Live 9/11 Commission Thread [testifying today Freeh, Reno, Ashcroft]

April 13, 2004 | Vanity

[Peach]

9/11 Commission. Now on C-Span.

Chairman Thomas Kean has asked the audience to refrain from clapping.

Louie Freeh, former FBI director, up at 9:30.

Business matters being taken care of now by the Commission.

[Mo1]

http://www.cnn.com/US/9609/05/airport.security/index.html

The American Civil Liberties Union said it would fight any efforts to subject passengers to a higher level of screening based on their race or religion.

"Passengers not legitimately under suspicion should not have to fear that their private effects and private lives will be held up to public scrutiny," said ACLU Legislative Counsel Gregory Nojeim. "Safety and privacy will not be assured if people are targeted for searches based on incorrect criteria instead of evidence."

However, Gore said it was unlikely that every passenger would be put through every level of security. He said security checks for air cargo also could be increased, but did not specify how.

[Integrityrocks]

I think his point is... to place the Congress into the picture of responsibility too. If Congress had not approved Bush's "Homeland Security Dept." with its funding, we would still be playing tit for tat with different agencies. Money has ALWAYS mattered in times of war and this is a war. Congress has to have their feet held to the fire on this issue.

[TexKat]

I wonder why it won't ever become public who wrote it?

I heard a couple of hours earlier from a Whitehouse cabel news correspondent that it was presently being debated whether the name of the writer of the Aug 6, 2001 will be revealed.

[cajungirl]

Just emailed tom Kean. Is anyone else feeling sad over all this. It seems like our fingers are in the dike. And the lies just keep coming.

[kassie]

LOL I'm too mad at gorelick to think of anything but running her over with an SUV.

[Mo1]

The media -- Chrissy especially -- is also asserting that the WTC Towers were a "federal building." They were not.

I think Chrissy is trying to link the NYC Port Aurthority to the Feds

[Republican Red]

"Citing figures from Nielsen Media Research, the networks said Fox News drew an average of 1.921 million total viewers in the period from 9 a.m. to noon ET on Thursday, ahead of CNN's 1.228 million and MSNBC's 470,000. CNN is a unit of Time Warner Inc. (nyse: TWX - news - people), Fox News is a unit of News Corp. Ltd. and MSNBC is a unit of General Electric Co. (nyse: GE - news - people)"

http://www.forbes.com/business/manufacturing/newswire/2004/04/09/rtr1328438.html

I guess everybody is boycotting (rather IGNORING) MSNBC.

[Peach]

Ben-Venista doesn't even make a welcoming statement.

Is FR slooooow for anyone else?

[texasbluebell]

I'll have to join that fan club too!

[Miss Marple]

Yes, slow. Ben Veniste trying to get dirt on Ashcroft.

[mathluv]

veeeeeerrrrrryyyyyyyy slooooooooooowwwww

[mwl1]

Agreed. Hardball last Thursday -- the evening of Dr. Rice's testimony -- was the most arrogant, biased, viciously partisan and outrageous political show I have ever seen.

[kassie]

It's sloooooow for me too.

[cyncooper]

Ben Veniste up. He is adopting his prosecutorial tone (though not against Pickard, but the points he will elicit from him).

He brings up that Pickard said Ashcroft did not want to hear about terrorism and said "I don't want to hear about this again" and he says "that's correct".

BV on PDB give title and points out Pickard did not vet. He says that's correct. BV refers to "the person at CIA" who prepared it.

BV draws analogy to "white van" in sniper case where we're all looking in the wrong direction.

He says PDB writer was prescient as the attack did come in the U.S.

[Mo1]

Saying a prayer for Ashcroft. I think they will really go hard on him.

If Ashcroft can survive what te Dems did to him at his confirmation hearing ... he'll be find before this commission

[ironman]

"Black said the cause of 9/11 is plain as day: not enough money and manpower to fight the enemy."

Al-Qaeda caused 9/11. Better stated as "the failure to stop 9/11 is plain as day..."

[Peach]

I'm going to pull a Dean and just scream "aaaaaarrrwwwwww".

[Desdemona]

FR is slow today, yes.

And Ben-Veniste is a pain. he dresses like a gangster and asks useless questions. This isn't a trial, but he asks his questions as if it was. How insulting.

[texasbluebell]

Great idea re: emailing B. Hume on this Gorelick matter.

At least it will get out there more if he'll bring it up.

[Carolinamom]

Hands also tied by the LAW that Congress passed forbidding FBI and CIA to exchange info.