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Pentagon Blocks Testimony at Senate Hearing on Terrorist (Able Danger Hearing)
The New York Times ^ | September 20, 2005 | PHILIP SHENON and ANNE E. KORNBLUT

Posted on 09/20/2005 6:25:39 PM PDT by 4mor3

September 20, 2005 Pentagon Blocks Testimony at Senate Hearing on Terrorist By PHILIP SHENON WASHINGTON, Sept. 20 - The Pentagon said today that it had blocked a group of military officers and intelligence analysts from testifying at an open Congressional hearing about a highly classified military intelligence program that, the officers have said, identified a ringleader of the Sept. 11 attacks as a potential terrorist more than a year before the attacks.

The announcement came a day before the officers and intelligence analysts had been scheduled to testify about the program, known as Able Danger, at a hearing of the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Bryan Whitman, a Defense Department spokesman, said in a statement that open testimony about the program "would not be appropriate - we have expressed our security concerns and believe it is simply not possible to discuss Able Danger in any great detail in an open public forum." He offered no other detail on the Pentagon's reasoning in blocking the testimony.

Senator Arlen Specter, the Pennsylvania Republican who is chairman of the committee, said he was surprised by the Pentagon's decision because "so much of this has already been in the public domain, and I think that the American people need to know what happened here."

(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...


TOPICS: Breaking News; Foreign Affairs; Government; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: abledanger; atta; coverup; gorelickwall; weldon; whitewash
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To: oceanview
the problem is, if this pentagon blocks this - it owns the "coverup" accusation. now that may not be true in reality, but that will be the spin.

And as they tell us "the coverup is worse than the crime."

61 posted on 09/20/2005 7:35:21 PM PDT by NeoCaveman ("Government is not the solution, it is the problem" - Ronald Reagan)
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To: Dog

"why they can't tell us."


probably because we can't handle the truth?


62 posted on 09/20/2005 7:36:41 PM PDT by Blzbba (For a man who does not know to which port he is sailing, no wind is favorable - Seneca)
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To: TVenn

It had been up on the NY Times site since 8.44 pm


63 posted on 09/20/2005 7:36:44 PM PDT by 4mor3
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To: Dog

Well, some are "Fully Informed", might as well make the rest of us. A representative democracy is only as good as that "fully informed" is gold.


64 posted on 09/20/2005 7:36:53 PM PDT by bvw
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To: TVenn
Thanks for the ping.

It is time to scream BS!

The secrets the pentagon are most concerned with protecting have more to do with covering their asses than anything else.

65 posted on 09/20/2005 7:38:27 PM PDT by Anti-Bubba182
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To: 4mor3

The fix is in


66 posted on 09/20/2005 7:39:18 PM PDT by RIGHT IN LAS VEGAS
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To: Txsleuth
.....a`Pentagon flunky down to "plead the fifth" basically???...

Pentagon doing a McGwire...

67 posted on 09/20/2005 7:39:40 PM PDT by Protect the Bill of Rights
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To: Tony Snow; tiredoflaundry; prairiebreeze; retrokitten

*Ping*


68 posted on 09/20/2005 7:40:28 PM PDT by toomanygrasshoppers ("In technical terminology, he's a loon")
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To: dubyaismypresident

but in this case, it isn't. the "crime" is 3000 dead americans in the streets. what's the coverup - the DoD collecting some domestic financial data and travel data and immigration data, and cross referencing that with terrorist intelligence? big deal.


69 posted on 09/20/2005 7:40:40 PM PDT by oceanview
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To: 4mor3; Brucifer

oh my. interesting turn of events.


70 posted on 09/20/2005 7:40:52 PM PDT by Liberty Valance (Campus Shocker! My son's political science prof is a Republican!...developing....)
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To: Protect the Bill of Rights
The President, the Pentagon, the Congress--they work for us dammit. They are our employees.

The concept of the "public servant" has been over for a long time, maybe 30 or so years, maybe longer.

It's only now becoming obvious to a few of us.

We are the unlucky ones who have put 2 and 2 together.

How I wish I was still one of the sheeple.

71 posted on 09/20/2005 7:41:37 PM PDT by texasbluebell
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To: varmintxer

"There's more out there and my ? is why don't they just come out and say it? "


Probably because it goes far deeper and higher-up than we think?


72 posted on 09/20/2005 7:42:12 PM PDT by Blzbba (For a man who does not know to which port he is sailing, no wind is favorable - Seneca)
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To: oceanview
but in this case, it isn't. the "crime" is 3000 dead americans in the streets.

I know. I was just giving you the libspin we get about everything.

Actually at this point coverin up makes you, in my mind, atleast an accessory to the crime after the fact.

If the Pentagon doesn't relent, I stand by my "hang em all" comment.

73 posted on 09/20/2005 7:42:16 PM PDT by NeoCaveman ("Government is not the solution, it is the problem" - Ronald Reagan)
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To: saveliberty; doug from upland

*ping*


74 posted on 09/20/2005 7:42:54 PM PDT by toomanygrasshoppers ("In technical terminology, he's a loon")
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To: Txsleuth

"Who is doing this???"

Bush. Even if Clinton is 100 times dirtier than he is, Bush is still not clean either. He's killed it. (Course with full compliance of MSM---since no doubt Clinton is dirty as hell.)


75 posted on 09/20/2005 7:44:08 PM PDT by strategofr (What did happen to those 293 boxes of secret FBI files (esp on Senators) Hillary stole?)
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To: dubyaismypresident
I see the ruling class is covering for its fellow members. Power protects power.

I remember what O'Reilly used to say: "The powerful protect each other."

He then used to say, "I'm here looking out for you." But that part was all hype.

The first part is true though.

76 posted on 09/20/2005 7:44:22 PM PDT by texasbluebell
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To: Dog

"That's that....they are going to bury it."

Yeah...

It'd be great to break this one open on the bastards---even if it took a few years or more. Maybe some writer will try it (not a healthy pursuit, mind you.)


77 posted on 09/20/2005 7:45:58 PM PDT by strategofr (What did happen to those 293 boxes of secret FBI files (esp on Senators) Hillary stole?)
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To: 4mor3

> Senator Arlen Specter, the Pennsylvania Republican who is chairman of the committee, said he was surprised by the Pentagon's decision because "so much of this has already been in the public domain,

While I strangely find myself on the same side of an issue as Arlen Spectre, I must say that DoD protocol on classified info in the public domain is to act stupid and not acknowledge it. Cleared employees are not allowed to speak on such matters just because everyone in public is speaking on it. Certainly, the Pentagon is doing a real good job of "acting stupid."

In this case, however, I think the Pentagon should grant the men permission to speak.

There is precedent in this matter. When LBJ started blabbing about the super secret SR-71 in a televised speech, the generals almost s#!^ a brick. Worse still, LBJ had flubbed, because the actual name of the plane was the RS-71 (for reconaissance/strike), since the original YF-12 prototype was to be equipped with air to air missiles for continental defense. The solution? The existence of the program was declassified within two days, and the plane was officially renamed, and a new naming convention was adopted: SR = strategic reconaissance.


78 posted on 09/20/2005 7:46:45 PM PDT by XEHRpa
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To: InterceptPoint

"Bush is covering for Clinton."

No. He's got something to hide as well.


79 posted on 09/20/2005 7:46:46 PM PDT by strategofr (What did happen to those 293 boxes of secret FBI files (esp on Senators) Hillary stole?)
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To: Shermy

"Wonder if any of the illegally acquired data made its way to the information brokers."


Given the large number of 'put' options mysteriously placed on American and United shortly before 9-11, I'd say 'Yes'.

You could make the same argument about the demolition of WTC-7 (as admitted by WTC Complex owner Larry Silverstein) - it takes a few days to rig a building to perfectly implode.

It looks like now, from the AD data, that this attack and its planners were known well before the day and this wasn't entirely as 'unexpected' as we've been told.


Which is probably why they want to keep this covered. Much easier to fight the WOT this way.


80 posted on 09/20/2005 7:47:38 PM PDT by Blzbba (For a man who does not know to which port he is sailing, no wind is favorable - Seneca)
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