The myth of the President's Daily Brief.

[Nlighten1]

This is from an email that I get from the FAS. I have permission from the author to post it in full.

http://www.fas.org/sgp/news/secrecy/index.html



The President's Daily Brief (PDB), the daily intelligence briefing prepared by the Central Intelligence Agency, is one of those categories of classified information that are sometimes termed classification "icons" because their near-absolute secrecy status exceeds any national security justification that can be rationally offered. (The intelligence budget total is another such "icon.")

The myth of the PDB as a sacrosanct document that may never be disclosed was exploded by Tom Blanton of the National Security Archive in an online essay and document collection this week that includes excerpts of several PDBs that have in fact entered the public domain, with or without authorization.

See "The President's Daily Brief" by Tom Blanton, March 22:

http://www.nsarchive.org/NSAEBB/NSAEBB116/index.htm

See also "Who's Afraid of the PDB? Why Bush should show the
9/11 commission his briefs" by Tom Blanton in Slate.com, March
22:

http://slate.msn.com/id/2097476/


An August 6, 2001 edition of the PDB has become a particular focus of controversy because it reportedly described the threat to the U.S. from Al Qaida. The White House has refused to release this key document, and has only permitted the 9-11 Commission to gain partial access to it under exceedingly restricted circumstances.

But in remarks during a March 24 roundtable interview that seemed to cast doubt on the legitimacy of such secrecy, National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice indicated that this particular PDB was not that sensitive or interesting:

"This document was a kind of analytic step-back piece that says we know that al Qaeda has been interested in striking the American homeland, and then it's historical. Most of it is about, he admired the 1993 events at the World Trade Center -- the bombing in '93. Some things about '97 and '98. There's mention of hijacking for the purpose of getting the release of prisoners. So it's not in the context of flying airplanes into buildings. It mentions that al Qaeda has tried to infiltrate people into the United States."

"But it's all kind of things that you've heard before...," she said. See:

http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2004/03/20040324-25.html

[mrdmk]

1. Lets do some math

Three people reading and taking notes on these PDB from the Bush and Clinton terms in the White House.

For sake of reasonable deduction, Clinton was in the White House for eight years. This accounts for the troubles that were incurred in bombings at the Twin Towers though the Cole bombing and all in between.

For sake of reasonable deduction, Bush was in the White House for just under a year when Twin Towers were destroyed.

One year equals 365.

(8 * 365) + (1 * 365) = 3285

This means three people must look at thousands of documents (3285), take notes and report (effectively) to the rest of their consonants from their notes. This is a joke.

[patricia92243]

2. Because Bush admittedly does not read is the reason he had the face to

face meetings. We have to rely on his memory of things that are important. Such inadequacy is staggering.

[F.Gordon]

3. So, it was just a "history lesson"???

I've presented my argument on this down in the 9/11 cellar....

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=125x9966

When the NSC is advised of the threat of a terrorist incident or actual event, the appropriate subordinate group will convene to formulate recommendations for the Counterterrorism and Preparedness PCC who in turn will provide policy analysis for the Deputies Committee. The Deputies Committee will ensure that the issues being brought before the Principals Committee and NSC are properly analyzed and prepared for a decision by the President.

As I read the comments made in 2000 and 2002, compare that to the structure that Bush* established.....it seems like there was an "analytic" report...

Rice says..."There's mention of hijacking for the purpose of getting the release of prisoners. So it's not in the context of flying airplanes into buildings. It mentions that al Qaeda has tried to infiltrate people into the United States"

Does this report mention all the FAA alerts? What was the "Presidential Decision" on August 6, 2001? Assuming that Clarke was able to get his threat report up the Bush* chain. Maybe he didn't. Maybe I'm reading too much into this.

We may never know.....

[skeptic9]

4. John Dean says that the August 8th PDB details the WH is hiding are ...

... are repeated in another, more widely available document, the "Report of the Joint Congressional Inquiry Into The Terrorist Attacks Of September 11". Kristen Breitweiser was waving a bookmarked copy of this report at the camera during her appearance on 'Hardball' last week.

Dean (of "cancer on your Presidency" Watergate fame) adds that

"either the Bush White House knew about the potential of terrorists flying airplanes into skyscrapers (notwithstanding their claims to the contrary), or the CIA failed to give the White House this essential information, which it possessed and provided to others. Bush is withholding the document that answers this question. Accordingly, it seems more likely that the former possibility is the truth. That is, it seems very probable that those in the White House knew much more than they have admitted, and they are covering up their failure to take action. ..."

See http://writ.news.findlaw.com/dean/20030729.html and http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x1290044

[F.Gordon]

5. 12 specific warnings in the 40+ days prior.....

to Bush* getting whatever the fuck this was. And another one 10 days after the 8/6/01 date.

It seemed like quite a few people were rattled about this, but not our "fearless" leader.