The Risk Perceives the Duty to be Obeyed

By D. LINDLEY YOUNG
The Modern Tribune - March 25, 2004

Issue Reacting to Dots, Not Connecting Them

Although the argument is repeatedly made that hindsight is 20/20, this argument does not justify a failure to sufficiently react to what the Bush administration actually knew at a level commensurate to the potential threat of harm.  The issue is not so much of one in not being able to connect the dots, it is one that centers around the neglect to react to the giant dots that were clearly before those responsible for our safety.

It is a giant dot that the CIA and the Administrations leading counterterrorism expert expressed "urgency" about the matter. After months of attempting to convey the "urgency," on September 4, 2001, Clarke sent Rice a written statement. Clarke said that when hundreds of American bodies are laying around you will question whether there was anything else that could have been done.  

From this alone, serious consideration of the avenues of defense was required. The American people entrusted the President with the responsibility to react to warnings that concern our safety and that would include at a minimum the duty to fully consider all reasonable potentials to protect us.

There were two potential areas of attack: foreign and domestic. There is no doubt that the domestic threat required full consideration. This threat involved the lives of Americans in America.

There had been terror attacks on the World Trade Center, the Oklahoma City bombings (resulting in over 160 deaths), a bombing in Atlanta during the Olympics, and attempts to blow up the Los Angeles Airport during the millennium. Regardless of who the terror threat was from and regardless of the reason for the terrorism, domestic terrorism had to be considered. It is no defense that the threat was considered primarily foreign. A general threat to American lives was at stake.

So, the general threat of terrorism to Americans in America, alone, required at least minimal reaction, if not the utmost care. Again, we are talking about an "urgent" matter involving "highest level of threats in American history." However,  Bush was presented with much more specifics. There were Presidential Daily Briefings (PDB). According to 9/11 Commissioner Jamie S. Gorelick, the titles of the PDBs alone were alarming. One specifically, referred to bin Laden and the use of planes as missiles.

On August 6, 2001, over a month before 9/11, during the "summer of threat," President Bush received a PDB at his Crawford, Texas ranch indicating that bin Laden might be planning to hijack commercial airliners. The memo was entitled "Bin Laden Determined to Strike in US", and the entire 11 page memo focuses on the possibility of terrorist attacks inside the US.

The complete contents have never been made public and Bush has fought to keep the matter out of the public record. However, a Congressional report later describes it: it mentions "that members of al-Qaeda, including some US citizens, had resided in or traveled to the US for years and that the group apparently maintained a support structure here.

The report cited uncorroborated information obtained in 1998 that Osama bin Laden wanted to hijack airplanes to gain the release of US-held extremists; FBI judgments about patterns of activity consistent with preparations for hijackings or other types of attacks and the number of bin Laden-related investigations underway; as well as information acquired in May 2001 that indicated a group of bin Laden supporters was planning attacks in the US with explosives."

On July 6th, there was a meeting between Rice and Andre Carde wherein concern was expressed the terrorists were taking flight training. The was a warning in a report to Rice by Clarke that terrorist cells were in the US.

These are great dots placed squarely before Bush. These warnings alone would require a "shaking of the trees" and "battle station" readiness. According to a May 25, 2002 New York Times article, after receiving the August 6, 2002 PDB about bin Laden and attacks upon America, incredibly, Bush "broke off from work early and spent most of the day fishing." Also, Bush took a one month vacation during the period of the "summer of threat." This may support Clarke accusations that the Bush administration did not consider the matter "urgent."

Under the circumstances there was not only general information about a serious threat, but, also, specifics as to potentially who would do it and the means to be used. Any doubt as to whether the utmost care should be taken, must, by those with a duty to protect America be resolved in favor taking substantial action to protect American lives.

Preparation, Not Imagination the Key

In September 2002, the House and Senate intelligence committees disclosed that an early July 2001 intelligence warning had noted, "We believe that [bin Laden] will launch a significant terrorist attack against the U.S. and/or Israeli interests in coming weeks. The attack will be spectacular and designed to inflict mass casualties against U.S. facilities or interests. Attack preparations have been made. Attack will occur with little or no warning."

The final report of the joint inquiry of the House and Senate intelligence committees notes, for years the intelligence community had collected information reporting that terrorist outfits, including al Qaeda, were interested in mounting 9/11-like attacks – that is, hijacking airliners and crashing them into high-profile targets in the United States.

According to reports, Bush actually first received warning of an impending al Qaeda operation the previous July. On July 5th, at a White House meeting, Richard Clarke told officials of a dozen federal agencies, ”Something really spectacular is going to happen here, and it’s going to happen soon.” According to the Washington Post, CIA Director Tenet “had been ‘nearly frantic’ with concern since June 22.” In addition, on June 28 Ms. Rice, herself, specifically warned, “It is highly likely that a significant al Qaeda attack is in the near future, within several weeks.”

At the 9/11 Hearings Under Secretary of Sate Armitage testified that 9/11 was not prevented because we were simply not "creative" enough. In a recent press conference Bush had a simple defense. He said, if he known that terrorist were going to attack on 9/11 using planes as missiles he would have "done everything in his power to stop it."

Imagination and creativity have little to do with preparation. Preparation means, at minimum, that the major means of attack be considered and that there be plans to guard against those.

Obvious Options Should Have Been Considered

Historically, the primary tools of terrorism has been planes and suicide bombers. The common citizen knows this and experts in terrorism should have been acutely aware of this. More importantly, the intelligence community had received specific information from Israeli and Russian intelligence that al Qaeda’s operation would involve American civil aircraft. Although there are many ways that terrorism can attack, surely, these two, plans and bombs, would have to be in the top ten list. This does not take great imagination. The Bush administration was well warned.

According to the House and Senate intelligence committees' final report on 9/11, the committees were told by an intelligence community representative that an August 2001 intelligence report included information that bin Laden wanted to conduct attacks in the United States, that al Qaeda members had been residing and traveling to the United States for years and had apparently maintained a support structure here, that bin Laden was interested in hijacking airliners (to trade for prisoners), that the FBI had discerned patterns of activity consistent with preparations for hijackings, and that bin Laden supporters were planning attacks in the United States with explosives.

Were Terrorists Already in the Country?

Since there were substantial warnings as to a major threat of terrorism in America, among the first questions should have been: Are then any already here?  This was seems to be basic 101 preparation and review. In view of the threat to American lives, it would seem that a little "shaking of the trees" would not have been two much to ask. In fact, based on the Millennium threat and reports form the CIA we already knew that sleeper cells were actually in the US. This is where reaction to the "summer or threat" warnings may have required a little "shaking of the trees." As we learn later, it could have been discovered at least two of the actual 9/11 suicide bombers were already in the US and there had been an attempt by one person to learn to steer a 747. He did not want to know how to take off or land the 747.

Lack of imagination or creativity is not an excuse for lack of reaction or preparation. It is a real cause for concern. Because of the secrecy under which Bush acts - we cannot know what caused a real breakdown in our security, for security reasons - we may never know what Bush knew and what he did. I must think that if he had done all that he would certainly be touting it. Accordingly, I must conclude that he did not do what he should. A standard warning to the FAA - stating hijacking "remains a concern" - just isn't enough and does not come close to expressing the "urgency" that was apparent.