Captain Stubing
05-18-2002, 07:03 PM
White House Relents Somewhat
WASHINGTON, May 18, 2002
Article 1:
.. Information from that confession formed a basis for the analysis prepared for U.S. intelligence agencies in 1999 warning that bin Laden-associated terrorists could hijack a jet and fly it into government buildings such as the Pentagon, the Times adds.
But the officials told the newspaper that the FBI had discounted the possibility of a suicide attack using planes, partly because it had largely failed to draw together evidence gathered piecemeal over time that Al Qaeda pilots were training here.
Last week, the F.B.I. acknowledged the existence of a memo written last summer in which an agent in its Phoenix office (the agent was identified by the Los Angeles Times Saturday as Kenneth Williams) urged his superiors to investigate Middle Eastern men who had enrolled at American flight schools and who might be connected to bin Laden, the New York Times says.
The Washington Post reported Saturday that a 1998 top-secret briefing memo to the president was entitled, "Bin Laden Determined To Strike In U.S" and focused mainly on past efforts by the alleged terrorist mastermind to infiltrate the U.S. and hit targets here.
The document, known as the President's Daily Briefing, underscored that bin Laden and his followers hoped to "bring the fight to America," in part as retaliation for U.S. missile strikes on al Qaeda camps in Afghanistan in 1998, the Post quotes knowledgeable sources as saying.
Mr. Bush had specifically asked for an intelligence analysis of possible al Qaeda attacks within the U.S., because most of the information presented to him over the summer about al Qaeda focused on threats against U.S. targets overseas, sources told the Post.
But one source said the White House was disappointed because the analysis lacked focus and did not present fresh intelligence...
Article 2:
Newsman Rather Tells Americans Ask More Questions Thu May 16, 7:49 PM ET
LONDON (Reuters) - Veteran U.S. news anchor Dan Rather warned Americans on Thursday not to let
patriotism in the wake of the September 11 attacks stop them from asking tough questions of President
Bush (news - web sites) and his "war on terror."
Speaking to the BBC's Newsnight current affairs program, Rather said the heightened sense of patriotism after September 11 risked getting out of control, and stopping the press from holding the government to account over its war in Afghanistan (news - web sites).
"I worry that patriotism run amok, will trample the very values that the country seeks to defend," said the CBS newsman, whose steely manner and professionalism became a symbol of America's resilience in the dark days after September 11.
"In a constitutional republic, based on the principles of democracy such as ours, you simply cannot sustain warfare without the people at large understanding why we fight, how we fight, and have a sense of accountability to the very top." Rather admitted that journalists, himself included, often felt under pressure to pull their punches for fear of being branded unpatriotic -- the equivalent of having a "flaming tire" hung around their neck.
"One finds oneself saying "I know the right question, but you know what? This is not exactly the right
time to ask it," he said.
"What we are talking about here -- whether one wants to recognize it or not, or call it by its proper name
or not -- is a form of self-censorship," said Rather.
He also accused the Bush administration of giving news organizations too little access and information,
which he said went directly against the Pentagon (news - web sites)'s stated policy of giving "maximum
information and maximum openness" about the war.
"There has never been an American war, small or large, in which access has been so limited as this one,"
he said.
The news black-out was allowing those in charge, who were putting the lives of American servicemen
and women at risk, to hide, he said.
"Limiting access, limiting information to cover the backsides of those who are in charge of the war, is
WASHINGTON, May 18, 2002
Article 1:
.. Information from that confession formed a basis for the analysis prepared for U.S. intelligence agencies in 1999 warning that bin Laden-associated terrorists could hijack a jet and fly it into government buildings such as the Pentagon, the Times adds.
But the officials told the newspaper that the FBI had discounted the possibility of a suicide attack using planes, partly because it had largely failed to draw together evidence gathered piecemeal over time that Al Qaeda pilots were training here.
Last week, the F.B.I. acknowledged the existence of a memo written last summer in which an agent in its Phoenix office (the agent was identified by the Los Angeles Times Saturday as Kenneth Williams) urged his superiors to investigate Middle Eastern men who had enrolled at American flight schools and who might be connected to bin Laden, the New York Times says.
The Washington Post reported Saturday that a 1998 top-secret briefing memo to the president was entitled, "Bin Laden Determined To Strike In U.S" and focused mainly on past efforts by the alleged terrorist mastermind to infiltrate the U.S. and hit targets here.
The document, known as the President's Daily Briefing, underscored that bin Laden and his followers hoped to "bring the fight to America," in part as retaliation for U.S. missile strikes on al Qaeda camps in Afghanistan in 1998, the Post quotes knowledgeable sources as saying.
Mr. Bush had specifically asked for an intelligence analysis of possible al Qaeda attacks within the U.S., because most of the information presented to him over the summer about al Qaeda focused on threats against U.S. targets overseas, sources told the Post.
But one source said the White House was disappointed because the analysis lacked focus and did not present fresh intelligence...
Article 2:
Newsman Rather Tells Americans Ask More Questions Thu May 16, 7:49 PM ET
LONDON (Reuters) - Veteran U.S. news anchor Dan Rather warned Americans on Thursday not to let
patriotism in the wake of the September 11 attacks stop them from asking tough questions of President
Bush (news - web sites) and his "war on terror."
Speaking to the BBC's Newsnight current affairs program, Rather said the heightened sense of patriotism after September 11 risked getting out of control, and stopping the press from holding the government to account over its war in Afghanistan (news - web sites).
"I worry that patriotism run amok, will trample the very values that the country seeks to defend," said the CBS newsman, whose steely manner and professionalism became a symbol of America's resilience in the dark days after September 11.
"In a constitutional republic, based on the principles of democracy such as ours, you simply cannot sustain warfare without the people at large understanding why we fight, how we fight, and have a sense of accountability to the very top." Rather admitted that journalists, himself included, often felt under pressure to pull their punches for fear of being branded unpatriotic -- the equivalent of having a "flaming tire" hung around their neck.
"One finds oneself saying "I know the right question, but you know what? This is not exactly the right
time to ask it," he said.
"What we are talking about here -- whether one wants to recognize it or not, or call it by its proper name
or not -- is a form of self-censorship," said Rather.
He also accused the Bush administration of giving news organizations too little access and information,
which he said went directly against the Pentagon (news - web sites)'s stated policy of giving "maximum
information and maximum openness" about the war.
"There has never been an American war, small or large, in which access has been so limited as this one,"
he said.
The news black-out was allowing those in charge, who were putting the lives of American servicemen
and women at risk, to hide, he said.
"Limiting access, limiting information to cover the backsides of those who are in charge of the war, is