Sept. 11 Panel: Bush, Clinton Not to Blame - No Evidence to Blame Clinton or Bush Administrations

ABCNEWS.COM ^

[Sub-Driver]

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

The Associated Press

WASHINGTON Dec. 18 — The chairman of a federal commission looking into the Sept. 11 attacks said Thursday that mistakes over many years left the United States vulnerable to such an attack, but he resisted pinning blame on either of the last two presidential teams. "We have no evidence that anybody high in the Clinton administration or the Bush administration did anything wrong," chairman Thomas Kean said in an interview with ABC's "Nightline" taped for airing Thursday night.

Kean said the 10-member National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States has not decided whether to ask former President Clinton or President Bush to testify. He also said that any conclusions about the performance of high-level officials "will be reached when we are finished with our job, not now."

Kean sought to clarify remarks attributed to him in a CBS News report that aired Wednesday.

In the CBS interview, Kean said the commission's report, due May 27, will detail "what wasn't done and what should have be done" to prevent the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.

He added, "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."

CBS reported that Kean's comments constituted "pointing fingers inside the (Bush) administration and laying blame."

On Thursday, Democratic presidential candidate Wesley Clark labeled Kean's statements "disturbing" and said they showed the Bush administration could have done more to protect America from a terrorist attack.

Sen. Frank Lautenberg, D-N.J., said Kean's comments meant "that Bush administration officials had valuable information that could have prevented the terrorist attacks."

But Kean said in Thursday's interview that he did not mean to suggest that certain federal officials should have been fired after Sept. 11. He said he was commenting on obvious mistakes that were made, such as letting terrorists into the country and letting dangerous items onto planes.

"There are a number of steps along the way, that if they had occurred differently, this event wouldn't have occurred," he said.

White House press secretary Scott McClellan said he reviewed the CBS report and did not believe Kean leveled accusations against the Bush administration.

"There is nothing that we have seen that leads us to believe that Sept. 11 could have been prevented," McClellan said.

Kean, a former Republican governor of New Jersey, was appointed by Bush to lead the bipartisan commission.

[squidly]

Doesn't matter now. He said what he said to CBS, and the Dems are going to run with it. Wait and see.

[sinkspur]

He said what he said to CBS, and the Dems are going to run with it. Wait and see.

Nobody will believe it. Wait and see.

[MJY1288]

And yesterday SeeBS was reporting that Kean siad that the Bush Administration was to blame

[MattAMiller]

I figured as much. Some people saw the spin CBS put on their story and went nuts. I did too at first, until I read a little closer. Goes to show how effective media bias can be.

[Cicero]

So, he was just being a jerk, not malicious? This guy was a lifetime politician. I can't believe he wouldn't understand what CBS would do with his comments.

[MizSterious]

So Clinton is not to blame? How about the times he had a chance to get Osama, and didn't?

[CFC__VRWC]

Kean must figure that he's done enough damage for now, so it's time to get back to cover. The seed has been planted for laying all blame for 9/11 at the feet of the Bush Administration - now it's up to the media and the Rats to make sure it bears fruit, and they will spare no effort or expense.

[squidly]

Nobody will believe it. Wait and see.

People who want to believe it will. People who don't won't.

[finnman69]

it looks more like CBS sifted comments for anti-Bush material out of context and ran with it.

[Rokke]

Oh, they may try, but no one will believe it (save the 10% fringe of the whacko democrat left that believes Bush is worse than satan). Like Madelaine Albrights comments about Osama being hidden until is is politically expedient to reveal his capture, suggestions that the Bush administration had prior knowledge of 9/11 is dismissed as lunacy. In fact, I believe it backfires on anyone who makes such a claim.

[Michael.SF.]

"There are a number of steps along the way, that if they had occurred differently, this event wouldn't have occurred," he said.

Sure, if NYC had not built the WTC, if Boeing had not built the airplanes, if the Wright Brothers had not invented airplanes, if Columbus had not .....

What totally bogus statement!

[mystery-ak]

You're right...he said it and no one's going to listen to his clarifications....can't take it back.....Hey Kean, STFU until your little investigation is over.

[mitchbert]

Clinton could have had Bin Laden grabbed years before. He passed up the opportunity.

Clinton could have resisted the urge to deny the CIA and FBI the right to share data. He didn't.

Clinton could have instructed his intellegence people to pursue the concept of Project Bjoinka, to see if there was any meat in it. He didn't, as far as we know.

While I will not go as far as blaming Clinton for 9/11; he didn't fly the planes into the buildings after all, I have no problem opining that if he were more concerned with American security than what was going on underneath his desk recent history would be significantly altered.

Bottom line:

Clinton waffled and ignored the problem, Bush stood up and took action to eliminate the problem. And the world is a better place today because Barbara's son did. Period.

[Michael.SF.]

it looks more like CBS sifted comments for anti-Bush material out of context and ran with it.

And Newsmax also jumped on the band wagon for sensationalist reporting.

[Aeronaut]

The "useful idiots" will spout this stuff from the rooftops. Many will believe it. It's unfortunate, but true.

[Dog Gone]

Clinton could have had Bin Laden grabbed years before. He passed up the opportunity.

Yes, that probably would have prevented 9/11.

But the problem was deeper than that, and it goes back years before that, too. Gerald Ford began the wussification of the CIA, and political correctness has been allowed to dictate our policies in immigration, intelligence, and foreign affairs ever since.

The problem was systemic. In fact, it was codified.

All of us allowed this to happen by our failure to prevent it.

CBS and others want to blame it on Bush for obvious political reasons. But it's not completely accurate to blame it all on Clinton, either.

An entire generation of American policy and attitude is the real reason why we didn't have the ability to prevent the attack.

[revtown]

Al Gore's comission that was formed after TWA 800, could of implemented their more extensive airport screenings.

Instead they nuckled under to the evil corporations and blew it off. Sounds like something the Republicans would be blamed for.

[Alas Babylon!]

Let them. They certainly have a long list. Yellow cake, imminent threat, the photos of Bush sold for $, Enron, the carrier landing, the Baghdad visit, the Axis of Evil, the Patriot Act, the list is almost endless. And most thinking Americans don't buy any of it.

[Petronski]

With Benveniste (sp?) and Gorelick on the panel, it is inherently untrustworthy.