Posted on 02/10/2002 9:46:32 AM PST by garv
Sept. 11 may look to everyone else like the greatest national security failure in American history. But to CIA Director George Tenet, his agency's cluelessness about the al Qaeda attacks wasn't a failure at all - just, you know, one of those inevitable things.
No changes have to be made, no questions remain to be asked. Everything's just fine, thank you. Thousands of Americans are dead at the hands of international terrorists and somehow there's no question in Tenet's mind that the nation's principal intelligence organization did a faultless job.
"Intelligence will never give you 100 percent predictive capability on terrorist events," he told the Senate Intelligence Committee, taking a casual "win some, lose some" approach more appropriate to a baseball manager than a CIA director.
It is true, as former British Prime Minister Maggie Thatcher is said to have remarked, that when it comes to terrorism the security forces must be perfect - while the terrorists just have to be lucky.
But that doesn't mean that when terrorists do get lucky, the fellow in charge of the security forces gets a pass.
Isn't anybody going to be held responsible for 9/11?
Tenet, who was appointed by President Clinton in 1997, seems unaware even that there is a buck to pass. He's never even apologized to the American people - or to the families of the 9/11 victims - for the mere possibility that the institution he heads might have let them down.
Sure, the FBI and the Immigration and Naturalization Service share in the blame. But it is widely known that in recent years the CIA bureaucracy has cut back on clandestine operations and overseas human intelligence.
Al Qaeda documents that might have provided a clue to the terrorists' plan weren't translated in time because - even after Khobar Towers and the USS Cole bombing - the CIA didn't employ enough Arabic translators.
Former CIA agents have charged that the agency under Tenet's "leadership" did not even try to penetrate al Qaeda.
Tenet boasted to the Senate that Osama bin Laden "underestimated our capabilities, our readiness and our resolve" in Afghanistan.
Hmmm. Just as Tenet underestimated Osama before 9/11 - for which America paid a terrible price in blood and treasure.
Now Osama is on the run.
But Tenet is still on the job.
He should have resigned.
And then - just as after Pearl Harbor - there should have been a inquiry into what went wrong and why.
Yes, the Bush administration is loath to proceed on the latter. And there is something to be said for avoiding the disruption and finger-pointing that such a proceeding would generate.
But not much.
Anyway, there's no good reason why the truly sensitive issues couldn't be handled behind closed doors.
The organization George Tenet heads is surely full of fine, capable, devoted public servants. But it failed - disastrously - on his watch, and thousands of Americans perished as a result.
America needs to know why.
Which leads me to a question. Over the past few weeks the critics of Alan Keyes on this forum have continuously asked what Keyes was insinuating by giving the follwing answer in the NYT.
Q. What if you got President Bush on the show -- what would you ask him?
A. The burning question in my mind for Bush is that, on Sept. 11 we witnessed the most egregious failure of America's national security system in our history: ''Why has no one been held accountable for that failure in your administration".
So, perhaps the answer to that question has been provided by the editorial above or, if not, has the NY Post just assumed the mantle of Bush-bashing?
Currently, with 80%-plus favorable ratings, Bush can "get away with" keeping an albatross like Tenet around his neck . . . .
But, let's look ahead: The war on terrorism has barely started. There will be more US casualties. There will be more terrorist attacks on US soil. Bush will need to face an American people who know he can be trusted (trusted not to entrust American intelligence to an incompetent like Tenet).
Ditto, the NTCB that keeps "not being able to find" any terrorist links to the jetliners that fall out of the sky over NYC every couple of years. Bush needs to clean house and come clean on Flt #s 800 and 587. And that isn't going to happen with Tenet and the current NTCB administration in place.
If anyone is to blame it should be Clinton.. Hell, the guy didn't even a get a security briefing for two years and this was after the first WTC bombing.
Think you're gonna reason with this mob, do ya?
...forrrget about it.
If we fire him because there was a successful terrorist attack. Should we not also fire the head of the NSA, FBI, DIA, etc. And should we not also fire their replacements, the next time there is a successful terrorist attack.
It was reported in several articles last week posted on FR that Bush had asked the House and Senate not to hold open door, public hearings on what went wrong, the failures of the FBI, CIA and Bush administration that led to the 9/11 attacks. Bush wants to limit the hearings to closed door hearings only with the Senate and House Intelligence committees and even there restrict access of the hearing data to only a select few.
This request by Bush should be publicly debated on FR and in my opinion Bush should not get his request met by Congress to the extent Bush is asking. If you agree with me, please contact your Senator and Congressman on this issue and let them know what you think they should do about the Bush request.
This request by Bush to maintain too much secrecy to me is very wrong and in my opinion gives the appearance of a cover-up (even if it is not)and protecting bad policies and individuals who may need replacement because of all the bad decisions and mistakes already known publicly(posted in articles on FR) and listed in part below that the FBI and CIA and Bush made about terrorism before and after 9/11.
In a free and participatory Democracy these mistakes need to be aired publicly (at least in general terms to protect legitmate intell and security concerns)), publicly debated and corrected. Public hearings are the only way to ensure the problems are identified to have at least a chance of being adequately corrected.
Secrecy to the extent that Bush wants only impedes correcting problems , replacing people and changing policies and thereby makes it more likely more mistakes will be made in America that can lead to more terrorism in America.
Also anyone who is incompetent, corrupt or a spy in COngress, in law enforcement or in the FBI, DOJ or executive branch needs to be removed and replaced by people better capable of protecting Americans.
Any bad policies (like letting known Hamas and AlQaueda cell members continue to roam in OKC and in the US)also need to be publicly aired, debated and then changed to make the policies better to save American lives from terror attacks within the US..
In my sincere opinion, I believe history will show that Bush, the FBI and CIA made very bad decisions before the 9/11 attacks about the handling of terrorism that made the US more vulnerable to the 9/11 attacks. I believe they are still making very bad decisions in the area of preventing terrorism.
My list would include but not be limited to the inaction against Holy Land Foundation until after the attacks when they were a known big problem to the FBI and Bush before 9/11,
the failure to stop hijacker terror pilots known to be training in the US for at least two years befor 9/11 (including Atta and Moussaoui in Norman OK),
Bush ordering the FBI a month before 9/11 not to investigate certain Saudi and Bin Laden family business ties in the US that have been shown to be raising money for Hamas and ALQaeda ,
DOJ and FBI ignoring repeated warnings a month before 9/11 from David Schippers and FBI agents in Minnesota and Chicago about attacks on lower Manhattan (there is a Fed lawsuit pending on this) ,
and the continuing Bush and FBI policy of not shutting down Hamas cells in OKC and five AlQadea cells still operational in the US (a fact identified and described last year by Bob Woodward in the Washinton Post).
I am sure blame for these failures also extends to the CLinton administration. But to understand and fix the problems now we must also understand what also went wrong in the BUsh administration since the FBI, DOJ and CIA under Bush and not CLinton is to be protecting us in the future.
This is particualrly true since Bush has retained many Clinton officials in the DOJ, FBI and CIA (Tenet) that Bush could have removed. What I am saying in part is that if CLinton and his people were to blame in part (they are to blame in part in my opionion) for the failures then the Bush administration is also to blame since they retained many of the Clinton people and policies that were at fault.
Bush has sidestepped so far doing much about transgressions in the Clinton administration such as China gate and has said he wants to put the Clinton problems behind us, forget about them. Well, that will not work since Bush is still using the same failed policies and personnel from the CLinton administration in the FBI, CIA and DOJ to fight terrorism and protect Americans. Who is to say these same people are not making the same mistakes and failures???
And I am not confident in the audit of the FBI by Arthur Andersen ordered by AShcroft for the CLinton/Bush holdover, FBI Director Robert Mueller.
If our public officials can't rule for the esoteric good of the nation - and forcefully act in like manner - they're not worthy of office.
"In essence the covenant between the agencies is "cradle to grave" and requires a life commitment with the employee. "
The problem is that the FBI and CIA agencies are subject to political abuse. The agent's life long commitment is often betrayed by their "employer" who can be politically and morally corrupt (CLinton). The "employer" who has politicized the agencies is the executive branch.
There is also always the problem of internal spies that can screw everything up.
And there are examples of Fed cases pending against the DOJ and FBI by FBI agents alleging corruption and betrayeal by their coworkers in the FBI and DOJ (Whitehurst, Rogoskey, and an Agent from Minneapolis represented by David Schippers over 9/11 attacks are examples).
And I believe that corruption, not just spying (like Aldrich Ames) can also occur inside the CIA like it has in the FBI.
It matters not whether the seeds of this failure were planted by Clinton, Carter, or Warren G. Harding, Tenet was the man in charge and should accept some responsibilty. Either he's a Clinton toadie that helped orchestrate the emasculization of the agency or he's a gutless incompetent incapable of protecting his agency or the American people. Either way he has no business being part of this administration and should be shown the door if he can't find it himself.
Hell, not even the runaway stockmarket was real since '92; as some have only just now begun to realize.
This entire nation stands poised to learn first-hand why Bankers & Banking is best left to people having a conservative approach to life & business et al.
...I sure hope people are *feeling* good; 'cuz now, I believe it's time to pay the piper.
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