Making political hay?

May 17, 2002 1:10 p.m. EDT) - The Democrats are trying to make political hay out of the report that President Bush heard the word "hijack" in a briefing prior to Sept. 11, but the facts hardly justify their suggestions of possible negligence and a cover-up.

The presidential briefing last August was based on 1998 information from just one source, according to The New York Times. It contained nothing specific and pointed to the possibility of hostage-taking hijackings of the kind that had occurred in the past, not suicide hijackings in which planes are aimed at buildings. In response to earlier, vague intelligence, the Federal Aviation Administration did send out cautions to airports and airliners, and while those cautions contained no particulars, there was a good reason for that: The administration knew of no particulars.

Only hindsight - the knowledge we all now have of the awful terrorist attacks - makes the August briefing look like something that should have precipitated more definitive action. It would have been an instance of democratic accountability and certainly astute public relations for White House officials to have mentioned the briefing long before a CBS news story forced their hand, but it is not as if they were hiding a smoking gun that proved presidential incompetence or laxity.

House Democratic leader Richard Gephardt of Missouri is quoted as saying, "What we have to do now is find out what the president, what the White House, knew about the events leading up to 9/11, when they knew it and, most importantly, what was done about it at the time." In other words, he is saying he thinks press reports and statements by national security adviser Condoleezza Rice are either lies or mistakes. Or more likely, he sees an opportunity to scrape away at the popularity of a president of the opposing party.

Information gained in 1998 was used as a briefing to the President last August? And the democrats think they have been left out of the loop? Once again the democrats open a can of worms they probably wish they had never opened. As more and more information comes out it begins to look more like a political witch hunt. The Democrat Party is beginning to resemble the "Gang that couldn't shoot straight" rather than a political party in the greatest nation on earth.

It would have been an instance of democratic accountability and certainly astute public relations for White House officials to have mentioned the briefing long before a CBS news story forced their hand,

The only problem with that statement is Dick Cheney did mention the August 6th briefing about bin laden on Tim Russert's Program on MSNBC. Cheney discussed this very briefing on Sept 16, 2001.

The fact that the no one covered it except for about 20s seconds discussion on MSNBC on Sept 16, 2001 is not Bush or Cheneys fault. It is the failure of the media to cover that which they were plainly told about on Sept 16th 2001.

This is a bunch of crap. They were told. They don't even remember it. But Russert mentioned it night before last on Brian Williams show amd showed the clip of Cheney mentioning it on NBC.

IF I were bush I would do a national TV broadcast and apologize for releasing the information where no one would see or hear it... He could say I released it on NBC and we all know no one watches that. He could defend himsef by saying that if he were really trying to hide it he would have released it to Dan Rather and Peter Jennings. That way he could have been sure no one would ever see it again. He could say since he did not release it to fox was real proof he that he was trying to hide it.

That would put the media into a heart attack that Bush had attacked the media.. and gasp helped his lackeys at Fox. It would get this story off the news and put the focus where it should be... media bias.

The only problem with that statement is Dick Cheney did mention the August 6th briefing about bin laden on Tim Russert's Program on MSNBC. Cheney discussed this very briefing on Sept 16, 2001.

The usual case of media selective memory. Bernie Goldbergs BIAS begins to take on more weight. Too bad the public only reads headlines and hears soundbites. I think you are correct on Bush needing to take to the airwaves to put the media and the Democrats in their place so he can get on with the war. Maybe the anklebiters would stop disturbing the adults at work.

CT, it's probably best to just let this one die out, as it's already starting to do. This was just a Thursday "DNC 24-hour News Cycle Hit Job" - timed to the last day of a ratings week. Remember how you always ran your contest's big payoff on Thursday mornings at 7:20? Last day of the radio ratings week? That's what this is.

Now, it's Friday, the truth is coming out and the end of the 24-hour cycle is coming up with the situation plainly evident that this is no smoking gun. Further, on CNN, the poll on this, heavily promoed on the Paula "I'm so cool" Zahn morning show, came out 70% "just politics." To which Zahn replied, right before permanently dropping the story, "Well, I guess we'll see some 'recalibration' of the Democrats' reaction due to this poll. We've seen them do it before."

In other words, "Memo to DNC - this is NOT working."

Michael

The people making political hay of this issue are the same that say we should do nothing to Sadam, even though we know that he has and intends to use weapons of mass destruction. Luckily their hypocrisy stinks so bad that most people, even the center-left, will be able to sniff it out.

This thing will be dead in a week.

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