Posted on 01/26/2004 5:41:54 AM PST by SJackson
The 9/11 Commission on today will explore one of the most critical elements of the attack that claimed the lives of 3,000 innocent Americans: how the terrorists got into the United States.
We have long known that all 19 of the 9/11 terrorists came here on legal visas, but one of the topics the commission will cover is that several other would-be hijackers did not make it because they were stopped by alert officials who sensed that something was amiss. Though this might appear a vindication for the State Department's beleaguered visa division, it is actually just the opposite.
State has long argued that there was no way it could have prevented any of the 9/11 terrorists from entering the U.S. precisely because they didn't have advance, specific intelligence about the threat posed by any of the individuals. What State fails to mention, however, is that at least 15 of the 19 did not qualify under the law for visas — yet were given them anyway.
The reason: they were Saudis, and all Saudis were considered "clearly approvable," which is how the number two State Department official in Saudi Arabia described Saudi visa applicants in an e-mail in June, 2001. It was because of this mentality that the consular officer who approved the visas of 10 of the 9/11 hijackers said that she overlooked glaring red flags in the paperwork, according to government investigators.
In other countries, thankfully, consular officials did not have the same pressure exerted on them to roll out the red carpet for all visitors.
Those who were kept out — whom the commission will examine — were not denied access for terrorism concerns, but because the law was followed. But that still meant that al Qaeda didn't get all their operatives in place for the attack.
News reports in October 2002 discussed how Ramzi bin al Shieb, one of the 9/11 plotters who is now in U.S. custody, went 0-for-4 in his attempts to get a visa to "visit" the United States. But more than a year later, authorities have revealed that at least three other al Qaeda members were likewise thwarted.
(Excerpt) Read more at jewishworldreview.com ...
Nice, good job following policy.. < / sarcasm>
What State fails to mention, however, is that at least 15 of the 19 did not qualify under the law for visas — yet were given them anyway.
The reason: they were Saudis, and all Saudis were considered "clearly approvable," which is how the number two State Department official in Saudi Arabia described Saudi visa applicants in an e-mail in June, 2001. It was because of this mentality that the consular officer who approved the visas of 10 of the 9/11 hijackers said that she overlooked glaring red flags in the paperwork, according to government investigators.
Evil bastards will be evil bastards. Thats a given. But for our laws not to be enforced and to admit the evil to our land, that's a crime. The govt's main Constitutional command is national defense. On 9-11 the gov't failed in this ONE thing they are required to do. This failiure is a 'but...for...' cause of 9-11.
Sure. But there's always going to be a way for them to get in the US. The simple fact is, that until we got attacked there was never going to be a great deal of interest in the public imagination about security. Now, we've been attacked and people are suddenly obsessed with it. But the blame should always go to the ones that did it.
But do we have to send them an engraved invitation and then promise not to look while they work up their plots?
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