Bremer 2001: Bush will "stagger along until there is a major incident"

[Hissyspit]

This is old, but I just felt like posting it again:

"L. Paul Bremer, the U.S. administrator in Iraq, said in a speech six months before the Sept. 11 attacks that the Bush administration was 'paying no attention' to terrorism.

'What they will do is stagger along until there's a major incident and then suddenly say, 'Oh my God, shouldn't we be organized to deal with this,''

'That's too bad. They've been given a window of opportunity with very little terrorism now, and they're not taking advantage of it.' " - Bremer at a McCormick Tribune Foundation conference on terrorism on Feb. 26, 2001."

Well, we've been in a bit of a window of opportunity now, and what have we done about port security? How much port security could we have bought for, say, $300 trillion + and rising?

Sickly apologistic here when his comments came to light in 2004:

http://www.commondreams.org/headlines04/0503-06.htm

In a statement Sunday, Bremer said his remarks three years ago "reflected my frustration" that none of his commission's recommendations had been implemented by Clinton or the new Bush administration.

"Criticism of the new administration, however, was unfair. President Bush had just been sworn into office and could not reasonably be held responsible for the Federal Government's inaction over the preceding 7 months," Bremer's Sunday statement said.

"I regret any suggestion to the contrary. In fact, I have since learned that President Bush had shared some of these frustrations, and had initiated a more direct and comprehensive approach to confronting terrorism consistent with the threats outlined in the National Commission report.

"I am strongly supportive and grateful for the President's leadership and strategy in combating terrorism and protecting American national security throughout his first term in office."

ON EDIT: Stuff I found later

[bananas]

1. link?

[Hissyspit]

4. I'll look for one. The original was an AP/Yahoo link, but it's broken. n/t

[Hissyspit]

6. I'm finding many references to the original article, but the original

article seems to be gone. I found it in an old email to myself and friends.

http://www.theleftcoaster.com/archives/001620.php

Bremer himself here in THIS OTHER AP article seems to acknowledge the remarks even as he tries to distance himself from them. He is rather sickly apologistic:

http://www.commondreams.org/headlines04/0503-06.htm

In a statement Sunday, Bremer said his remarks three years ago "reflected my frustration" that none of his commission's recommendations had been implemented by Clinton or the new Bush administration.

"Criticism of the new administration, however, was unfair. President Bush had just been sworn into office and could not reasonably be held responsible for the Federal Government's inaction over the preceding 7 months," Bremer's Sunday statement said.

"I regret any suggestion to the contrary. In fact, I have since learned that President Bush had shared some of these frustrations, and had initiated a more direct and comprehensive approach to confronting terrorism consistent with the threats outlined in the National Commission report.

"I am strongly supportive and grateful for the President's leadership and strategy in combating terrorism and protecting American national security throughout his first term in office."

[soup]

7. CNN ref.

KAGAN: President Bush has taken a lot of criticism for his approach to terrorism in the months before September 11. It turns out the man he chose to run Iraq after the war was one of his critics. Paul Bremer, in a speech in February 2001, told an audience that the Bush White House was, quote, "paying no attention to terrorism." Bremer went on to say, quote, "what they will do is stagger along until there's a major incident and then suddenly say, oh, my God, shouldn't we be organized to deal with this?" end quote.
http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0404/30/lt.03.html

although by the time I post this, you'll probably already have it...

[KyuzoGator]

2. Bush was a lame duck the day he was inaugurated.

9/11 was the very best thing that happened to his administration.

[rndmprsn]

8. yes its so sad and ironic...

that our worst day was his best...says alot huh?

[KyuzoGator]

9. Rule of thumb: What's bad for America is usually good for Bush.

Think about it for a second and realize how true it is.

[opihimoimoi]

3. BushCo even shit canned the Hart Rudman recommendations re

How to address Terrorism and an attack on America...Like Katrina, Bush Ignored the warnings....

[Hissyspit]

5. Should be impeached just for that. n/t

[opihimoimoi]

10. Impeach is too good...more like stoning till suffering is

equal to those boys coming home from the ME

[Hissyspit]

11. I guess we could

can him in his own shit. That would be ironic.