This Sickens Me

Well as many of you know, the memo titled Bin Laden Determined to Strike US was declassified last week. I don't know if many of you have read it but I think everyone should. You can find it here:
http://www.cnn.com/2004/images/04/10/whitehouse.pdf

I'm sorry, but reading this memo, it's obvious to me that SOMETHING should have been done. I don't see how anyone could defend the Bush administration completely ignoring a memo such as this.

I'm especially disgusted by the fact that the Bush administration for years has been stating that there was no indication that Bin Laden planned to attack in the US.

Wow. I've never really been supportive of the Bush administration, and I've always tried to stay level-headed about this whole WTC catastrophe, but this makes me sort of angry.

I think Bush is a complete scumbag. But this is taken way out of context. On its own it looks terrible, but I imagine the President of the United States gets memos like this all the time. Hindsight is 20/20.

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Originally Posted by lithium

I think Bush is a complete scumbag. But this is taken way out of context. On its own it looks terrible, but I imagine the President of the United States gets memos like this all the time. Hindsight is 20/20.

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I would be inclined to agree with you, except that Bin Laden has been attacking on US soils for quite awhile at the time the note was written. It was only a matter of time 'til his attacks reached the mainland.

Still, I always thought all this finger pointing over the 9/11 attacks is silly. Whoever's fault it is doesn't change the fact that the deed was done. All this time spent on laying the blame could be spent on forming effective fighting and prevention methods agaisnt future terrorist acts.

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Originally Posted by Johnny Undaunted

I would be inclined to agree with you, except that Bin Laden has been attacking on US soils for quite awhile at the time the note was written. It was only a matter of time 'til his attacks reached the mainland.

Still, I always thought all this finger pointing over the 9/11 attacks is silly. Whoever's fault it is doesn't change the fact that the deed was done. All this time spent on laying the blame could be spent on forming effective fighting and prevention methods agaisnt future terrorist acts.

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Well said.

I don't blame the Bush administration either, even though i very much dislike them and thier policy. The fact is that no one expected anything like that to happen and nothing like it really ever had happened here before. To say that they had that warning and they could have done something is not fair. There are all kinds of threats and rumors pertaining to what terrorists might do. It just wouldn't be prudent to go to extreme measures to prevent every little thing the FBI/CIA might get wind of. The fact is that we were, are, and will always be vulnerable to terrorist attack. Despite our best efforts there is no way to prevent these things from happening, they will find a way. Now that the political climate has changed and the threat is more real security has increased and i think that's all we can ask. Trying to place blame on anyone other than the terrorists is useless at this point.

It's not about placing blame as much as it is shirking responsibility. Our government failed us on so many levels it's ridiculous. Those who ignored the warnings, whatever party they belong to, should be held accountable.

If we don't find out who fucked up and why, this is only going to happen again.

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Originally Posted by Melf

It's no about placing blame as much as it is shirking responsibility. Our government failed us on so many levels it's ridiculous. Those who ignored the warnings, whatever party they belong to, should be held accountable.

If we don't find out who fucked up and why, this is only going to happen again.

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This is absolutely true. I want someone to explain to me what a new administration could have done in eight months to prevent the attacks. Intelligence and military funding was cut to embarassing levels from 1992 to 2001. It takes a hell of a lot more than eight months to get everything back into shape. It is a testament to the advanced planning of Rumsfeld that we were even able to respond after the attacks, let alone prevent them.

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Originally Posted by lithium

I think Bush is a complete scumbag. But this is taken way out of context. On its own it looks terrible, but I imagine the President of the United States gets memos like this all the time. Hindsight is 20/20.

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by Johnny Undaunted

Still, I always thought all this finger pointing over the 9/11 attacks is silly. Whoever's fault it is doesn't change the fact that the deed was done. All this time spent on laying the blame could be spent on forming effective fighting and prevention methods agaisnt future terrorist acts.

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Originally Posted by stormy

I don't blame the Bush administration either, even though i very much dislike them and thier policy. The fact is that no one expected anything like that to happen and nothing like it really ever had happened here before. To say that they had that warning and they could have done something is not fair. There are all kinds of threats and rumors pertaining to what terrorists might do. It just wouldn't be prudent to go to extreme measures to prevent every little thing the FBI/CIA might get wind of. The fact is that we were, are, and will always be vulnerable to terrorist attack. Despite our best efforts there is no way to prevent these things from happening, they will find a way. Now that the political climate has changed and the threat is more real security has increased and i think that's all we can ask. Trying to place blame on anyone other than the terrorists is useless at this point.

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Those are some great responses right there. J.U. had the best part, and I bolded it. Everyone knows exactly why all this crap his being discussed now - the Democrats are trying to find some way (any way) to get Bush impeached. It's stupid and it's working worse than what the Republicans tried to do with Clinton.

Personally, I have no opinion of the document. It means nothing now at 5:55PM Pacific Time on April 12th, 2004. Yeah, they could have done something, maybe. I'm not going to get all pissed that they didn't, though, that's a waste of time when I could be out helping my particular candidate's Presidential campaign. I don't see any use in mulling over this stuff trying to find blame.

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Originally Posted by Yoshi

It is a testament to the advanced planning of Rumsfeld that we were even able to respond after the attacks, let alone prevent them.

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You mean his advanced planning for war with Iraq?

Yeah that's great. :rolleyes: