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Breaking News
12:33 CST
THREE MORE firefighters pulled alive from the wreckage
Plus - more tapping in patterns is heard on the east side of the pile
Commission
warned Bush
But White House passed on recommendations by
a bipartisan,
Defense department-ordered commission on domestic
terrorism.
- - - - - - - - - - -
By Jake Tapper at Salon.com
They went to great pains not to sound as though
they were telling the president "We told you
so."
But on Wednesday, two former senators, the bipartisan
co-chairs of a Defense
Department-chartered commission on national security,
spoke with something
between frustration and regret about how White
House officials failed to embrace
any of the recommendations to prevent acts of
domestic terrorism delivered earlier this year.
Enough is
enough...
by Jim Higdon
Bush has failed every possible test.
Prior to Day One: While the State Department
website was posting strong warnings that there
could be an immanent attack by terrorists tied
to bin Laden, Bush issued no warnings to increase
airport security systems, but left standard security
in place. I know this because I flew on Friday
and Sunday, and security seemed more lax than
usual. One must also question whether the fence
constructed around the area surrounding the White
House was in anticipation of a terrorist attack.
Day one: He takes off across the
country, eventually winding up at the headquarters of the
Strategic Air Command, never giving a live press
conference, and leaving America to rely on
an incompetent broadcast press to let us know
what's going on. He provided no assurances,
and left America in panic. By going to
SAC he left us to speculate that we may even be under
attack by some government and that nuclear response
was being considered. When he finally
spoke, he found no words on his own, and prepared
nothing. Words were being fed to him.
He was acting like puppet, not a president.
He made absolutely no effort to quell racism that
is erupting against Muslim Americans nationwide.
Day two: He issues another speech
that is merely a rewrite of the first. Keeps talking about
going to war, although he will not specify against
whom. Then his handlers try to explain that
he was AWOL because the White House and Air Force
One were targets.
Highly unlikely.
If Air Force One was a target, why did he take
off to fly around the country?
Why didn't he just stay in Louisiana?
It was clear that all four of the planes had crashed,
and that there was no commercial air traffic,
and he was still on the run. As the leader
of the free world, when America has been attacked,
I'm sorry, but that's the time to suck it up
a little, and be visible.
Day three: He finally gives a press
conference, provides a minimum of information, other than
to tell us that it's his job now to be a war
time president, and that he's a lovable guy.
Meanwhile his cohorts in congress (Trent Lott)
in particular, start telling us that it's time to
curtail individual liberties in America.
As far as I'm concerned, Lott just joined the other side.
For a US Senator to attack the Constitution is
treason!
Jim H.
From: Robin Welch
Subject: The National Anthem
Just heard on the radio a British military
band playing the Star Spangled Banner outside Buckingham Palace
in lieu of the usual "God Save The Queen" during
the changing of the Guard. I freely admit, it made me weep.
May God also bless the Queen and her subjects!
From: fnx@earthlink.net
Thoughtful, responsible people cannot sufficiently
applaud ABC News and
Jim Wooten for telling THE TRUTH about the
president's speech after the terrorism.
"America was attacked because she is the brightest
beacon for freedom and opportunity."
Self-serving, inflammatory lies which only
exacerbate the problem.
Wooten: "That is NOT why America was attacked!"
Jim Wooten emerges, then, as a truly-human
hero, a rarely responsible American journalist
who has contributed immeasurably to world
affairs with his simple, objective three-minute report.
Again, THANK YOU ABC NEWS AND JIM WOOTEN.
We must enthusiastically support this kind of
journalism.
PLEASE ask your readers to help.
Go to abcnews.com - click on "contact us" at
the bottom of the page.
bobdelay
From MediaWhoresOnline
He was speaking, again, without notes or teleprompter,
at this, his fourth or fifth
press conference of the day. It was hard to know
how to count his appearances
-- he was everywhere, all day long, answering
every question -- but that seemed right:
In a crisis like this, a leader has to be visible,
accessible, sharing our grief but reassuring us
we'll come through the tragedy, together. He
was back at it early Wednesday morning,
reporting the latest rescue news and urging his
fellow citizens to pick up their lives,
recover their sense of normalcy.
But it wasn't President Bush calming Americans
all day Tuesday.
It was New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani who emerged
as the leader the nation yearned for,
while Bush spent the day in the blue skies over
the U.S., being shuttled from Florida to Louisiana
to Omaha before finally returning to Washington,
almost 12 hours after the terrifying attack.
From: joe1991@worldnet.att.net
Subject: 1996 - Clinton pushed for hard terrorism laws, Repugs watered it down
http://www.cnn.com/US/9607/30/clinton.terrorism/
snippets:
"We need to keep this country together right now.
We need to focus on this terrorism issue,"
Clinton said during a White House news conference.
But while the president pushed for quick legislation,
Republican lawmakers
hardened their stance against some of the proposed
anti-terrorism measures.
Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, chairman of the Senate
Judiciary Committee, emerged
from the meeting and said, "These are very
controversial provisions that the
White House wants. Some they're not going
to get."
and this: http://www.cnn.com/US/9604/15/anti.terrorism/index.html
The bill, which would cost $1 billion over four
years, also calls for "tagging" plastic explosives
to better trace them. The bill calls for a study
on tagging methods for other explosives such as
fertilizer and black powder. Critics say the
study provision is a concession to groups opposed
to restrictions on explosive materials.
The Republicans also dropped the additional wire-tap
authority the Clinton
administration wanted. U.S. Attorney general
Janet Reno had asked for
"multi-point" tapping of suspected terrorists,
who may be using advanced
technology to outpace authorities.
and this: http://www.cnn.com/US/9604/18/anti.terror.bill/index.html
The House voted, 293-133, to send the anti-terrorism
bill to President Clinton,
who has indicated that he will sign it after
he returns from his overseas trip next week.
The measure, which the Senate passed overwhelmingly
Wednesday evening, is a
watered-down version of the White House's proposal.
The Clinton administration
has been critical of the bill, calling it too
weak.
The original House bill, passed last month, had
deleted many of the Senate's anti-terrorism
provisions because of lawmakers' concerns about
increasing federal law enforcement powers.
Some of those provisions were restored in the
compromise bill.
But since they're having trouble selling the appointed Commander in
Thief,
they're having to trash the last elected president - America knows
better.
Quotes
"Our very first priority has to be incoming
missles."
-- Oklahoma Senator Pissquik, trying
to sell Star Wars
Excellent article
The Selling
of George W Bush-2004
by sunburst@san.rr.com
Excerpt:
The dust has barely settled in New York, and
the aides of George Bush are busy putting things right.
Unfortunately they're not busy finding out what
happened or sending the president before the cameras
to answer questions from the press. Nope, they're
using the terrorist attacks on the United States to
re-sell George Bush to us in the face of declining
polls.
Let's call it "Operation Manhood". Yesterday morning
while the country looked to Washington for hope
and information, instead we got the spectacle
of George Bush being ferried all over the country like a
high end version of Road Rules. For twelve hours
he bounced from Florida to Lousiana to Nebraska
to DC like he was on a scavenger hunt for courage.
Finally he showed up in Washington to deliver a
typical deer-in-the-headlights string of platitudes,
apparently picked up at a Nebraska Rotary prayer
luncheon. Meanwhile, New York and the Pentagon
burned.
From: bob@clickandlearn.com
Subject: "Smartest Boy In The Class"
Bart,
My first reaction to the news in NYC was
"I wish we had the smartest boy in the class
to guide us."
Unfortunately, the press ridiculed the idea of
electing the smartest one
-- so look what they (we) got instead
True, they said there was no need for the president to have a
brain as long as he was
surrounded by smart people. We saw that refuted Tuesday, with his two
"deer" speeches.
I think the whole world, not just America, misses Clinton right now.
Clinton wouldn't be wetting his pants, asking Karen Hughes to play
president for him.
Bush's leadership consists of suggesting we pray.
Frightened
Afghans Await Expected US Revenge Raids
Frightened Afghans braced for U.S. retaliation
for devastating terror attacks
as Arab residents fled the capital or began digging
trenches on the outskirts of the city.
With U.S. investigators increasingly convinced
bin Laden was behind the attacks, many Afghans
fear it is just a matter of time before they
are made to pay for the Taliban giving him sanctuary.
From: (withheld)
Subject: Unsolited Polemics...
Bart,
If the name of the nation of Sudan drops
out of this grim imbroglio, will voices
spanning the gamut from Hitchens to Horowitz
shut up about Clinton's "aspirin factory?"
Bill
Bill, never.
We saw yesterday how Ann Coulter used the obituary of her friend Barbara
Olson
to call Hillary "the molecular opposite of a James Bond girl," whatever
the hell that means.
Clinton's penis is the holy altar they will worship until the end of time.
From: Harlanquin@aol.com
Subject: Feedback
Unless he can furnish proof, Ari is the first
obvious coward. I can 'almost' believe that the plane
that hit the Pentagon might have been targeted
for the White House originally. Almost.
But with no evidence, no proof, and no real questions
from the media, his claim that Bush
was a target while on Air Force One disgusted
me more than any other statement I'd heard.
What threat?
Was the 4th plane supposed to do a mid-air on Air Force One?
It's not possible, and anyone smart enough to
turn off a airline transponder knows that.
Were there people on the ground with Stingers,
waiting around?
Then where are they???
If there was a credible threat, and it wasn't
arrested or eliminated,
then all he did was warn them their cover
was blown!
That bastard lied straight to our faces, trying
to gain sympathy for Shrub.
Trying to cover the fact that, when given the
chance to at least appear Presidential, Smirk was flying around.
Worse yet, that's probably the best place he
could have been.
Out of the way, out of the media's attention.
But to tell us that was to safeguard the president
is bullshit.
It was to safeguard us.
Harl
Spinning
by The Daily Brew
Excerpt:
On the one hand, Rove could be lying, trying
to protect his boss from the perception
that at the moment of the crisis, Smirk
turned his tail and ran. That, of course, would
be entirely consistant with his history
of first avoiding the Vietnam War by using his
political connections to join the Texas
Air National Guard, and then deserting his unit
while his Nation was at war. So it
makes sense for Rove to lie about it.
The second possibility is that Rove is telling
the truth, in which case Bush "argued strenuously"
that he should return to Washington, but
was apparently overruled.
I can only wonder, overruled by whom?
If Bush really wanted to return to Washington,
all he needed to do was give the order.
He didn't need to "argue strenuously" with
anyone.
He is the Commander in Chief, isn't he?
Quotes
"I know we're all going to die -- there's
three of us who are going to do something about it.''
-- passenger Thomas
Burnett, on his cell phone, to his wife Deena just before the crash,
Has the Taliban arrested bin Laden?
http://www.guardian.co.uk/wtccrash/story/0,1300,551259,00.html
Terror suspect Osama bin Laden has been placed
under house arrest by
Afghanistan's Taliban regime, it was claimed
today.
A spokesman for the Taliban embassy in Pakistan
confirmed earlier reports today
in Pakistani newspapers that Bin Laden is under
house arrest, according to UPI.
However, previous reports quoted "Taliban sources" saying bin Laden was not under arrest.
From: tonicall@worldnet.att.net
Subject: Guilliani
I lived in NYC for 17 years, and am NO FAN of
Rudy (Benito) Guilliani.
His public comments and handling of the situation
have been far and away
better than the incredible shrinking shrub.
I can ditto that from Oklahoma.
I've seen Rudy all over the TV, doing what leaders
do.
He's talking to people, answering questions, calming fears etc.
Meanwhile, Weak & Stupid is hiding
under his bed while his handlers feed
Fox News piles of horseshit,
trumped-up stories about how brave and engaged he is.
Quotes
"George W. Bush is ignorant, dumb, stupid
and bumbling."
-- from bubba_kickuss@hotmail.com
Not every sports event has been cancelled
this weekend.
If you want to see some patriotism, check
the singing of the National Anthem at the games.
Quotes
"We've got the finest surgeons and medical
personnel in the world
assembled here, waiting to help
the victims, ...but they're just not coming in."
-- a frustrated doctor to Larry King
last night
Too Soon
I think it's too soon to resume air traffic.
Sure, business needs to get going again, but
if they grab another plane,
how long will it take to restore confidence then?
Some easy steps the airlines could take:
1. Get the pilot & co-pilot in the cockpit
and seal the door on the ground.
The door doesn't open for
any reason while the flight is in the air.
I heard somebody say that
in a "normal" hijacking, the pilot leaves his seat to negotiate
with the guys - screw that.
That pilot stays locked in the cockpit until the plane lands.
2. Reinforce the doors, making them impenetrable.
I've heard the term "cardboard
doors," several times since Tuesday morning.
I don't want to hear that
term again.
3. If they don't already, have a fuel dump switch
on every plane.
I'd rather have 30,000 gallons
of fuel on the streets than inside a skyscraper.
4. Why do commercial airliners have a switch
to turn off the transponder?
5. The next time a religiously-insane hijacker
shows a knife or a gun - you rush the mother-effer.
Until Tuesday, the smart move
was to ride it out.
With these religio-crazies,
you figure it's over anyway, so you might as well take the chance.
Of all the people on a plane,
I'm the last guy to play hero, but if the hijackers are religious,
you wink to the guy next to
you, grab the SOB as he walks by and advance on the others.
6. Put armed undercovers on every flight.
Some guy makes a noise with
a knife, you drop him without asking questions.
What would the cost be, 3
dollars per ticket? That's money well spent.
7. Find out how the knives and boxcutters got onboard before we send more flights up.
Don't you think these steps should be taken before the next plane takes off?
Aides
Say Bush Was One Target of Hijacked Jet
Trying to explain his perceived cowardice
Excerpt:
Stung by suggestions that President Bush
had hurt himself politically by delaying his return
to Washington on Tuesday, the White House
asserted today that Mr. Bush had done so
because of hard evidence that he was a
target of the terrorists who hijacked airliners and
slammed them into the World Trade Center
and the Pentagon.
"We are talking about specific and credible intelligence,"
Mr. Rove said, "not vague suspicions."
But neither Mr. Rove nor other officials
explained why this information was not made public.
So - it appeared Bush spent the day running and hiding.
The only "hard evidence" I've heard of
was aide's belief that, from the angle of the turns
the DC plane took, the pilot may have had
the White House in mind as a target..
Bush didn't show this country much courage or leadership Tuesday.
BREAKING NEWS from CNN
One of two Saudi pilot brothers believed connected
with hijackings
is cooperating with FBI, CNN has learned. Details
to come.
From: imk-01@home.com
Subject: Ann Coulter calls for a crusade
Hello BartCop,
If one ever needed a better example about religious
insanity,
consider this demand from Ann Coulter's "This
is War":
"We should invade their countries, kill their leaders and convert them to Christianity."
(Even funnier is that I read it in Jewish World Review.)
Ilkka
Quotes
"The president's conduct on Tuesday did
not inspire confidence."
-- an article this morning
in the staunchly conservative Boston Herald
From: Toejumper@aol.com
Subject: Down the Rabbit Hole
Hi BC,
Am I the only one who thought Dubya ran like a
spooked rabbit Tuesday?
I watched his first response to the attacks,
videotaped from whatever rabbit hole
he was hiding in, and I thought he was about
one step away from blubbering like a baby.
I got the impression he had to wash out his pants
more than once that day.
And I *really* have a hard time swallowing this
line of crap coming from Rove, Hughes, Inc.
about Dubya "insisting on returning to DC" only
to be dissuaded by his staff and the Secret Service.
I'd like to see this "real, credible evidence"
that the White House was targeted for an attack -- funny
how this story of sinister, anonymous phone calls,
complete with "code words...showing a knowledge
of procedures that made the threat credible"
only comes out after people start asking,
"Where the hell was Dubya?"
Were there other phone calls made warning about
the WTC and Pentagon being targeted?
Not that I've heard about. And I find this
quote, told to William Safire by Rove, that Dubya was storming
around yelling "I don't want some tinhorn terrorists
keeping me out of Washington," totally unbelievable.
The Bush I saw on videotape was scared stiff,
barely able to choke out a prepared speech and totally unable
to muster up any coherent thoughts when asked
to reply off-the-cuff. I guaran-damn-tee you that line about
"tinhorn terrorists" was cooked up in an office
somewhere.
I can't blame him for being frightened, but by
all that's holy,
we need something more than a scared little boy
pretending to be a man during this crisis.
Black Max
From: JHartke@cvm.uiuc.edu
Subject: The gloves are coming off fast
Ann "That Stupid Broad" Coulter spewed:
"Barbara wrote the New York Times bestseller,
"Hell to Pay," about Hillary Clinton,
the molecular opposite of a James Bond girl.
She smiled and laughed at her debate
opponents while sweetly shredding them to
bits. And she never compromised,
not her integrity, not the facts, not the
law. "
I really cant believe it. We have done everything
we can to keep partisanship out of this.
I have tried my best to support Bush at this
time, even though he can barely read a scripted speech,
and his lack of emotions (or at least the lack
of the ability to express emotion) are sometimes disturbing.
But apparently, as per usual, the platinum pundits
cannot help themselves. Everything, even this, our greatest
national tragedy, has to be blamed on the Clintons,
or at least, some some type of attack must be made.
I don't even really consider her a whore.
Whores have reasons: money, personal aggrandizement.
She is an addict.
Joshua
From: jdoane@worldnet.att.net
Subject: AWOL Again
At the time America most needs a leader nobody
shows!
"Cut and Run" Georgie's motto seems to be:
'When the going gets tough a Wus keeps going
and going and going........'
Any viable 2004 presidential candidate could
have clinched the election by noon of Sept 11th
if they would have grabbed the first tv camera,
stood in front of the Pentagon, raised their fist
and shouted "Were going to get those Bastards."
...but nobody showed.
The first peep from the White House that I heard
was from the only one
of the crew that has a set of big and fuzzies:
"Diesel" Hughes.
Her message seemed to be "Lil Georgie is still
running the country we just can't find the little shit."
My God, is she running the place while "Cut and
Run" attends Adult Ed in Sarasota?
(Speaking of that, ever wonder why we only see
our "Fearless Leader" reading childrens books?)
To the SCOTUS: This is what a real crisis
looks like.
This is the second time his country has
called your appointee to duty
and this is the second time he was a 'No
Show'.
God, if you're listening, we could use a little
help here.
J. D.
A disapppointing performance by Bush
Excerpt:
Franklin Roosevelt's eloquent call for a declaration
of war against the Japanese for
"a date that will live in infamy" carried with
it the controlled, but unmistakable fury
of a president and a nation wronged by an unspeakable
evil. The attack on Pearl Harbor,
it may turn out, killed fewer Americans than
this tragedy.
An impassioned, visibly agitated Bush might have
gone a long way toward solving
some of his future political problems with Congress
and toward hushing his critics
Read the Previous Issue
It had everything.
Copyright © 2001,
bartcop.com
Thanks for the
fumble, Dude.
