MyDD :: The elephant in the room

The elephant in the room

by clawed, Wed Oct 20, 2004 at 06:01:04 PM EST

So many people disregard that 9/11 happened on Bush's watch.

So far, by and large, he's gotten a mulligan in the national media for his biggest failure of all.

No one has held him accountable or in any way responsible. It's Unamerican, apparently, to question it.

But it's there, like the proverbial elephant in the room, and there's no reason we should forget it.

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And by the way, while I have your attention (none / 0)

Check out this great post from Pandagon, that I saw this afternoon, called "Schoolyard Leaders".

http://www.pandagon.net/mtarchives/003765.html

by clawed on Wed Oct 20, 2004 at 06:09:12 PM EST

Drifting (none / 0)

Do you blame FDR for Pearl Harbor? Does Pearl Harbor count as a black mark against FDR's record of leadership? When you went to bed on September 10th what were concerned about? Was it a terrorist attack on America? I certainly wasn't even contemplating it. I was worried about US relations with China and Saddam Hussein. September 11th was a shock to the American system plain and simple.

I blame Bush for a lot of things, but 9-11 isn't one of them.

Kerry supporters and Democrats need to realize that when Kerry wins that's not the end of the mission. It's just the beginning. All the hopes for various reforms and legislation are out the window the moment there is another significant terrorist attack on America.

What to you think President Kerry is going to do if he is at a photo-op and an aid comes in and tells him that New York isn't under attack... ITS GONE!

He will be swept up into a whirlwind of historical forces beyond his control or comprehension. And so will we all.

by Paul Goodman on Wed Oct 20, 2004 at 06:54:07 PM EST

blame? (none / 0)

I don't blame Bush for 9/11.

I blame Bush for failing to get Osama.
I blame Bush for not delivering the money he promised to NYC.
I blame Bush for not inspecting every friggin' crate that lands in Brooklyn (by plane or ship).
I blame Bush for the fact my wife has had to wait 2+ years to get a Green Card.
I blame Bush for there not being enough flu vaccine for the 4 little kids next door.
And if NYC gets attacked again, then yes I'll blame Bush because he waisted the past 3+ years.

by patch in bklyn on Wed Oct 20, 2004 at 07:51:42 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Drifting (none / 0)

Yes, Pearl Harbor is a black mark on FDR's record; his administratin had intelligence which suggested an imminent Japanese attack on Hawaii, and they failed to adequately prepare for such an attack. The same holds true for Bush, who ignored several warnings from the CIA and FBI, including the August 10 Presidential Daily Briefing with the unsubtle title, "Bin Laden Determined to Strike in U.S."

And I'll bet one thing at any odds you want: if Kerry is at a photo-op and an aid comes in to tell him anything of the sort, he won't sit there and do absolutely nothing for the next seven minutes.

Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama for President! Beat McCain!

by Alex on Wed Oct 20, 2004 at 09:11:19 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Drifting (none / 0)

I dont necessarily blame Bush for 9/11. But If I remember correctly, I read somewhere that FDR's 1944 wasnt run on the fact that "I was president on Dec. 7th 1941" b/c no matter whose fault it was, that's not something you should be proud of. And Bush shouldnt be proud that he was prez on 9/11, b/c it was a huge failure. ANd he certainly shouldnt be proud, when he sat in a classroom for 7 minutes reading a book.

by jp2 on Thu Oct 21, 2004 at 09:43:49 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Osama's efforts to attack us (none / 0)

were well known at the time.

Bush had even been briefed about it in the days before, but did nothing about it.

I don't give him a free pass.

by clawed on Wed Oct 20, 2004 at 07:14:37 PM EST

I blame Bush for doing Nothing! (none / 0)

He was warned repeatedly by George Tenet. they finally had to write of the PDB putting it in black and white: "Bin Laden Determined to Strike in U.S."

And he didn't lift a finger. It wasn't his concern.

And then he let all the Saudis out a few days after 9/11. And then he only made a show of force in Afganistan and let Bin Laden escape.

I think Michael Moore was right to focus on the Saudi connection. George Bush isn't on America's side.

by Alan S on Wed Oct 20, 2004 at 08:31:37 PM EST

And furthermore (none / 0)

you know that if the situation were reversed, the Pubs would be all over it and it's all we would have heard about the last few years.

by clawed on Wed Oct 20, 2004 at 08:45:38 PM EST

My biggest blame for Bush is the lying. (none / 0)

Yes, Bush and Cheney were caught sitting on their hands on 9/11, having lowered the priority of anti-terrorism actions to the point that they never had a meeting with Richard Clarke, the administration's top person on terrorism. B & C were working on a missile defense system for the first 9 months of 2001, if I recall.

My biggest problem with Bush is the lying. Bush lied to gain political support for a war that wouldn't have been supported if the truth were told. We've read excerpts from the Oct 2002 NIE that says there was plenty of opposition within the intelligence community to the idea that Iraq had WMDs, yet Bush and company used absolute phrases in their speeches: "There can be no doubt ... We know for a fact ... It is certain ...", where the truth wouldn't have been persuasive.

Bush and his administration made statements they knew were false in order to gain political and popular support for a war that has taken the lives of over 1000 American soldiers and countless 1000s of Iraqis. Now with the publication of the ISG report, we know for certain that the statements were false. With the publication of parts of the NIE, we know they knew the statements were false at the time.

The same situation applies to Bush's other reasons for prosecuting the war: Iraq involvement in 9/11 -- false; Iraq threat to U.S. -- false; invasion of Iraq justified on human rights grounds -- false. (see Human Rights Watch for the justification for a war on human rights grounds).
They're batting 0 for 4.

For those who may think this is a lesser problem than some others, consider the 9th Commandment in the Old Testament: "Thou shall not bear false witness against thy neighbor".

About half of the voters didn't believe Bush's lies. The other half did. Now anyone with open eyes and ears knows they've been the victim of lies. President Bush has broken the trust of the American people. Because of this, he can no longer serve effectively. Witness the cries of "wag the dog" after the mid-summer orange alerts when Kerry was ahead in the polls. He's now "the little boy who cried wolf". We can't trust our President to tell us the truth, even when he is.

by Reuel on Wed Oct 20, 2004 at 10:04:10 PM EST

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