Posted on 09/11/2006 9:52:46 PM PDT by grandpa jones
Four events today have helped to shape this entry, and have made this day one to remember.
First was the cnn.com stream of 9/11 "As It Was". It took me back in time in the way that only television can. I was there, or more precisely, I was here, watching the events unfold, knowing the outcome, but glued to the broadcast nonetheless. Thank you CNN. Ya'll did a great job.
Second was the plethora of images and content on the internet itself. Photographs, commentaries, recollections, prayers, memories and thoughts that have had five years to grow into a certain perspective.
Third was the actions and words of President Bush. From the compassion shown to the surviving families of the dead, to his Address to the Nation, the President reminded me yet again why I voted for him, and why he is the right man to lead the country in this most difficult time.
The fourth was the conclusion of ABC's The Path to 9-11. As I mentioned last night, this was a well-acted, made-for-TV movie that hammered home one central theme: Whether we recognize it or not, this country is at war with an enemy that is determined to kill or convert us. There was no deviation in that theme tonight.
Politically speaking, the movie revealed both winners and losers. And, as powerful a medium as television is, those who will be viewed as losers have and will protest loudly of certain historical innacuracies in this dramatic re-creation. Personalities, and politics held sway over principles during the 90's as well as into the new Administration. The cancer of Political Correctness, lack of interdepartmental communication, and a Judiciary interpreting a set of laws that were designed for a people who are law-abiding, not for those who wish to manipulate them for criminal advantage, painted a visual recipe for the inevitable failure to connect the dots.
There were winners as well. I came away from the movie with a different outlook on Richard Clarke. A man caught in the middle of a Clinton Administration more concerned with style over substance, and a Bush Administration which with a certain arrogance, dismissed his expertise as well as his interest in cyber-security as being a necessary holdover from the previous administration, but one that would no longer have the ear of the President. Also, Masood, the leader of the Northern Alliance, was one of the show's more interesting characters. I laughed at his characterization of bin Laden as a poseur, who would rush Schummer-like to the cameras to have his picture taken beside the burned-out shells of Russian tanks (which he had no hand in destroying). Masood's charismatic leadership, and the working relationship that he developed with the CIA field agents proved to be both a valuable source of intelligence in pre-9/11 days, as well as the template for the ouster of the Taliban afterwards.
On a final note, towards the end of the Clinton Administration, a scene in which a recommendation was made for a full scale invasion of Afghanistan was shown. That recommendation was dismissed with the line, "No President would ever begin an invasion during his last three months in office." I thought about that line as I listened to President Bush re-iterate his "Bush Doctrine" earlier. "We make no distinction between the terrorists and the nations who harbor them." I also thought about the gathering threat posed by a nuclear Iran, that it may be confronted sooner rather than later, and the realization that we are in the early days of this Epic Struggle became very clear.
Thank you for not roasting me for putting up a shameless link to my site on my first post. Not actually my first post but its been years since I posted before.
I thought that the movie was terrific if flawed. It was terrific because a lot of that stuff has never been seen by most of the public. Flawed for all the things left out.
Atta meeting with Al Ani (Iraqi envoy) in Prague.
Al Ani plotting to bomb RFL using Islamic Terrorists.
Anthrax lesions reported on one of the hijackers.
Abdul Rahman Yasin (assistant bomb maker) not shown being questioned by the FBI after WTC 93 then let go. Naturally he runs to Iraq.
Intelligence showing that Saddam moved his armies prior to 9/11. Armies such as they were.
Would have been nice to have seen some mention of Laurie Mylroie who was also in the loop of terrorism with Clinton.
nice blog. Do you mind if I add you to my blogroll?
It's simple: 911 succeeded because of Clinton's successful efforts to obstruct justice. Just another rap for the most corrupt president ever.
Thank you very much for adding me!
Hey, what a great posting. Thanks and congratulations. I agree with most of what you've said, especially:
"Personalities, and politics held sway over principles during the 90's as well as into the new Administration."
Let me refer people to two essays which also shed light upon the nation's blind walk toward 9/11.
http://johnib.wordpress.com/2006/09/10/911-anniversary-when-did-the-terror-war-begin/
Not mentioned in any 9-11 review I saw, was James Woods' (the actor with an I.Q. of 160) direct complaints to law enforcement as he was in first class during a dry run of the terrorists, and he KNEW that's what they were up to and hollered at the top of his lungs. No one listened.
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