Sen. Graham Accuses Administration of 9/11 Cover-up (Not one word about the role of Clinton in 911)

NewsMax.com ^ | May 12, 2003 | Dave Eberhart

[TLBSHOW]

Sen. Graham Accuses Administration of 9/11 Cover-up

In perhaps the harshest rhetoric from a leading Democrat yet, Sen. Bob Graham, D-Fla., said Sunday that the Bush administration has been engaging in a "cover-up” of the government's handling of terrorist warnings before Sept. 11 and continues to stymie the release of critical information about future terrorist threats. Appearing on CBS’s "Face the Nation" with Bob Schieffer, Graham, a former member of the Senate Intelligence Committee and announced presidential hopeful, also claimed that he is aware of still classified information about Sept. 11 and future threats that should be publicly disclosed.

"Senator," Schieffer asked Graham, "If I were writing a newspaper story and putting headlines on top of it right now, I would say: 'Senator Graham accuses the administration of a cover-up.' Is that too strong a term?"

"No, ... that is a very appropriate term," Graham responded.

Graham blasted the administration for putting a veil of secrecy around evidence of government bungling in the days before Sept. 11 and preventing the public from knowing the full facts of what happened.

Schieffer pressed Graham: "Do you know something that the rest of us don't know? Because you continue to be sort of a voice of doom. You warn that there may be another attack coming. You've said all kinds of things along that line."

Graham responded:

"Yes, I think I know some things that are currently classified for the American people, unnecessarily so. I think the American people should be informed about what kind of capability terrorists have inside the United States. They should be informed about the prospect that foreign governments have been aiding the terrorists in the United States. They should be informed of why we are not using that information to do a more effective job of dealing with terrorists where they live and when they've been placed in the United States."

Graham bluntly accused the administration of being "probably ... one of the most secret administrations in American history."

The Florida Democrat cited the administration's failure to OK the release of the congressional inquiry into Sept. 11.

"... but now almost five months later the administration has refused to release that report so that it will available to you and to the American public."

“I think what they are shooting at is to cover up the failures that occurred before September the 11th; even more so, the failure to utilize the information that we have gained to avoid a future September the 11th," Graham concluded.

Graham also concluded that America is less safe, in his opinion – even in the wake of the victory in Iraq, saying, “I think you could make the case that we are less secure. ..."

"[W]e shifted military and intelligence resources out of Afghanistan and Pakistan to get ready for the war in Iraq," Graham explained.

"For that reason, al-Qaeda, which was on the ropes about a year ago, has been able to regenerate itself and carry out that very complex set of terrorist acts that ranged from Yemen to Bali last fall and have every appearance of being capable of launching other terrorist attacks. And we haven't laid a glove on the A-team of international terrorism, which is Hezbollah."

"In my judgment, we should have pursued the war on terrorism to victory before we moved to Iraq," Graham added.

Previously, Graham has stated that Syria and Iran posed a much more serious threat to U.S. national security and should have been targeted before Iraq.

During his interview with Schieffer, Graham referred to a "foreign country" that had helped terrorists within the U.S., and claimed the administration was allowing this unnamed country to skate without responsibility.

Previous published reports indicate that the country's name, which Graham described as classified, is Saudi Arabia.

As to complicity of nation-states in 9/11, Graham begged off on addressing Saudi Arabia in particular – the home country of most of the 9/11 team of terrorists:

"Well, that is a – still continues to be classified – but I think there are a whole series of countries, beginning with Syria, that we have not given the appropriate forceful statement that we will not tolerate their continued sanctuary and support of terrorists. ..."

Admitting that Saddam Hussein was an evil tyrant that the world is better off without, Graham questioned President Bush’s priorities in picking targets. He noted that the terrorist threat remains real because of "the large number of their operatives who are located inside the United States to launch future terrorist attacks."

While Graham hinted at administration culpability for failing to put together all of the intelligence available before Sept. 11, he did not address the role the Clinton administration played in the disaster. President Bush had been in office only nine months at the time of Sept. 11, and available information indicates that al-Qaeda had been planning the attacks for several years.

[Paul Atreides]

It's funny how all the Dim candidates have to run on is "Destroy Bush."

[firewalk]

bttt

[My2Cents]

I guess Sen. Graham didn't hear that this tactic flopped back in 2002.

[big bad easter bunny]

Watch the for the boomerang, they can't help throwing it at themselves.

[gov_bean_ counter]

While Graham hinted at administration culpability for failing to put together all of the intelligence available before Sept. 11, he did not address the role the Clinton administration played in the disaster. President Bush had been in office only nine months at the time of Sept. 11, and available information indicates that al-Qaeda had been planning the attacks for several years.

Once upon a time, this little factiod would have gone unmentioned. Thankfully, those days are gone.

[backhoe]

Wonder if he's read any of this?

-Bush and Clinton and 911- some facts... --

[alloysteel]

Selective about facts, and very biased interpretation of the facts at hand. It works like this - assume a particular outcome, then construct the scenario backwards. The outcome was assumed to be that Bush, for personal reasons, allowed the 9/11 attack to occur. Therefore, he arranged to be far away from the probable point of attack on the day it came, and when word of the attack was passed to him, he immediately took to the air and flew around in circles, making his immediate arrest by the true authorities of the US Federal government impossible. (As long as we are fantasizing anyway, that is not so improbable.) Bush had been supplying clandestine aid to Osama bin Laden, diverting and ignoring intelligence sources, that most fortunately had been made available to the Senate Intelligence Committee, and Senator Bob Graham. Sen. Graham, in his wisdom, detected, but could not confirm, a pattern of developing plans to attack the WTC and the Pentagon, and an unidentified fourth target, sometime in early September, 2001. George W. Bush, who had access to this same information, chose to act in a way to preserve himself, and use the ensuing tragedy in such way as to make himself over into the Great Savior of America.

Yeah, right. And the rustling sound you hear is that of pigs taking flight.

[GiveEmDubya]

Bob Graham is an uninspiring idiot.

Isn't this the same guy that keeps a journal record of EVERYTHING he does?

He's strange, too.

[Williams]

Some former intelligence committee chairman. It's good to see that he can separate the good of the country/ keeping secrets, from his own political ambitions -- NOT.

[gov_bean_ counter]

Some former intelligence committee chairman. It's good to see that he can separate the good of the country/ keeping secrets, from his own political ambitions -- NOT.

And herein lies one of the reasons this administration has to keep certain things secret.

[LADY J]

"Graham, a former member of the Senate Intelligence Committee and announced presidential hopeful, also claimed that he is aware of still classified information about Sept. 11 and future threats that should be publicly disclosed."

We should call his bluff! If there are 'future threats' to the lives of the American people - he is obligated to tell us what they are.

If what he is saying is true - I want to know why he is covering up for the Bush administration. He owes it to all of us to be questioned about this.

[OldFriend]

If this despicable liar had any information at all that would harm the Bush administration he would reveal it in a heartbeat.

[LADY J]

"If this despicable liar had any information at all that would harm the Bush administration he would reveal it in a heartbeat."

I know that you are right. That's why we need to call his bluff!

Either put up or shut up.

[OldFriend]

The last thing this skunk wants released is the information on who knew what prior to 9/11......

[cwb]

"They should be informed of why we are not using that information to do a more effective job of dealing with terrorists where they live and when they've been placed in the United States."

This is a joke. These people who want Bush to do more to protect the American people are the same group of people that fights him at every turn over civil liberties. Everytime we arrest a suspected terrorist, it is Graham's freinds who complain we are being to harsh.

Even if we go back to pre-9/11 and assume that Bush knew something about supposed hijackings...sometime in the near future, what could he have realistically done without throwing the left into a tizzy? Do you think the ACLU and their minions would've sit still as the government and airlines "profiled" a specific group of likely candidates who might hijack an airplane? Hell, they through a fit "after" 9/11 when we tried to do those very things. This idea that Bush could've got away with this pre-9/11 is even more ridiculous.

These people can't make up their minds. They want the government to be proactive, but the very measures needed to do so insults their sensibility. Unfortunately, these things are going to happen. That's the result of living in a free and open society. Their were no specifics in regards to this terrorist attack...and unless people were willing to have the country shut down, there is nothing Bush or anybody could've done.

[LADY J]

"The last thing this skunk wants released is the information on who knew what prior to 9/11......"

For sure! Would love to load him up with email to come clean.

He likes the drama of inuendo and should be made to face up!

[honway]

he did not address the role the Clinton administration played in the disaster. President Bush had been in office only nine months at the time of Sept. 11, and available information indicates that al-Qaeda had been planning the attacks for several years.

When Graham includes the failures of the Clinton Administration in his criticism, I may be interested in his criptic , "I have a secret, many Americans may die, but I can't tell you about" campaign approach.

[honway]

As to complicity of nation-states in 9/11, Graham begged off on addressing Saudi Arabia in particular – the home country of most of the 9/11 team of terrorists:

"Well, that is a – still continues to be classified – but I think there are a whole series of countries, beginning with Syria, that we have not given the appropriate forceful statement that we will not tolerate their continued sanctuary and support of terrorists. ..."

This guy is definately Democrat Presidential material. If I am reading it right, he is saying he has information that thousands of Americans may be in imminent danger from a terrorist threat, but he can't tell us about it because he might get in trouble if he did.

Senator Graham, either grow some ball$ or shut up.