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.

[cyncooper]

Not the contents, but evidently in May 2002 "someone" leaked the existance of the August 6, 2001 memo to reporters.

Condoleezza Rice held a press briefing on May 16, 2002 and addressed the memo and characterized it exactly as she did in her testimony. The attitude from reporters and angle of questions was the same as it is today.

The next day Ari was asked during his daily briefing about it and gave the title.

That Sunday the WaPo, in a story co-authored by Bob Woodward, frontpaged a story about the PDB and gave the title in the first sentence.

Then last week when Ben Veniste asked about the PDB and asked for the title, Rice gave it and he proceeded to claim (and he repeated this on CNN last Sunday) that the title was not known until that moment.

There are threads on it I can link you to later. The actualy document was declassified this last Saturday and was exactly as described and characterized by Rice, Fleischer, the President and so on.

[MoodyBlu]

I see that the professional victims' are present in the tird row. Maybe the Kerry handlers said not to be so d*** obnoxious while sitting there, 'cause it's bad for their poll numbers.

How about the twerp with the ball cap on sitting in the front row? Astonishing that he doesn't know better or that a security person doesn't make him take it off.

MoodyBlu

[alisasny]

They did NOT have 100% success. Anyone watching live that day surely thought 20,000 people died and they missed the target of the White House and always doubts about other planes failing but never any conclusive evidence.

[Cboldt]

Kean has said that it is not within his power to remove commission members. No problem putting heat on him, but he has to carry the heat to whoever has the power to change the makeup of the Commission.

[Mayflower Sister]

We must email, write, call the commission to televise Monsoor Ijaz's testimony.

[Peach]

Okay. That makes the situation more clear. Thank you and you don't need to link articles. (You have a closing and much more important tasks to attend to today!)

[mystery-ak]

They don't want Monsoor calling the rapist(their idol) a liar on national tv.....

[TomGuy]

Wasn't funding dramatically increased in 2002 for FBI, etc.?

By 8% according to an earlier post.

[An 8% budget increase would be a very significant increase.]

[isthisnickcool]

"The FBI had never prepared a formal assessment of the terrorist threat on the homeland" ...

The real "problem" and it was not really a problem was that the FBI was created for domestic crime by design. It's focus has always been domestic crime. And it could not exchange information with the CIA. Not at any really beneficial level prior to 9/11. Zelikow said that the CIA and FBI did exchange information at top levels. But that was just not good enough.

9/11 crossed the bounds between federal agencies that handled extra-territorial and territorial information. The CIA and the FBI. They were simply not able from an information technology and information sharing standpoint to work together. They could not by design.

Mr. Zelikow is an academic who like all academics is very good at 20/20 hindsight. He's a smart guy. All these people are smart. But they didn't see the monsters of Allah. Few people did. Certainly not people in Congress, who really should be blamed more than anyone for 9/11. If we want to blame anyone.

The bottom line is that US law enforcement agencies simply did not exchange data. They still do not. Not in a way that would have identified and prevented 9/11.

[Saundra Duffy]

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

Too bad they didn't issue that edict during Condie's testimony. She was rudely interrupted several times by clapping from the audience.

[cyncooper]

And then President Bush will take to the airwaves himself.

The media are positively evil in their deceit, but they shall not win the day.

[jackbill]

The bottom line is that US law enforcement agencies simply did not exchange data. They still do not. Not in a way that would have identified and prevented 9/11.

The real bottom line is that they are all government bureaucrats, just like the Postal Service, IRS, etc.. What do you expect?

[Inspectorette]

Howlin, thanks for the ping. Am cubicle-bound and will try to get live feed from KFI radio.

[Cboldt]

The title of the PDB was also recited by Ari Fleisher in a press briefing at the WH, before the WP article. Contents were characterized, as well.

[prairiebreeze]

Does anybody have the schedule for who testifies at what time? I need to accomplish at least a few things today, LOL!

Prairie

[Diogenesis]

"Kean has said that it is not within his power to remove commission members.

"We Democrats own this Commission as we own the (stolen) FBI files, I mean, 'badges of honor'"

[PISANO]

You are correct....he did not say that. I apologize to all for my MIS-STATEMENT!!

[cyncooper]

And by Condi the day before Ari, though she did not give the "explosive" title.

[Peach]

Morning, mystery.

The malignant narcissists (MN) can't admit that the chief MN had his priorities screwed up.

[Carolinamom]

Following the Church hearings in the 70s and subsequent legislation, the FBI and CIA were forbidden to exchange info. Homeland Security solves this situation.