Posted on 09/20/2005 9:08:30 PM PDT by bobsunshine
You could be right about that and I would hope Weldon would get on the horn to find this out.
Also, I'm was listening to Hannity in the car just a few minutes ago and he said that Schaffer was supposed to be on his show (I don't know if he meant the radio or television show) and he's been gagged from even talking let alone testifying!
The later part of that hearing was indeed disturbing and big time CYA.
Whoa! I had NOT heard that rod and that has GOT to be waaaay beyond what the regulations require. Shocking.
And Rumsfeld had better get out in front of this immediately or it's going to come back and bite him and the entire administration.
"I can't help but get pizzed, after hearing that a brand new, tiny program outperformed the CIA..."
Why is that a surprise? We know that they hire their hubbies at the CIA to do their intelligence work. And when the hubbies come back, they talk out of both sides of their mouth - and lie out of both sides (paraphrasing Harry Truman).
Hey, Billybog, there's an intelligence issue here, and secrecy is a good reason. Why tell our enemies how we do the data mining?
Although documents were destroyed under Clinton's term, it is the Pentagon today that is forbidding Shaffer and the others from testifying. And not just testifying. But since last night, they have had a gag order issued on discussing this matter ANYWHERE!
Now, it's possible that Rumsfeld is out of the loop and some low level Clintonista is making the decisions, but Rumsfeld had better get out in front of this fast because the few newspaper articles I've seen in the last 1/2 hour make it sound like the Bush administration is trying to hide something.
And I don't believe for a second that this is rope a dope in order to let the press think the president is responsible only to turn around and point fingers at Clinton. The president has embraced Clinton, elevated his formerly lowly status and the president doesn't operate that way.
He's already gone a long way by protecting Sandy Berger.
I'm not so sure the Wikipedia is correct.
The CIA is not part of DOD and I don't think NSA is either. The Army is part of DOD. I think Able Danger was an Army program. That doesn't mean that it didn't have NSA involvement but given the fact that NSA is precluded from listening in on U.S. communications this doesn't sound like something that they would want to get involved in. That's just a guess but until we hear otherwise I wouldn't be spreading the word that there is an NSA - Able Danger connection.
Two things about this morning's "non-hearing" disturb me. Why were these "witnesses" formally subpoenaed so they HAD to appear, and any interference with that would be a felony -- even if Secretary Rumsfeld did it? And second, why wasn't this a private hearing?
Things just don't add up.
Congressman Billybob
This is beginning to strike me as ridiculous. DOD can collect information on Mr. or Ms. Terrorist, but when they come into contact with one "U.S. person", DOD has to shut it down. Am I misreading this?
I pray you are right!!
All we need to know is three things:
1) Did Able Danger identify Atta and/or the Brooklyn Cell.
2) Who did they warn about Atta or the Brooklyn Cell.
3) Who shut them down.
That's it. That doesn't compromise any current program. Or anyone.
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Great point peach. There are those on this site who don't seem to get. You do. and so do I
The general priniciples are known (tho' how well-known in the Muslim community is a question). But, which databases are used, and therefore how to best avoid being picked up by it, is better left unsaid.
Seems to me that blows a HUGE hole in the DoD stonewall...
I think ravingnutter may be right, and that Clarke's fingerprints are all over this op, as well as Gorelick's crew in a clean-up mode! Note the destruction of data dates...they must have had polling data that said AlGore was not going to win, so they did a MAJOR CYA!
Exactly. All this cover-up excuse making that people are making, in the name of national security, is absolute baloney.
As we had confirmed today, all of AD information was discovered using open sources, none of it was confidential and no government data base was used.
It's so simple. The folks who sit on committees and who have an agenda want to make it much more difficult than it really is.
Anway, I'm glad you agree that those are the three most pressing questions we need answers. The rest is just dressing, imo.
"Not only docs were destroyed but other threads stated that the computers used in AD had acid poured over them on their hard drives."
That is indicative that this was a very highly classified program, probably in the "Black" world. The regulations require that not a single bit of data is recoverable from the media. Keep in mind that Government surplus computers slip through the cracks with classified data frequently.
The Colonel going public with this is probably why they rescinded his clearance.... Some of these systems take the best mathematicians in the country 50 man years to develop. They have to be protected.
There should be a closed classified session so that the Colonel can speak.
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