Quote:
Originally posted by sgtclub
Was the Clinton Administration aware of it? Yes. Was the Bush Administration? Yes. But, I think both Administrations failed to sufficiently address the threat. What do you think the Clinton Admin did?
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I think they did the many things discussed in Richard Clarke's book and
The Age of Sacred Terror. I recommend both.
If you're not going to read them, you could try the
9/11 Commission's report. Check out page 174 (President Clinton "deeply concerned" about Al Qaeda), page 101 (Clinton makes chemical, biological and nuclear terrorism a priority), page 109 (Clinton establishes the "bin Laden unit"), page 358 (Clinton's management of the last weeks of December 1999), page 487 (Clinton Administration successful in arresting Al Qaeda members), or page 457 (Clarke runs mission where terrorists use a plane for a suicide mission).
Then look at page 202 (Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz argued against retaliation for the bombing of the USS Cole, saying the issue was "stale"), page 208 (Bush neglected to fill the key counterterrorism policy office in the Pentagon after the former official departed January 20), page 201 (Clarke submits memo to Condisaying "we urgently need... a Principals level review on the al Qida network" -- you've seen this memo now), page 201 (no Principals Committee meeting on al Qaeda held until September 4, 2001), page 203 (Principals Committee meetings on Iraq and Sudan held before one on al Qaeda), page 509 (32 Principals Committee meetings held on subjects other than al Qaeda before 9/11), page 200 (Rice downgrades the Counterterrorism Security Group), page 197 (12/00 "Blue Sky" memo on terrorism urges increased support to Northern Alliance and Uzbeks to fight Taliban and al Qaeda), or page 202 (White House postpones aid to Northern Alliance and Uzbeks).
Could they have done more? Both books acknowledge as much.
