Enough Blame for All

America got what it deserved on 9/11. With all the meddling this country has done and all the atrocities the CIA has committed it is a miracle something like that hadn't occurred sooner. No, when 9/11 happened Bush should have aknowledged that an unjust and aggressive U.S. foreign policy was to blame for the event and that from here on out America will mind its own business, withdraw troops from every country around the world, and stop selling weapons to warring countries. In other words act like we got some sense.

America got what it deserved on 9/11. With all the meddling this country has done and all the atrocities the CIA has committed it is a miracle something like that hadn't occurred sooner. No, when 9/11 happened Bush should have aknowledged that an unjust and aggressive U.S. foreign policy was to blame for the event and that from here on out America will mind its own business, withdraw troops from every country around the world, and stop selling weapons to warring countries. In other words act like we got some sense.

Yes the military knew Osama was a serious threat since 1986. The military provided extensive anaylsis of vulnerable targets and Al-Quaeda capabilities. The first trade tower bombing should have made it obvious to everyone. A lot of those studies were leaked and made it to Hollywood (witness the defunct Lone Guman series essentially aired the attack on the tower by commercial airliner in spring 2001).

Yet the career State Department and Office of President crushed any attempted to act on those analysis for good reason.

Yes the only cover up is that the government assesment of costs of acting versus not acting to stop terrorist attacks. That assesment ssaid that economically the US should just stoically accept terrorism like any other country. Terrorism is merely the inevitable background noise of billions of lives on Earth. Although 9/11 was big and tragic for the people involved, it really was more blow to pride than economy or serious impact on American life expectancy. Things don't get really expensive until you go to war or pay excessive blood money to victims ($300K on top existing personal insurance would have been plenty) .

All in all President Bush blew it by being too emotional and prideful after 9/11. It isn't the federal government's job to promise untouched lives to all. The job is to prevent widescale changes in American lives WITHIN BUDGET. An occasional terrorist act can't be prevented. But businesses and the public can be imformed about vulnerabilities so that slow improvements can be made (not this "throw cash at it before an effective and efficient solution is available" mess).

The news reporters are morons. The US military knew Al-Quaeda was a serious threat and the most probable means of attack in 1986!!! But such intelligence and analysis was crushed by the State Department and Office of President for diplomatic reasons having to do with the economics of oil and big overseas business. The frank calculations were and still are that allowing terrorism causes less economic damage than the business and diplomatic repercussions of quelling it. Taking action in Iraq was therefore an expensive mistake of pride and grief - not a rationale one.

"It is difficult to get a man to understand something when his salary depends upon his not understanding it." -Upton Sinclair

And as a corollary, I would argue the apparent understanding of reporters such as Isikoff on the events of 9/11, and the major questions still outstanding that cast doubt on the official version of that day, is inversely proportional to 1) their salary and status; and 2) the closeness of their ties with Beltway insiders. Will we Americans ever overcome the deep corruption that permeates our country's main government and press? Will we ever know the truth of what has been done in our name, and bring to justice the men who have for decades betrayed their trusting fellow countrymen?

Does this look like to anyone else like damage control? This could have been written by Al Felzenberg, the Commission???s Communications Director. It???s all too close to another pitiful defense of the indefensible, that Zelikow was appointed in the first place. He should have been a witness only not both the Director and a witness.

This article???

--Papers over the most damning information and effect of Rice???s decision to demote Clarke who was denied access to principals until Sept. 7th.

--Ignores fact that Zelikow withheld critical information from the Commission by leaving details out of his resume, particularly his role in Bush???s transition team.

--Ignores the fact that Zelikow covered up what Col. Shaffer revealed to him in Afghanistan about Able Danger, and about what Capt. Phillpott told Dietrich Snell about the data mining operation that 5 witnesses confirmed had identified Atta, Hazmi, Mihdhar and Sheehi over a year before the attacks.

--Fails to mention Zelikow???s role in omitting details of Tenet???s and Black???s June 10, 2001 meeting with Rice and June 18th meeting with Ashcroft peppered with strong warnings. This was kept from the rest of the Commission and never made it into the final report.

--Fails to remind readers that Zelikow was so conflicted he had to recuse himself from aspects of his own investigation. And he was so close to the Bush administration and their setting up of national security apparatus he had to testify in his own investigation.

Clearly an investigation is called for, in which full phone records are produced documenting all calls made by Zelikow on his cell phone.

Isikoff claims that there is ???More than enough blame to go around???? Are you kidding me? No one, absolutely no one has been held responsible for 9/11, in any way. Detainees have been tortured, sure, but not brought to justice. OBL has been blamed but let go in Tora Bora, Thousands of Al-Qaeda according to Seymour Hersh were allowed to flee from Afghanistan to Pakistan via a Pentagon approved airlift, no one has been brought to trial, no one has been held accountable for clear obstruction of justice (CIA withholding evidence from FBI I-49 team investigating the Cole and Embassy bombings), no one has been held responsible for improperly spiking investigations that would have exposed the 9/11 plot (Moussaoui), no one held responsible for what is clear criminal negligence. No one demoted, fired, or court marshaled.

More than enough blame to go around. But none measured out! It???s well past time for Congress to exercise oversight of what happened with the cover-up Commission. It???s time for hearings, subpoenas, and a new investigation of what happened. It???s time for all the questions raised by the 9/11 families to be answered. It???s time for the truth and a full accounting promised but never delivered by this deeply compromised Commission, and severely conflicted Director.

Kyle F. Hence
http://www.911pressfortruth.com

Sure, Zelikow is in the middle of an investigation that could sink any chance of Bush's (and dear Condi's) reelection, and we're supposed to believe he's chatting with Karl Rove about the University of Virginia? The thing about ???plausible deniability??? is, it's supposed to be plausible.

And I always thought Zelikow was a fink from the get go, especially after reading this:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/04/26/AR2005042601623.html

Clearly not a man who has any regard whatsoever for the publics' right to know.

And how come the 9/11 Commission Report glossed over so much of this:

http://www.asecondlookatthesaudis.com

I think the fact that our President is out dancing around like a chimp for the Saudis' amusement, and groveling for their oil, might offer a clue.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1128740 Day before 9/11 This is a link to a NPR news story highlighting the tightened security on military bases because of threat of a terrorist attack on American soil. They knew, but they didn't warn the American people, police agencies, border agents, or the FAA. They knew but didn't protect the American people. Then a year later they used this tragedy to invade Iraq to take control of its oil.

Does this look like to anyone else like damage control? This could have been written by Al Felzenberg, the 9/11 Commission Communications Director!, This as yet another pitiful defense of the indefensible, that Dr. Zelikow was appointed in the first place to lead this so-called blue ribbon panel. He should have been a witness only to the Commission, NOT both the Director and a witness and someone who was forced to recuse himself from core aspects of the investigation.

Honestly, this article looks like the work of an apologist for a man who had no business serving as Director of the 9/11 investigation. None whatsoever. This piece:

--Papers over the most damning information and effect of Rice???s decision to demote Clarke who was denied access to principals until Sept. 7th.

--Ignores fact that Zelikow withheld critical information from the Commission by leaving details out of his resume, particularly his role in Bush???s transition team.

--Ignores the fact that Zelikow covered up what Col. Shaffer revealed to him in Afghanistan about Able Danger, and about what Capt. Phillpott told Dietrich Snell about the data mining operation that 5 witnesses confirmed had identified Atta, Hazmi, Mihdhar and Sheehi over a year before the attacks.

--Fails to mention Zelikow???s role in omitting details of Tenet???s and Black???s June 10, 2001 meeting with Rice and June 18th meeting with Ashcroft. This was kept from the rest of the Commission.

--Fails to remind readers that Zelikow was so conflicted he had to recuse himself from aspects of his own investigation. And he was so close to the Bush administration and their setting up of national security apparatus he had to testify in his own investigation.

Clearly an investigation is called for, in which full phone records are produced documenting all calls made by Zelikow on his cell phone.

Isikoff claims that there is ???More than enough blame to go around???? Are you kidding me? No one, absolutely no one has been held responsible for 9/11, in any way. Detainees have been tortured, sure, but not brought to justice. OBL has been blamed but let go in Tora Bora, Thousands of Al-Qaeda according to Seymour Hersh were allowed to flee from Afghanistan to Pakistan via a Pentagon approved airlift, no one has been brought to trial, no one has been held accountable for clear obstruction of justice (CIA withholding evidence from FBI I-49 team investigating the Cole and Embassy bombings, no one held responsible for improperly spiking investigations that would have exposed the 9/11 plot, no one held responsible for what is clear criminal negligence. No one demoted, fired, or court marshaled.

More than enough blame to go around. But none measured out!

Yes of course Bush, Rice, Cheney etc knew there was a catastrophic terrorist attack coming on American soil. That is why they gave orders to beef up security on America's Military bases like Camp Pendleton in California and San Diego Naval Base. This is documented - they knew. Why didn't they warn the American people? I guess they would use the catastrohe to invade Iraq, and capture control of Iraq's oil. There was a story about heightened protection of military bases on NPR on SEPT 10, 2001 (day before) Listen here http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1128740 , They knew it was coming, but didn't warn the FAA or New York or border agents, or police agencies or American people.

I'm a conspiracy theorist for questioning Zelikow's conduct? That is absurd. I would question Isikoff's respect for citizens who were murdered on 9/11. Attempting to spin Zelikow's outrageous conduct is pathetic.