OK if you're Republican.

Read it. Learn it. Live it. :grr:

[Mokito]

13. I Know

It has to be a sieve by now. Letting all the dripping through, but still keeping all the dirt back.
But not to worry, once all the water is dripped out, there's nothing else but filth and dirt remaining, is there?

[Lindsay]

2. Outstanding article.

Thanks for the link...well worth reading.

[RamboLiberal]

5. Kudos to Podesta and Center for American Progress for finding

They're doing great work. Getting their email newsletter every weekday is a highlight of the day for me.

[wellst0nev0ter]

6. So Good, It Made It All The Way To Page Six

Good thing we have that librul media, or else who knows where we'd be today :eyes:

[RamboLiberal]

8. Ironic laugh - yeah considering Clarke's revelation tonight

and even without Clarke's revelations should be screaming headlines above the fold!

And the so-called Bush-Brownosers at the Post ought to be fired for not digging up this story on their own. Thank goodness we got Podesta to start this organization - one of the best things that's happened to Dems. I'm sure he will be a great help to Randi and Al Franken and the others at the new liberal radio.

I'm just sorry they couldn't push up their premiere. There's going to be some dynamite stuff next week. I'm sure Randi's going to be itching to go. Wish we could get ahold of the tapes of the rehearsal broadcasts they're doing now.

[wellst0nev0ter]

9. Can't Wait To See What Got Front-Page Treatment

Oh look, Bush said at some $2,000-per-plate fundraiser that Kerry is flip-flopping over his foreign endorsements, whatta scoop! :eyes:

[grasswire]

7. check this out

"A draft of Ashcroft's "Strategic Plan" from Aug. 9, 2001, does not put fighting terrorism as one of the department's seven goals, ranking it as a sub-goal beneath gun violence and drugs."

By contrast, Janet Reno's number one goal was fighting terrorism.

[Old and In the Way]

12. That was 3 days after the CIA Presiential briefing on AQ, too.

Simply amazing that no one was reacting to the growing threat.

[BadGimp]

10. I can see the Kerry campaign TV ad now..

Please feel free to submit your own scripts...this should be fun.

[kodi]

11. ashcroft's office submitted budget on 9/10/01 cut antiterrorism $30M

least we forget that. it jives with what dick clarke mentioned this week on the busheviks inattention to the threat of terrorism.

the budget cuts in antiterrorism programs were planned by ashcroft so as to do two things, redirect money to antiporn operations and to cut the fbi budget to help with the tax cuts of april of 2001.

[Festivito]

14. Yet, they had lots of money to bail out the airlines.

It kept the airlines from talking too much.

[iam]

15. bush*

has $200 million and hate, thats it. No issues, nothing.

[reprehensor]

16. geez n/t

[yardwork]

17. The White House says Clarke is lying.

But the budget figures don't lie. They support Clarke.

Other than name-calling, what evidence has the White House presented to refute Clarke's information?

This is not going to go away.

[VolcanoJen]

18. Kick! File this one under "Bush did not make America safer."

Great story.

[proud patriot]

19. Boy I'm enjoying todays news

Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee ! :D