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Books 9.2004 8/11/04 1:51 PM Page 45 Books Who’s to Blame for September 11? The 9/11 Commission Report: team had evaded security checks dur- demanding to know why the United Final Report of the National Com- ing a recent trial run at an unidenti- States had to put up with such mission on Terrorist Attacks upon fied New York airport.” attacks—that Tenet walked out of a the United States meeting of the principals.” Berger also Thomas H. Kean, Chair Sandy Berger stressed to the Bush transition team, W. W. Norton. 567 pages. $10.00. Clinton’s National Security Adviser and especially Condoleezza Rice, the also comes off well. He was alert to the gravity of the Al Qaeda threat. By Matthew Rothschild risk of terrorism earlier than most. He deputized counterterrorism expert William Cohen and the Joint Chiefs n page 340 of The 9/11 Richard Clarke and gave him wide Clinton’s Defense Secretary Commission Report is this authority, placing him on an equal William Cohen was exceptionally Osentence: “If the govern- footing with cabinet members cautious. Relying on the advice of ment’s leaders understood the gravity involved in national security. Berger Joint Chiefs of Staff head General of the threat they faced and under- and Clarke worked admirably together Hugh Shelton, Cohen scorned the stood at the same time that their poli- to prevent the Millennium Plot from idea of attacking bin Laden and his cies to eliminate it were not likely to coming to fruition at the end of 1999, operations. Together, Cohen and succeed any time soon, then history’s the report says. And Berger urged Shelton concluded that the 1998 judgment will be harsh.” aggressive action against Al Qaeda after cruise missile retaliation against Al Let’s call the roll. the Cole attack. “According to Clarke, Qaeda for the embassy bombings in Berger upbraided DCI [Director of Africa was a waste of million-dollar Bill Clinton Central Intelligence] Tenet so sharply weapons that hit only “jungle gym” The much-maligned former Presi- after the Cole attack—repeatedly equipment, in Shelton’s words. And dent comes out pretty well in the report. It shows that President Clinton recognized that “terrorism was a national security problem” and was “deeply concerned about bin Laden.” Clinton issued three Presidential Decision Directives about the threat. He received “a special daily pipeline of reports” about bin Laden and autho- rized his capture or killing. But the report faults Clinton for not respond- ing to the October 12, 2000, attack on the USS Cole, which killed seven- teen and wounded forty. It said he was more interested in brokering a peace between Israel and the Palestinians in his last few months in office. Eerily, Clinton received warnings similar to those that Bush later got. On December 4, 1998, he received a Presidential Briefing that said, “Bin Laden Preparing to Hijack U.S. Air- craft and Other Attacks.” It added that “two members of the operational Matthew Rothschild is Editor of The Progressive. LINDA ZACKS The Progressive N 45 Books 9.2004 8/11/04 1:52 PM Page 46 they repeatedly dragged their feet on of bin Laden early on and tried to him. By March of 1998, the bin Laden any plans until the intelligence was grab everyone by the lapels to listen to unit at the CIA had run four complete clearly actionable, the report notes, a him. Like a modern-day Cassandra, rehearsals for a capture operation that standard that was never met. he repeatedly underscored to his had a decent chance of success. But For instance, after the Cole bomb- superiors in both Administrations the Tenet and his operations deputy deep- ings, when all the intelligence was urgency of the problem. Frustrated sixed the plan. The report notes: “It pointing toward Al Qaeda, the Pen- by the lack of seriousness on the part was the duty of Tenet and the CIA tagon still doubted it. A State of the Bush crowd, he ultimately leadership to balance the risks of inac- Department counterterrorism official asked to be reassigned. When the tion against jeopardizing the lives of exclaimed, “Does Al Qaeda have to Bush principals finally got around to their operatives and agents.” attack the Pentagon to get their holding their first meeting on Al The staff at the bin Laden unit at attention?” Qaeda on September 4, 2001, Clarke the CIA “felt that they were viewed as sent Rice some advice: “Decision- alarmists even within the CIA,” and Richard Clarke makers should imagine themselves on Tenet did not synthesize their work He is the one consistent voice in a future day when the CSG [Coun- or share it with other agencies of gov- the report who recognized the danger terterrorism Security Group] has not ernment, the report notes. Tenet did succeeded in stopping Al Qaeda issue a directive on December 4, attacks and hundreds of Americans 1998, saying: “We are at war. I want Travel with best-selling author lay dead in several countries, includ- no resources or people spared in this and talk radio host ing the U.S. What would those deci- effort, either inside CIA or the Com- sionmakers wish that they had done munity.” But he didn’t ride herd on Thom Hartmann earlier? The future day could happen this. “The memorandum had little and Power Places Tours at any time.” He also urged the overall effect on mobilizing the CIA to Crete, Greece. Administration to respond to the Cole or the intelligence community.” Most bombing by attacking Al Qaeda’s amazingly, even though Tenet said in camps. He wrote that he could not the summer of 2001 that “the system Join me as we explore "A Return understand “why we continue to was blinking red” and he was receiv- to Democracy" identifying myths allow the existence of large scale Al ing reports about imminent, “spec- and offering a powerful blueprint Qaeda bases where we know people tacular” attacks that could be catas- for reviving Jefferson's dream are being trained to kill Americans.” trophic, he failed to recognize the before it's too late. We'll It wasn’t the first time he used such huge clue that was Zacarias Mous- explore together how we can language. On May 29, 2001, he saoui. “On August 23, DCI Tenet revitalize and restore democracy to nations that are under wrote to Rice and her deputy, was informed about the Moussaoui corporate assault and how we Stephen Hadley, “When these attacks case in a briefing entitled ‘Islamic can better spread to the rest occur, as they likely will, we will won- Extremist Learns to Fly.’ Tenet was of the world the greatest der what more we could have done to also told that Moussaoui “wanted to political force ever known stop them.” (The report does criticize learn to fly a 747, paid for his train- for peace and human Clarke, rather peevishly, for failing “to ing in cash, was interested to learn happiness. --Thom Hartmann persuade these agencies to adopt his the doors do not open in flight, and views, or to persuade his superiors to wanted to fly a simulated flight from October 25-November 1, 2004 set an agenda of the sort he wanted.”) London to New York. Tenet told preceeded by optional extension us that no connection to Al Qaeda to Athens, Santorini and Delphi George Tenet and the CIA was apparent to him at the time.” October 18-October 25, 2004 If there is one official who bears the Contact us at 1-800-234-8687 most culpability, it is former CIA Condoleezza Rice Director George Tenet, the report sug- Briefed during the transition that Power Places Tours gests. Tenet and the CIA were tardy in “Al Qaeda had sleeper cells in more The Leader in Spirit- Centered coming to grips with bin Laden’s role than forty countries, including the Travel for a Quarter Century and with Al Qaeda in general. Though United States,” Rice comes across as For more info visit bin Laden issued a fatwa against the stolid and bureaucratic in her www.thomhartmann.com United States as early as 1992, he was- response. On January 25, 2001, n’t taken seriously until 1996, when Clarke sent her a memo that stated, “the CIA set up a special unit of a “We urgently need . a Principals dozen officers” to analyze intelligence level review on the Al Qaeda net- about him and plan operations against work.” He warned that Al Qaeda “is 46 N September 2004 Books 9.2004 8/11/04 1:52 PM Page 47 not some narrow, little terrorist issue downplayed the risks of Al Qaeda. that needs to be included in broader Embarrassingly, Wolfowitz “ques- NEW FROM JIM HIGHTOWER regional policy.” But Rice did not tioned the reporting” about the sever- heed his alarm. “The national securi- ity of the Al Qaeda threats in the It’s time to ty adviser did not respond directly to summer of 2001, the report notes. Clarke’s memorandum,” the report Once the attack happened, “Wol- make politics notes. “No Principals Committee fowitz made the case for striking meeting on Al Qaeda was held until Iraq,” the report stated, and argued September 4, 2001.” After she that Iraq “was ultimately the source In FUN briefed the President in August of of the terrorist problem,” according stores 2001 about the bin Laden threat, to Secretary of State Colin Powell. again! there is no evidence that she knocked July heads together to prevent an attack.