[Sabertooth]

We all know that Bush was not scheduled to meet with anyone regarding anything at the White House on the morning of Sept. 11. Like Al-Arian, he was in Florida.

Good point. I've just sent the following e-mail to Frank Gaffney for clarification. I'll post any reply I receive.

Subject: A Troubling Influence - Footnotes 27 and 28

Dear Mr. Gaffney,

I've followed with interest your articles on attempts by various Islamist groups to access higher levels of the US Government in the past year.

I have a question about your recent article, "A Troubling Influence - An Islamic Fifth Column penetrates the White House," posted by Frontpage Magazine.com. You wrote:

"Ironically, pro-Islamist groups had been scheduled to meet with President Bush on the morning of September 11 to hear what he planned to do to deliver on his secret evidence campaign pledge."27

"But that day, the executive mansion complex was shut down, for fear that a fourth hijacked aircraft was headed its way. I watched bemused as Grover Norquist and the White House official responsible for Muslim outreach, Suhail Khan, escorted the displaced Islamists into the conference room we share.(Al-Arian had arranged to participate in the presidential meeting via phone. According to his website, his teaching schedule at the University of South Florida would not allow him to be there in person.)"28

As I recall, on September 11th, 2001, President Bush was in Florida at the time the World Trade Center was attacked, about 9 AM. Yet you wrote that "pro-Islamist groups had been scheduled to meet with President Bush on the morning of September 11 to hear what he planned to do to deliver on his secret evidence campaign pledge."

How is it that a meeting was scheduled for Islamist groups to meet with President Bush that morning, when he was in Florida at the time?

Can you clear up this apparent discrepancy?

Thanks for your time,

xxx xxxxx,
Los Angeles, California

ps. Since I'm uncertain as to how to best contact you, and couldn't find contact info at FrontpageMag.com, I'm sending a copy of this letter both to Center For Security Strategy.org, and to your contact at Townhall.com. Thanks again.

[Trollstomper]

"We all know that Bush was not scheduled to meet with anyone regarding anything at the White House on the morning of Sept. 11. Like Al-Arian, he was in Florida. "

The meeting was to have taken place later after the President's scheduled return. Whether that technically would have been "morning", ie., before 1200hrs is not clear, but could perhaps be clarified and is anyway not the main point at all (but a welcomed sudden expression of interest in facts, much of which could,per below, are contained in the article).

I believe that in the original Sami on line "diary" entry of his "recollections" he spoke of the events of that "morning" and what he was supposed to have been doing, i.e., the White House telecon to the meeting with the President. Perhaps both Al Arian and Gaffney are using poetic license re "morning" (This meeting also was refernced on the American Muslim Council's website.)

1) Gaffney provided the cite for this from Sami's website and diary. The Presidenet as you may know, often vists three cities in different parts of the country in one day. The FLa school trip was almost over at 9 am when the towers's new arrived. Rather than return to the WH he took a base hopping trip.

2) The scheduled meeting took place, replete with WH Muslim liaison contact point, above mentioned Suhail Khan (foremer Director of the Islamic Institute baord), and the major Muslim and Arab groups Norqusit/Saffuri/Kahn work with, in the Norquist conference room at 1920 L, that same afternoon as the WH complex was closed down. Gaffney and other's witnessed this and exhanged salutations.

3) It should also be noted that the President often is schedule or announced to groups to be scheduled to attend or possibly attend thir White House meetings. If something happend that takes precedence, in this case the attacks, then he does't show and a staff desingate does his apologies and runs the event.

What at a minimum is clear, as Gaffney documents, Al Arian and the Muslim groups certainly had been told and believed and wrote that they were to meet with the President in the White House that day.

I hope this information and practicum helps to clear up any confusion and allow you all to appreciate the larger and obvious point.