On Tue, 15 Feb 2005 15:51:56 GMT, "Jim," wrote:

Bush team tried to suppress al-Qaida report
You have to get news and analysis from non-American media

http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/ne...p?story=609966

Excerpt:
Federal officials were repeatedly warned in the months before the 9-11
attacks that Osama bin Laden and al-Qa'ida were planning aircraft
hijackings and suicide attacks, according to a new report that the
Bush administration has been suppressing. Critics say the new
information undermines the government's claim that intelligence about
al-Qa'ida's ambitions was "historical" in nature. The independent
commission investigating the attacks on New York and Washington
concluded that while officials at the FAA did receive warnings, they
were "lulled into a false sense of security". As a result, "intelligence
that indicated a real and growing threat leading up to 9/11 did not
stimulate significant increases in security procedures".

The report, withheld from the public for months, until after the US
elections says the FAA was primarily focused on the likelihood of an
incident overseas. However, in spring 2001, it warned US airports that
if 'the intent of the hijacker is not to exchange hostages for prisoners
but to commit suicide in a spectacular explosion, a domestic hijacking
would probably be preferable.'"

Gosh, you could probably go to the Al Jazeera homepage and get an even better
version!


http://english.aljazeera.net/HomePage

The big question is whether we had enough actionable intelligence to tell pilots
to allow stewardesses to be killed. Did we? Would that policy have flown on
September 1, 2001? I think not.


John H

On the 'PocoLoco' out of Deale, MD,
on the beautiful Chesapeake Bay!

"Divide each difficulty into as many parts as is feasible and necessary to resolve it."
Rene Descartes