THE 9/11 COMMISSION IN MORTAL DANGER

The Corner on National Review Online ^ | 08/11/05 | John Podhoretz

[TonyInOhio]

It behaved disgracefully and in a nakedly partisan fashion, with former officials of the Clinton administration attempting to use the platform to damage the president's reelection chances. Then, after months of ludicrous conduct, out of nowhere came the brilliantly conceived and written report that set a new standard of eloquence and coherence for government documents, became a major bestseller and redeemed the commission's reputation.

Well, that didn't last long.

In a story filed at 7:10 PM, the Associated Press is now confirming all the particulars of what will now forever be called the Able Danger disaster. The 9/11 Commission staff did hear about intelligence-gathering efforts that hit pay dirt on the whereabouts of Mohammed Atta -- in 1999 -- and deliberately chose to omit word of those efforts.

And why? Because to do so might upset the timeline the Commission had established on Atta.

And why is that significant? Because the Mohammed Atta timeline established by the Commission pointedly insisted Atta did not meet with an Iraqi intelligence agent in Prague.

And why is that significant? Because debunking the Atta-Iraq connection was of vital importance to Democrats, who had become focused almost obsessively on the preposterous notion that there was no relation whatever between Al Qaeda and Iraq -- that Al Qaeda and Iraq might even have been enemies.

I was very skeptical of this Able Danger stuff about Atta, thought it was just sme way Rep. Curt Weldon was trying to sell a book. No longer. This is clearly becoming the biggest story of the summer -- the fact that, as Andy McCarthy alluded to, the "intelligence wall" set up by 9/11 Commissioner Jamie Gorelick when she was in the Justice Department did, in fact, cause the linchpin of the 9/11 attacks to evade capture by American law enforcement.

So was the staff a) protecting the Atta timeline or b) Jamie Gorelick or c) the Clinton administration or d) itself, because it got hold of the information relatively late and the staff was lazy?

More important, what will co-chairmen Tom (pound his fist on the table) Kean and Lee (look sorrowful) Hamilton do and say in the next 36 hours about this calamity?

[Enchante]

Atta's cell was known in 2000 but due to various screw-ups and communication failures the Clinton administration did nothing. The cover-up is unravelling and a series of scandals will be exposed, but the MSM will try hard to ignore, downplay, and/or 'firewall' this off as a secondary story.

Another thread has been discussing the scandal that a key staffer for the 9/11 Commission is Dietrich Snell:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1461535/posts

Snell, like Commssion member Gorelick, has a massive conflict of interest since he played a key role in ignoring and suppressing various info arising from terror prosecutions in NYC; he knew plenty of relevant info for counter-terror investigations but due to "the wall" the dots never got connected -- think he was ready to "blow the whistle" on his own career as well as Gorelick's, etc.?.

Gorelick, Ben Veniste, and Snell all played their annointed roles in controlling the path of the 9/11 Commission. Now what about Christopher Kojm and Daniel Marcus, two KEY senior staff members for the 9/11 Commission who enjoyed HIGH OFFICE in the Clinton administration??? Think they might have a bit of a conflict-of-interest helping them to suppress info embarrassing to the Clintonlites?

I am looking into the backgrounds of other people associated with the commission. Here's one that's not as well known, but this guy may still have a pretty drastic conflict-of-interest, since he was part of the intelligence apparatus of the Clinton administration, yet as Deputy Executive Director for the 9/11 Commission this Christopher Kojm was certainly in a position to control research and assessments of his own department:

http://www.9-11commission.gov/about/bio_kojm.htm

How about Daniel Marcus, General Counsel for the Commission, who was a leading Clintonlite???

http://www.9-11commission.gov/about/bio_marcus.htm

NOW GET THIS: this very same Daniel Marcus, Bill Clinton's very own "Senior Counsel" to the WH Counsel's Office and then Associate Attorney General, is the man signing off on whether Sandy Burglar withheld any documents from the 9/11 Commission!!!!!!!!! (see below) Can you say "THE FIX IS IN??"

-------------------------------------------------

Sandy Berger Cleared of Withholding Documents from Commission

http://www.acslaw.org/bulletins/08-05-04.htm

The investigation into Sandy Berger's handling of classified materials, while preparing for his testimony before the commission investigating the September 11, 2001, attacks on the United States concluded that no original materials were missing and no documents reviewed by Berger, President Clinton's White House national security advisor, were withheld from the commission. "We are told that the Justice Department is satisfied that we've seen everything that the archives saw . . . nothing was missing," said commission general counsel Daniel Marcus.

[atomicpossum]

Too late, Berger was already "prosecuted". I'd like to offer a nice pat on the butt to the Bush Administration who let yet another Clinton operative skate.

Then he can't claim the Fifth when he gets subpeonaed.

[Diana in Wisconsin]

Bump for morning coffee read. Can't wait! :)

[maestro]

This is the most serious tampering of intelligence and evidence in US history! Watergate pales in comparison and significance. And in that scandal, NO ONE was killed! Life imprisonment for the main characters: Clinton, Gorelick, Burger, Clark- the "terrorism expert" and Pentagon officials in the Clinton administration.

sad

[Archon of the East]

Ive got a place on my Ford truck just waiting!

[fiftymegaton]

I hope non-commission persons are also looking for the documents. If not my guess is the commission staffers won't find any Able Danger related documents...even if they do.

[centurion316]

Something interesting that you won't read in the NY Times

[TASMANIANRED]

Could Berger have made a deal to roll over?

[jimbo123]

Bergler destroyed the Able Danger documents.

[prairiebreeze]

Did the RATS get wind that the Able Danger story was about to break wide open and decide that they'd better call up Cindy Sheehan to try to distract the public?

[GoldCountryRedneck]

Rather like Gorelick-Gate m'self.....

[concerned about politics]

Just what were the CLINTONS INC. up too FOR THE FUTURE OF AMERICA?

UN control. If we were attacked, martial law could have been declared, and Gore would have been in charge.
No wonder they fought so hard to steal the election. Thank GOD Bush was elected. That was wayyy too close!

[Excuse_My_Bellicosity]

Could be. I'd be real interested to see what's going on with him right now.

[Paladin2]

I still think Wilson needs to be investigated to see if he was tied into the oil for food scandal

[Bahbah]

it will sink into the annals of historical obscurity---for the sake of National Security, of course.

You may well be right. One of the interesting things about this that doesn't have anything to do with the dereliction of duty issue is how much our side knew about what the Atta group was up to, and it sounds like some people were on the job, God bless them. That may be the excuse that gets this swept under the rug...can't let them know how we find out about this stuff.

[OESY]

What did these bozos think they were doing? They dropped the ball 'big time.'

Kean and Hamilton can't blame staffers because they set the managerial tone,
have overall responsibility and should be held accountable for dereliction of duty.

Instead of taking time to fully examine all issues, even those deemed "controversial"
by Democrats, the commission rushed out its report in time for the 2004 election
in a vain attempt to do maximum damage to the Bush administration.

Their mistakes may yet prove costly, hopefully only in dollars and not lives.

Next time, we should get a commission that takes their job more seriously--
one that they won't shy from investigating the Jamie Gorelick Wall, the Sandy
Berger deceptions and police surveillance issues related to the Patriot Act.

[STARWISE]

Don't forget the evil Ben-Veniste ... he's right in there, too. Kean was way outta his league .. completely snookered by all the Rat staff, doing the party and conspiracy bidding ... hiding, guiding and manipulating facts.

[Bigun]

It is indeed a great summary but I am unable to pull it up at the NRO site. Has it been taken down?

[isthisnickcool]

(07/2004) Seen above, the high and might FORMER Senator John Kerrey confronting Kristinn (and Doctor Raoul). The pompous and arrogant FORMER Senator shows what a real jerk he is as he seems to think that he is above question. Kerrey seems to think he's the smartest guy around and who are these peons in the street with the nerve to question Kerrey.

(08/2005) FORMER Senator and FORMER 9/11 commission member John Kerrey is no where to be found. HELLO!??? John Kerrey? It seems you are not to high and mighty today? We thought you were so smart? Paging John Kerrey! Paging John Kerrey! Where are you? (In a van down by the river?)

[Stellar Dendrite]

"Wow what a bumper sticker!"




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