L.A. Mayor Blindsided by Bush Announcement

AP Wires ^ | 2-9-2006 | AP Wire

[Thanatos]

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa said Thursday he was blindsided by President Bush's announcement of new details on a purported 2002 hijacking plot aimed at a downtown skyscraper, and described communication with the White House as "nonexistent."

"I'm amazed that the president would make this (announcement) on national TV and not inform us of these details through the appropriate channels," the mayor told The Associated Press. "I don't expect a call from the president _ but somebody."

Bush has referred to the 2002 plot before but he publicly filled in the details Thursday.

Bush said Khalid Sheik Mohammed, the alleged mastermind of the Sept. 11 attacks who was captured in 2003, had begun planning an attack to fly a commercial airplane into the tallest skyscraper on the West Coast, the Library Tower in Los Angeles, since renamed the US Bank Tower.

Instead of recruiting Arab hijackers, Southeast Asian men would be used, Bush said, because they were less likely to arouse suspicion. He said they would use shoe bombs to blow open the cockpit door.

The president said the plot was derailed when a Southeast Asian nation arrested a key al-Qaida operative. Bush did not name the country or the operative.

"I go to work every day knowing that we are a target," Villaraigosa said.

The mayor said homeland security needs better funding, including for the protection of high-risk targets in Los Angeles. He said some funding could be redirected from the war in Iraq, but he did not advocate an immediate withdrawal of troops.

[Malesherbes]

The White House informed the Mayor's office but the problem was that the message was in English.

[beansox]

Great minds think alike! ;)

[gman992]

This announcment is nothing new...

[Bob]

Radio news report says White House informed Mayor's office before speech. Guess somebody didn't get the message.

Carl Cameron reported on Fox that, after receiving word from the feds, the CA homeland security department notified the mayor's staff yesterday that the information would be included in GWB's speech.

[Petronski]

Mayor Villaraigosa, you simply could not--and cannot--be trusted to keep the information secret.

[Petronski]

There really ought to be an AP idiocy ping.

If you start one, I have a graphic for you:

[swheats]

bump for BS. These democrats thinks everybody is as stupid as they are of remembering facts.

[Kenny Bunk]

Yabut, did they inform them in Spanish, Spanglish, CHeech'n'Chong East LA with gang signs .... what?

[aculeus]

It's not about you Mayor-boy.

[MillerCreek]

I watched the Villairosa speech. I can't help myself, whenever I see and hear Villairosa speak, I think of this:

"GREETINGS, I AM THE MARTIAN AMBASS-A-DOHR!"

[RockinRight]

LOL! Did you make that?

[Petronski]

Yep. ;OD

[MillerCreek]

Mebbe no one told Villairosa

FOR A GOOD REASON.

[Wolfstar]

The mayors office should have been briefed.

Why?

[RockinRight]

That's hilarious! May I use it?

[blau993]

I can just see all those LA school buses lined up in neat rows . . .

[Wolfstar]

Why is that Bush's fault!

Because he's a Republican.

(Hi, CyberAnt)

[Petronski]

If you use it a lot, host it on your own space. But in general, yes, you may use it. ;O)

[MillerCreek]

Ha, read this:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/1575395/posts?page=24#24

[Grendel9]

Precisdely why this guy was
elected mayor of LA!