In Ron Suskind’s new book, “The One Percent Doctrine,” he writes that an unnamed CIA official read the “Bin Laden Determined To Strike In U.S.” memo to vacationing President George Bush in Crawford, Texas, on August 6, 2001 Bush offered this response: “All right, you’ve covered your ass now.” Bush put no questions to the official nor explored it further. He later went fishing. It is known that Richard Clarke requested an immediate ‘terrorism’ meeting of the National Security Council’s Principals Committee back in January, 2001. Bush finally held such a meeting on on September 4, 2001.
How pitiful–attention to national security and the safety of American lives was simply given the ‘Lazy-Boy recliner treatment.’ How presidential!
And then to later babble (as then National Security Advisor now Secretary of State Condi Rice, speaking for the Bush Administration, so brazenly did) that the memo didn’t contain times, places or dates for attacks and, therefore, was inconsequential is a supreme betrayal of trust and confidence. It’s what you would expect of a child caught holding the candy jar or from someone who has lived a lifetime of avoiding and evading consequnces for his or her actions, or in this case, inactions.
Also in Suskind’s book are details emanating from the capture of ‘supposed’ top al-Qaeda operations cheif Abu Zubaydah in March, 2002. Trumpeted as a major victory, it turned out Zubaydah handled transportation details for the wives and children of top jihadists and was mentally ill to boot. But that didn’t stop Bush from describing Zubaydah thusly in a presidential speech, even though the CIA briefed him otherwise: “…one of the top operatives plotting and planning death and destruction on the United States.”
Also from Suskind’s book: “I said he (Zubaydah) was important,” Bush reportedly told Tenet at one of their daily meetings. “You’re not going to let me lose face on this, are you?” “No sir, Mr. President,” Tenet replied.”
The priorities are 1) how President Bush is portrayed, period. It isn’t the reality, let alone, the truth in the fight against the various forms and forces of terrorism. Politics triumphs all else. Such Christian values!
Then, when the Supreme Court slaps the hand of the Bush Administration for establishing a judicial boundary-free gulag at Guantanamo Bay, Bush reacts with this: “The American people need to know that this ruling, as I understand it, won’t cause killers to be put out on the street. (the modus operandi of the Bush Administration, the fear factor redux)…I’m not going to jeopardize the safety of the American people. (he already has and continue to do so) People have got to understand that. I understand we’re in a war on terror, that these people were picked up on a battlefield (not true for 90% of the prisoners)…”
Is there any reason remaining to believe ANYTHING coming from the White House, or its more apt description, the Whore House? The current inhabitants of this abode of ill repute sell their souls for political efficacy but, unfortunately, put the lives of other Americans in the line of fire in doing so.
