384 posted on 5/19/02 1:09 PM Central by God'sgrrl
OK, here's the transcript. I see no "personal attack against the president" as you claimed in another thread.
Please point out where he blamed "Bush the man" for the 9/11 attacks.
Is this where he supposedly angered 9/11 moms and wives?:
KEYES: Now I`ve got to tell you, the things that we were talking about back in February and the kind of emphasis that I was placing at that time on the need to look at the problem of coordination and to understand what role was being played by the NSC, charged as it is with that coordinating role. Now of course, a lot of that is front and center, and will be, I presume, for the next little while, as well as the concern I expressed at the end of that program, the need for an investigation -- a serious, nonpartisan quest for answers that would allow us to understand what went wrong so we could be sure that what we are doing or trying to do would remedy it.
I think a lot of people have shared that concern, and we have learned that among folks who lost loved ones in the course of the terrible tragedy and attack on 9-11, there is now a growing sense that that kind of investigation is, in fact, needed to help them to understand what happened and to try to make sure that it does not have to happen again.
Joining us now in representing that viewpoint from the point of view of some of the folks who had victims in the 9-11 attack, we have Kathy Ashton. Kathy lost her 21-year-old son Tommy in the World Trade Center attack on September 11. Kathy, welcome to MAKING SENSE.
KATHY ASHTON, LOST SON IN WTC ATTACK: Thank you. Good evening.
KEYES: Why would you say that it`s important that there should be an investigation to help the American people understand exactly what was happening, what the government was about, what was going on in terms of our national security before 9-11? What good is that going to do to folks like you?
ASHTON: Well, that`s going to make all the difference in the world. It`s never going to bring Tommy back to us, but unless we figure out what agencies, what people, what policies in our government and in our country enabled those murderers to kill Tommy and nearly 3,000 other human beings in this country on that day, we will never be able to believe that we can ever prevent this from happening again.
KEYES: I think that is something, that`s a sentiment that I`ve had for the longest time, but you know, there are those who seem to believe that any effort to raise these kinds of questions is either partisan or you`re looking to blame somebody. I don`t sense that that`s the reason that you`re looking for an investigation into this. ASHTON: Oh, absolutely not. You`re absolutely right, Mr. Keyes, and I commend you for calling for this in February, as you just showed on the TV. Since September, people like myself and many other family members have been outraged at the lack of an investigation into these events. The fact that 3,000 human beings could be murdered in this country without an investigation to determine the lapses in intelligence, immigration, aviation, and even domestic military, perhaps -- there has to be a look at to determine what happened.
This is not politics for us. This is our loved ones. My son, my beautiful 21-year-old son, died that day. This has nothing to do with politics.
KEYES: Well, let me ask you a question, because, as I understand it, there are others who have victims in 9-11 who are taking some action here and who actually plan to come to Washington and talk with some of their representatives in June. Are you going to be part of that group?
ASHTON: Yes, I am. My husband, myself and other family members will be down at the Capitol on June 11 with many other family members. Senators McCain and Lieberman have sponsored a bill which I believe they announced in November. Here it is May, and the bill is calling for a Blue Ribbon commission to investigate exactly what we`re talking about. Here in May, that hasn`t happened yet. So we`re going down there to try to encourage politicians to make this happen.
KEYES: Now, what do you think of the report that has now come out in the last 24 hours that prior to September 11, the president did have briefings that had some indication of hijackings and Osama bin Laden`s connection with all of this?
ASHTON: Well, I think that -- well, first of all, President Bush has done a wonderful job since September 11. I respect and admire everything he`s done. What the president knew right before September 11, I`m not exactly sure. I`m not sure how that relates to everything in the total picture.
What has to be done is everything has to be investigated, and then let the chips fall where they may. Uncover everything first. I`m not looking to point fingers at this point. I just want all the information out on the table.
KEYES: See, I think that that is a sentiment that`s shared by many Americans. I am very glad, I want to tell you, that you all have the courage to step forward, given the special role that in a way, sadly, you have to play in all of this. You represent the heart of grief that I think is there in all of America, and that heart of grief, I think, can`t be allayed in some ways and assuaged, especially in terms of the future, if we don`t know the truth, and the effort to get at it ought to be done in a serious, nonpartisan way that respects what I think is this sentiment on the part of the American people, which you all are well representing.
I wish you godspeed, Kathy. Very much so. In your efforts, and I hope you`ll have a real impact on the seriousness with which folks in the Congress approach this. Thank you for coming on the show today.
ASHTON: Thank you.
____________________________________________________
I pretty much agree with everything Dr. Keyes and Mrs. Ashton said here. What is the objection you have?