9/11 Chair: Attack Was Preventable

CBS ^ | 17 December 2003

[Hal1950]

For the first time, the chairman of the independent commission investigating the Sept. 11 attacks is saying publicly that 9/11 could have and should have been prevented, reports CBS News Correspondent Randall Pinkston.

"This is a very, very important part of history and we've got to tell it right," said Thomas Kean.

"As you read the report, you're going to have a pretty clear idea what wasn't done and what should have been done," he said. "This was not something that had to happen."

Appointed by the Bush administration, Kean, a former Republican governor of New Jersey, is now pointing fingers inside the administration and laying blame.

"There are people that, if I was doing the job, would certainly not be in the position they were in at that time because they failed. They simply failed," Kean said.

To find out who failed and why, the commission has navigated a political landmine, threatening a subpoena to gain access to the president's top-secret daily briefs. Those documents may shed light on one of the most controversial assertions of the Bush administration – that there was never any thought given to the idea that terrorists might fly an airplane into a building.

"I don't think anybody could have predicted that they would try to use an airplane as a missile, a hijacked airplane as a missile," said national security adviser Condoleeza Rice on May 16, 2002.

"How is it possible we have a national security advisor coming out and saying we had no idea they could use planes as weapons when we had FBI records from 1991 stating that this is a possibility," said Kristen Breitweiser, one of four New Jersey widows who lobbied Congress and the president to appoint the commission.

The widows want to know why various government agencies didn't connect the dots before Sept. 11, such as warnings from FBI offices in Minnesota and Arizona about suspicious student pilots.

"If you were to tell me that two years after the murder of my husband that we wouldn't have one question answered, I wouldn't believe it," Breitweiser said.

Kean admits the commission also has more questions than answers.

Asked whether we should at least know if people sitting in the decision-making spots on that critical day are still in those positions, Kean said, "Yes, the answer is yes. And we will."

Kean promises major revelations in public testimony beginning next month from top officials in the FBI, CIA, Defense Department, National Security Agency and, maybe, President Bush and former President Clinton.

[GeronL]

...IF you want the government to "come clean" about 911,

Your the one with the problem, you won't accept any other answer than the government failed to do something. In fact you seem to refuse to blame the terrorists. It was the law that the CIA and FBI could not share info, Democrats made that law and they defended it, many of them still want that law to be remade, although it was finally undone after 9-11.

[Republican Red]

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1043122/posts

Sept. 11 Panel: Bush, Clinton Not to Blame Sept. 11 Commission Chairman Says There's No Evidence to Blame Clinton or Bush Administrations

[GeronL]

little back and forth with the CIA and FBI

Nope, that was illegal. Look up the Church Commission.

[ILBBACH]

I don't believe this is your intent, but the way you phrase your post sounds like one of the "it's the JOOOOOs fault" litany's.

Yeah, I'm not too articulate, even in writing.

What I mean is, I lay this solely at the feet of Clinton, but you know the anti-semetic liberals are going to find a way to blame it on either a republican president or Israel, but most likely both.

They're so damn predictable, those a-holes!

[oceanview]

when you use the term "preventable", that implies that all actions that COULD have been taken to stop this event are on the table, hence grounding all aircraft is the logical extension of that. A note to the airlines that says what: don't open the cockpit door if they are sliting the passengers throats?

there is a difference between a threat, and actionable evidence that you can do something about. The 93 WTC attack could have easily been prevented by not allowing trucks to park in the underground garage, why didn't Sandy Berger send someone a note?

[nopardons]

Then go buy yourself " WHY AMERICA SLEPT " and stop whinging.

[My Dog Likes Me]

That's a very valid point.
My fear is that if anything is held back, we could have another Warren Commission disaster, and the "9/11 conspiracy" could drag on and on for 50 years.
But if, as you say, a trusted few review the real deal, then I'm OK with that.
Kean was on Nightline tonight, and he sounded like a decent fella.

[Bommer]

Yes, really. I'm surprised you don't know this. Then again maybe I'm not.

Wouldn't surprise me with you. Anyone who was once a Democrap lacks any real signs of true intelligence.

[MEGoody]

"Yours is a totally irrelevant comment, (within a slew of irrelevant comments) with one objective."

Nice of you to think you know my objectives better than I do. No arrogance there. LOL

Do you deny that 9/11 wouldn't have happened if Clinton had nabbed Bin Ladden when he had the chance? If so, on what do you base that opinion?

"This does not strike me as an honorable position

I am supposed to care whether it strikes you as an 'honorable position'? You've already shown your arrogance. Arrogant people don't think any position is honorable but theirs.

"I say that because I want the government to "come clean" concerning 911 and you, with your spurious reasoning, support their silence."

If you need to believe that to get through the night, go for it.

[cookcounty]

""There are people that, if I was doing the job, would certainly not be in the position they were in at that time because they failed. They simply failed," Kean said. "

Let's see, Frank Church is out of the Senate, Toricelli was canned, still have to get rid of Clinton-holdover George Tenet. Could you help us out by naming names and being specific, Governor Kean? Or are you gonna put your pol good-old-boy network ahead of your nation?

[cookcounty]

"We can either follow the 9/11 investigation wherever it goes "

If the mandate puts up a brick wall at high noon January 20th, 2003, you cannot "follow the 9/11 investigation wherever it goes."

[Orthodoxy]

I remember Ollie North stating in the Iran Contra hearings that the most dangerous man on planet earth was Osama Bin Laden. This was in the late 80's. Maybe we can blame Ronald Reagon for this attack? Surely Bill Clinton has to accept some blame in allowing this man to run free. I believe the attacks were planned under his watch. Osama did not plan this in the 8 months that Bush was in office. I believe the majority of blame lies at the feet of Bill Clinton and his failed administration. I thought Hillary was the most intelligent woman on the planet, she did not see this coming?

[cookcounty]

"Your the one with the problem, you won't accept any other answer than the government failed to do something. "

It bears remembering that while there may have been "threats" of hijacking suicide airplanes and crashing them into buildings, there were more threats of bombing tunnels, bombing bridges, blowing up ships, crashing the internet, destroying bank records, bombing planes in flight, taking planes down with stingers, hitting bus stations, blowing up rail lines, taking down power transmission towers, sinking ferry boats, poisoning people at stadiums, setting off dirty bombs, blowing up nuclear power stations, blowing up embassies, bombing more office buildings, striking US military installations, spraying anthrax, etc., etc., etc.,.......

I am unaware of any particular reason why the "hijacking of planes for suicide attacks on US territory plan" should have been particularly scrutinized as opposed to the others, many of which were spoken of with far greater frequency..

[cookcounty]

" I smell the Hildabeast bashing Condie Rice. "

Gettin' in some early licks.

[VeniVidiVici]

...if all these top administration people "knew", why didn't they all clear out of town?

I'm not saying they "knew". What I said was the concept to attack the way they did was known to the Clinton administration in 1995. THEY decided not to follow-up on it.

[ClancyJ]

Don't you ever get tired of being so suspicious of any government official?

I have not read this whole thread - I don't have the stomach to fight ridiculous suspicions. But, you would really help your cause a lot more by posting such nonsense on DU so that all the DU'ers could further spread it.

Here, we have studied this administration and know that these people are all quality people that care about this country. So very funny that so many are not able to judge quality people when they see them. Just what are the traits you and your cohorts look for in a leader?

The reason I support Bush and his administration is BECAUSE I have so much trust in the fact that he is honorable, is willing to risk his life, his family's life and his re-election on a war to take on terrorists. If any of you listen to him - you will know that 9/11 is a lesson he will never forget, he will act when he judges there is a threat to this country, and he does not care what the polls say about it.

Would you prefer an organization that is anti-U.S., that cares only about their own power, and filled with corrupt people seeing nothing wrong in taking foreign bribes, selling secrets and anything for their personal gratification?

Would be nice if some of you quit your silly theories and studied reality for a change.

[Recovering_Democrat]

Anyone who was once a Democrap lacks any real signs of true intelligence.

Ronald Reagan was once a Democrat, just like me. I'm not surprised a pretender like you is ignorant of that fact.

[Bommer]

Reagan never admitted to being a "Recovering Democrat" That means your still one, just still sick!

[Recovering_Democrat]

Reagan never admitted to being a "Recovering Democrat"...

You've obviously never read or listened to him speak or you would not have said that. Regardless, your post ignores what you said, to wit:

"Anyone who was once a Democrap lacks any real signs of true intelligence."

And Ronald Reagan was once a Democrat.