**DRUDGE** New details on the FBI memo in July

DRUDGE REPORT ^ | 52002

[MJY1288]

Do you have a link to that info on Hastings, because I saw him on Hannity & Colmes tonight

[OReilly]

The info on Hastings with be posted here May 20 transcript But probably not until tomorrow. I think you may really be onto something. He was on Crossfire tonight and after being introduced as a member of the House Select Committee on Intelligence, he had to explain that he didn't have time to explain to the Crossfire producer, that did the pre-interview, that he was no longer on the committee, since he had taken a leave of absence.

And Gephardt asks on Friday, 'What did Bush Know and When did he he know it?' Now Gephardt had to vouch for him because he could not pass a background check and Gephardt would have to have been the one to have suggested that he take a "leave of absence"

[OReilly]

Looks like they are in the process of posting it now... It didn't say May 20 a few minutes ago, but the actual text is not quite there yet.

[MJY1288]

If he did step down from the Committee, I will bet that Hastings was influenced by Terry McAuliffe to leak the Intel briefing and if you remember? Clinton's staff was not happy about Dubya cornering X42 into going to East Timor, They considered it a slap in the face. The Clinton's are masters of nasty politics, Why else would Ari pounce on Hillary like he did?

[OReilly]

I think you really are onto the leaker... I just heard tonight (I think) that an intelligence committee was provided (by mistake) with the actual Aug 6 Presidents Daily Briefing, recently through a CIA clerical error.

And last night on Black Entertainment Television, Hastings says, ...and what we know is just the tip of the iceberg of what 'They knew'

[Koblenz]

I don't know if this is the best idea for the Democrats to keep pursuing this. Only died in the wool partisans are even going to think for a second that Bush knew about the hijackings and ignored the warnings so we could fight in Afghanistan or some such weird plot. I think that by pursuing this angle relentlessly, they aren't going to win any points.

[OReilly]

Re Dem's backing off fast...You are right on that. Gephardt was blaming his Question of 'What did Bush Know...' on Katie Couric's pre-interview where she used those words first and he decided to use them without thinking it through...

[OReilly]

Yes... you called it. I remember listening to Condi Rice saying the President was briefed in early August. The Press was asking what was the date? All she would say was early August. I was thinking... she knows the date, especially since she was not present, and knew that Bush was in Texas when he was briefed, and since she was preparing all day for the Press Interview on just this subject. (by the way... she didn't do very well at her press conference compared to the VP) but lets face it, that only comes with experience and the VP is really experienced at it and handled it by adding a single paragraph to his speech.

[YaYa123]

Really appreciate you posting a link to tomorrow's NYTimes piece. I was waiting on it.

The headline exposes the intent....GET ASHCROFT!! I mean, you have to notice it's Ashcroft who gets his name in the headline, not Mueller. Ashcroft's the one who gets blamed for not telling Bush about the July memo immediately after he heard about it.

But what's the big deal here? This is like finding your husband in bed with another woman, but you didn't get mad about it until the PI you hired brings you some incriminating pictures. I mean, President Bush already knew terrorists had attended flight schools by the time Ashcroft and Mueller saw the memo. I'm thinking this will turn out to be an easily explained, meaningless rehash of what we already know, a NYT generated continuation of the Bash Bush rant that began last week.

But really. President Bush didn't have to be briefed about an obscure July memo from an agent in Phoenix. He (and the rest of us), have known about terrorists attending American flight schools for many weeks.

We could all wish that agent in Phoenix had flown to Washington, and been so certain of his analysis, that he broke into the White House to hand deliver his memo to President Bush. But that didn't happen. And we can't change or alter past events by wishing. And even if he had, President Bush wouldn't have been able to do anything before 9-11 that would have prevented the WTC being blown up.

Think about it: If President Bush saw that Phoenix memo in July, and decided to act, the only thing he could have done to prevent 9-11 would have been to issue a directive that no swarthy middle eastern men could fly on commercial airlines. Or at least they had to be detained, searched, questioned. Can you imagine the uproar? the allegations of racial profiling? the race card? Hillary Clinton, Al Gore, and the rest of the democratic presidential candidates would have raised hell.

Furthermore, if those swarthy middle eastern men had been detained, searched, and questioned, they had legal passports, visas, and they didn't have guns or knives. Chances are, they would have been allowed to proceed on their flights.

Assuming this article is truthful and accurate, I don't know why Ashcroft and Mueller didn't brief President Bush or someone in National Security on the Phoenix memo. But I bet there were many many other water over the dam memos they didn't brief him on either....Why would they?

[OReilly]

By not providing the date, which I'm sure Condi knew, I maintain they were trying to determine the source of the leak. If CBS, in a later follow-up story, all of a sudden came up with the date of Aug 6, the WH would have another clue as to who leaked the info, since Hastings would have seen the date of Aug 6 on the material mistakenly provided by the CIA. (and he has no other explanation as to why he is leaving... except a leave of absence)

[ladyinred]

Thank you. I have posted that this smells of Hillary from day one! Having read every book written on her, I can smell her a mile away.
I would bet the farm she is behind these leaks!

[ProudUSGal]

I know alot of people that read the Drudge website for news...but, I have never trusted him. I can't remember what he did that was so stupid awhile back...but, I just don't think that this Drudge guy is as smart as people think he is.

[tobesmom]

You are just now figuring that out?

Drudge is nothing but a gossip.

[YaYa123]

I don't think Hillary is responsible for these leaks, I think she's just stupidly, and typically, trying to take political advantage of them. Like Chris Mathews said last night, she was tone deaf to imply on the senate floor that President Bush might not have done everything he should have to prevent 9-11. Even David Gergen and Doris Kearns Goodwin agreed, Hillary and the democrats had made fools of themselves attacking the President over 9-11. Chris Mathews blasted democrats for asking accusatory questions before they knew the facts, then having to backtrack and lie that the questions were intended as politically motivated accusations, when everyone knew full well they were.

I think the FBI and is doing most of the leaking. It's a good way to get information out. I remember Condi Rice, in her briefing, said that the White House is finding out new information all the time, as it compiles a complete record of national security for the joint intelligence congressional committees. This search for the truth has been going on since January, and I'm thinking the White House will want some of it publically disseminated, and a chance to respond to it, before it falls into the hands of partisan democrats on the committee. That's where the leaks could be damaging.