9/11 Chair: Attack Was Preventable

CBS ^ | 17 December 2003

[Hal1950]

For the first time, the chairman of the independent commission investigating the Sept. 11 attacks is saying publicly that 9/11 could have and should have been prevented, reports CBS News Correspondent Randall Pinkston.

"This is a very, very important part of history and we've got to tell it right," said Thomas Kean.

"As you read the report, you're going to have a pretty clear idea what wasn't done and what should have been done," he said. "This was not something that had to happen."

Appointed by the Bush administration, Kean, a former Republican governor of New Jersey, is now pointing fingers inside the administration and laying blame.

"There are people that, if I was doing the job, would certainly not be in the position they were in at that time because they failed. They simply failed," Kean said.

To find out who failed and why, the commission has navigated a political landmine, threatening a subpoena to gain access to the president's top-secret daily briefs. Those documents may shed light on one of the most controversial assertions of the Bush administration – that there was never any thought given to the idea that terrorists might fly an airplane into a building.

"I don't think anybody could have predicted that they would try to use an airplane as a missile, a hijacked airplane as a missile," said national security adviser Condoleeza Rice on May 16, 2002.

"How is it possible we have a national security advisor coming out and saying we had no idea they could use planes as weapons when we had FBI records from 1991 stating that this is a possibility," said Kristen Breitweiser, one of four New Jersey widows who lobbied Congress and the president to appoint the commission.

The widows want to know why various government agencies didn't connect the dots before Sept. 11, such as warnings from FBI offices in Minnesota and Arizona about suspicious student pilots.

"If you were to tell me that two years after the murder of my husband that we wouldn't have one question answered, I wouldn't believe it," Breitweiser said.

Kean admits the commission also has more questions than answers.

Asked whether we should at least know if people sitting in the decision-making spots on that critical day are still in those positions, Kean said, "Yes, the answer is yes. And we will."

Kean promises major revelations in public testimony beginning next month from top officials in the FBI, CIA, Defense Department, National Security Agency and, maybe, President Bush and former President Clinton.

[eno_]

While we're at it, let's open up all the records on the '93 WTC attack, the Murrah Building bombing in OKC, Flight 800, Egypt Air, the USS Cole, Kobhar Towers and the U.S. Embassies in Kenya and Tanzania. Contrary to popular belief among the sanity-challenegd at D.U., Islamic terrorism against America didn't start on 9/11/01. It culminated, after nearly a decade of wanton neglect by The Stainmaster.

Hey seamole, hey sinkspur, this guy gets it: 9/11 was NOT a standalone unique unpredictable event. We are being LIED TO by a government that wants full ass coverage for all failures. Add Arrow Air in Gander, and AA587 and you have somethign closer to the list of successful AQ ops.

As for "could have been prevented," both WTC '93 and the Murrah building bombing were crawling with informants. In both cases, it was our LEAs screwing up that led to disaster.

[oceanview]

right now, today, there are people with "plans" to drive some kind of explosive device into NYC, I am sure we could find someone with that plan. Security at the bridges and tunnel entrances is lax, I just drove home an hour ago. What can we do about? The only time we can do anything about it if when we get credible intel that an attack is happening tomorrow, or next week, but just saying someone has a plan is not actionable.

[sinkspur]

We are being LIED TO by a government that wants full ass coverage for all failures. Add Arrow Air in Gander, and AA587 and you have somethign closer to the list of successful AQ ops.

And here I was, exchanging posts with you as if you were a rational human being.

You're a gold-plated conspiracy nut.

[Wayland]

What about one plane?

[oceanview]

let the Dems run with it, it just pushes them further into a corner.

[slyvester]

This is dumb. I would bet there's nobody in the world except a couple of rappers and a few dozen terrorists would even have considered the possiblity that people would coordinate an attack by hijacking 4 (5? 6? 7?) planes at the same time and flying them into prominent buildings. That's just nuts and nobody can predict nutty behavior

After the massacre of the Israeli athletes by terrorists at the 72/ Munich Games a investigation looked into how such attacks could be prevented in the future.
One finding was that the terrorists could use hi jacked airliners to fly into buildings , stadiums etc.

[eno_]

Name one conflict where successful sabotage operations were not covered up. Even "loose lips sink ships" was invented to cover up for our inadequate ASW and the fact the Germans were sinking ships at will with no "loose lips" neccessary.

It is axiomatic that successful terrorist ops are covered up.

[oceanview]

and they still could do it today, so I guess if it does, we should say it was "preventable". we know they use truck bombs on a regular basis, why aren't all those attacks preventable? why do we allow gasoline to be refined when we know it can be used to power a truck which could be carrying a bomb?

[WhistlingPastTheGraveyard]

The widows want to know why various government agencies didn't connect the dots before Sept. 11, such as warnings from FBI offices in Minnesota and Arizona about suspicious student pilots.

Because government agencies don't work that way. If these people want real answers, talk to the Feds who were shut out of the '93 WTC bombing investigation by criminal prosecutors. Or read some Laurie Mylroie, since she's one of the few people who saw the problem and exactly where it was leading, long before 9/11.

9/11 happened because acts of war were treated like random acts of criminal violence for eight years under a corrupt, self-serving administration that didn't have the time, the inclination or the stomach to do what was necessary. That's the simple truth of the matter.

But let's attack the adminstration that's done more to eradicate Islamic terrorism than anyone ever dreamt possible.

These idiots are infuriating...

[Steel Wolf]

'Oplan Bojinka' had many facets, from destroying many U.S. airliners simultaneously while in flight to assassinating Clinton, the Pope, and possibly Arroyo as well as some other random shennanigans.

There was reference in Bojinka to using planes to fly into targets, but it was not actionable intelligence. In order for us to prevent 9/11, we would have needed more hard information. Lacking when, where and how, it's not of any use.

Hell, even POST 9/11 we can't get our pilots armed. The only reason flying is any safer now is because the passengers themselves are aware of the threat. How would anyone have sold the idea several years ago that terrorists might fly a plane into a building someday, and we needed to drop everything and get ready.

[quidnunc]

On 9/11 FBi superintendant Robert Mueller had only just been confirmed and that agency and the CIA were forbidden to share information.

Not that the CIA was much of a factor seeing as during the latter part of the Clinton presidency one of the CIA's highest priorities was combatting the piracy of movies and music in Asian countries.

[oceanview]

good post, that sums it up perfectly.

[eno_]

9/11 happened because acts of war were treated like random acts of criminal violence for eight years under a corrupt, self-serving administration that didn't have the time, the inclination or the stomach to do what was necessary. That's the simple truth of the matter.

Exactly.

Clinton and the permanent bureaucracy are 95%+ to blame. But that does not excuse Dubya from cleaning house.

[Mo1]

I wonder how Mrs. Breitweiser feels about Bill Clinton's refusal to accept Bin Laden's extradition from the Sudan?

Haven't you heard .. It's Bush's fault

Clinton never did anything wrong ... even after they attack the WTC the first time

Now please excuse me while I go barf .. this report sounds like it will be a joke

[Dont Mention the War]

It should be noted to everyone that according to Google News, CBS is the only news organization to run this story, except for a Newark Star-Ledger article published only one hour ago. So that's pretty good evidence it's a hit piece. The Star-Ledger article, which is based on the CBS piece, fleshes the story out a bit to show that it's less than CBS claims it to be.

[Betty Jo]

Gee, Betty Jo, how brilliant can you be?

Why do you ask yourself that, Betty Jo?

Well, Betty Jo, you have been saying ever since 9/11 that Condi Rice and all the other players are/were incompetent.

Sure.

And now the report will go VERY public and itimize all the failures of this admin and this congress and PAST admins and congresses.

Your point being?

Once again,you WERE right and you ARE right.

This government failed and thousands died because of it.

Betty Jo,self, you are good!

[VeniVidiVici]

I would bet there's nobody in the world except a couple of rappers and a few dozen terrorists would even have considered the possiblity that people would coordinate an attack by hijacking 4 (5? 6? 7?) planes at the same time and flying them into prominent buildings...

There was a plot to do just this. And also a plot to simultaneously hijack and blow-up several airplanes.

Apologies if this has been posted already. I haven't had a chance to read thru the entire thread yet. You can place the blame for lack of follow-up on this directly at the feet of the Clinton administration:

http://www.cnn.com/2001/US/09/18/inv.hijacking.philippines/

Of course, nobody in the mainstream press is likely to repeat this anymore. They'd rather see how much traction their lie against the Bush admin gets.

[oceanview]

your neighbor might have a "plot" to assault you, maybe you should go over to his house and take him out first. then tell the police he was "plotting" to get you, so you went after him.

[Dolphy]

From your link

Kean, a former Republican governor of New Jersey, said government officials in decision-making positions did not do their jobs in the weeks and months leading up to Sept. 11, 2001, or on that day, and should be held accountable.

They failed. They simply failed, said Kean. He said if he were in charge, some of these people would still not be in their jobs today.

This does not sound good. Of course one doesn't know how he can analyze an event that was years in the making by zeroing in on a few months that preceded the tragedy. How does one separate September 11 from all of the al Qaeda events of the 90s? How does one not comment on the lack of leadership and response to those events and how that served to frame the intelligence operations for almost a decade?

[Betty Jo]

Try looking at FR archives.