9/11: For The Record

The Washington Post ^ | Monday, March 22, 2004 | By Condoleezza Rice

[Jewels1091]

The al Qaeda terrorist network posed a threat to the United States for almost a decade before the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. Throughout that period -- during the eight years of the Clinton administration and the first eight months of the Bush administration prior to Sept. 11 -- the U.S. government worked hard to counter the al Qaeda threat.

During the transition, President-elect Bush's national security team was briefed on the Clinton administration's efforts to deal with al Qaeda. The seriousness of the threat was well understood by the president and his national security principals. In response to my request for a presidential initiative, the counterterrorism team, which we had held over from the Clinton administration, suggested several ideas, some of which had been around since 1998 but had not been adopted. No al Qaeda plan was turned over to the new administration

We adopted several of these ideas. We committed more funding to counterterrorism and intelligence efforts. We increased efforts to go after al Qaeda's finances. We increased American support for anti-terror activities in Uzbekistan.

[risk]

While I don't exactly agree with your thoughts (I'm in a Dem urban zone), but I don't find your comments abusive or disturbing. I find them refreshingly motivated and charged with concern. These days I'm much more upset by those who don't seem to care.

But I have no plans to move. Someone has to vote against the trend in the urban zones!

[MEG33]

We need to improve but we will never be a fortress...It just isn't possible.I live far enough away from the city that I only worry about those who would be most likely targeted and my family who flies frequently.

I don't think they will use the same method again because we are more apt to attack the hi jackers.....!

[Fledermaus]

I don't agree with my thoughts either! I don't want any attack.

But we all know, deep down, when we see the kind of horrible rhetoric on the left we kind of want them to get the brunt of it since they are going to do nothing to prevent it.

I'm just getting sick and tired of their whining. And here's another loose comment I've made to get a post removed - I'd almost consider joining Al-Qaeda and help them nuke these America hating left wing jerks! Of course it's a jest, a simple comment to point out that these people are idiots and, in my opinion, don't deserve to live in this free society they don't care to protect. There are millions of people around the world that would be happy to take their place here. I know, I know, the "America - Love it or Leave it" bumper sticker is passe, but I'm ready to revive it.

We see the Montana militia folks aren't doing their jobs! LOL

[risk]

If any of us is harmed, then all of us is harmed -- I'm sure you'll agree. Yes, I'm not for "fortress America" and such measures as national ID cards, or the like. But I do think we should cut off immigration from countries who don't screen well for terrorism. That might just include France for now! And we should really seal our borders. Maybe we can learn something from Israel about it. And I'm sure NORAD realizes that it's on notice to scramble more responsively. This is a hot war, not a cold one.

[risk]

Augh, that's too much :)

I've heard too many "Mossad did it" comments about 9/11. I think Madrid may quiet those nuts down for a week or two, but we don't have to encourage it...

[Tall_Texan]

It needs to be pointed out that if the drones were not armed until sometime in 2001, then the NBC video of a drone zeroed in on bin Laden at one of his terror camps could have only looked at and not shot at Osama. This seems to let Clinton off the hook a bit.

Hated as al Qaeda is today, remember too the sort of international outcry either president would have had for blowing up a foreign armed cap prior to 9-11. While it would be defensible, it would probably be swiftly condemned by the same Euroweenies who thought we had no right to invade Iraq.

[MEG33]

I never ever again want anyone to go through what those people in New York,over Pennsylvania and Washington did.I mean I am not personally concerned for my own personal safety.I felt so very close to people I lived thousands of miles from.

You hit one of us,you hit all of us.One cannot "seal" a border as large as ours,but we can do much better.There is a lot of shoreline,too.

[Fledermaus]

What we found was that the FAA isn't really in control once flights are in the air.

If you read the transcripts and listen to the calls from the airplanes to the ground (not the ones from passengers), the bureaucratic BS of the airlines was horrendous. But the FAA would have been worse.

Also, the terrorists were trained well enough to know how to turn off many of the anti-hijaking features the planes had.

Four planes from three different airlines changed course. By the time they even got organized it was too late. Thankfully, the FAA under Cheney's orders forced all flights to the ground or their is no telling how many more they had planned. There were reports of people getting off some of those flights that could have been terrorists.

It's still widely speculated that the Pennsylvania flight was shot down by our own fighters. They were in place at the time and the order was given to shoot down any plane that didn't respond. I believe they story about the passengers trying to takeover is true, but we had a chance to shoot that one down.

It also shows that although we had the capability, the act was so unexpected I don't think any chain of command decision to shoot them out the sky could have been made in time to stop the ones hitting New York. Maybe the Pentagon and definitely the PA plane.

We were just lulled into complicity after the fall of the Soviet Union. Regardless of how many revisionist want to change the facts, Clinton did nothing and before that Reagan didn't do much. Bush 41 at least fought a war but everyone thought once it was over that everything would be done with.

I don't buy the "Bush didn't finish the job in 1991" BS from the liberals (the ones that demanded sanctions be allowed to continue while after the war they complained the sanctions were bad and starving "women and children") since they didn't want to fight to begin with.

But Bush and company did a bad job of the post-war effects by letting Saddam's military keep too many weapons and still pretending Saddam was legitimate. And then they used words that made Shiites and Kurds think we'd back them if they tried to overthrow the Iraq government. Bay of Pigs all over.

Now all the left wing idiots complain the son finished the job they said the father should have accomplished even though they never wanted the father to do it in the first place.

Talk about two-faced opportunism.

[risk]

It's past time for all of our decent and upright leaders to admit that the USA has been appeasing its domestic enemies for 55 years. When Truman undercut McArthur in Korea, that was the moment we started seeing the division occur. Why? Was it a conspiracy? I think it was fear. We were tired of fighting. And our enemies knew it. The effectiveness of other conspiracies increased after that Faustian moment.

[risk]

...fear... *external* enemies knew it...

[MEG33]

I remember the world did not want to finish the job and go to Baghdad...all that wonderful coalition had its big drawbacks....

"if only" are the saddest words.

[MEG33]

Truman did not want to go to war with Mao or Uncle Joe...and I do think we were tired.

[risk]

I've forgiven Truman. But sometimes I think McArthur proved he was superior by stepping down without incident. Also, I forgive those who opposed the Vietnam war -- with dignity and consideration to the troops. That doesn't include Bill, Hillary, and Kerry.

[MEG33]

We should have helped the warlord Chiang Kai Shek more at the proper time to keep Mao out of power at the end of WW2

There were many communists and fellow travelers in and around our State Dept during and after WW2(Yes McCarthy was right.)It was terribly fashionable.

[MEG33]

Mc Arthur may have been right about pushing on, but he was not CIC.He had no right to defy the President,he was not elected.

[risk]

Agreed.

[MEG33]

I don't forgive those who undercut our troops morale and spat on them and those groups like the Weathermen,the Black Panthers were a bunch of thugs.

I don't forgive the govt for not giving the funding they promised to the S Vietnamese when we left.I don't blame Kerry for being anti war,I blame the way he did it.I listened to the 71 speech yesterday and my stomach is still upset.

[archy]

It's past time for all of our decent and upright leaders to admit that the USA has been appeasing its domestic enemies for 55 years. When Truman undercut McArthur in Korea, that was the moment we started seeing the division occur. Why? Was it a conspiracy? I think it was fear. We were tired of fighting. And our enemies knew it. The effectiveness of other conspiracies increased after that Faustian moment.

That and distraction. Truman did very well with containing Soviet expansionism in Berlin and Greece, and a juggling act can only be carried on for so long before the inevitable comes to pass.

But even given Truman's personality and personal shortcomings, I thing he was horrified at the possibility the public would learn just how much his predecessor had bargained away. He kept the lid on as well as he could, but our adversaries were not playing by his rules.

The funny thing is, the American public probably would have supported him had he taken the steps then that were really necessary. And he might be remembered as the American president who accomplished what had to wait for Reagan to come along to get done. -archy-/-

[archy]

We see the Montana militia folks aren't doing their jobs! LOL

I ain't heard tell of the muslum terrorists pulling off a successful raid around Billings or Helena lately. And as for Missoula, I reckon the Hmong who settled thereabouts from Laos would take care of any problems of that sort just fine.

[risk]

And he might be remembered as the American president who accomplished what had to wait for Reagan to come along to get done.

Bump! And thanks for the analysis.