But the White house gets threats EVERY FRIGGIN' DAY!
I can't imagine how they filter through real, unreal threats.
They knew about the attack, but they weren't sure to what degree or how. Honestly, who would have thought we would get hit by our own airlines?
Neither of them would intentionally let 3,000 people die without cause.
Politicians are evil, but not that evil.

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I have no doubt, if he had knowledge of things to come, he would have taken out Osama in a minute, just as Bush would do if he was given knowledge of the future and an opportunity to change it.

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That quote from above, I regret to announce, is 100% Grade A Bull****.

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A). I was speaking hypothetically. I was using this statement to say that I believe both Clinton and Bush are patriots, and neither want harm to come to this country if they can prevent it.

B). If you want to debate events prior to 9/11, I'm up for that, too. Since you want to use Condoleeza Rice's statement for the 9/11 Commission, let's look at it a bit closer.

From Rice's testimony to the 9/11 Commission.

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President Bush understood the threat, and he understood its importance. He made clear to us that he did not want to respond to al Qaeda one attack at a time. He told me he was "tired of swatting flies."

This new strategy was developed over the Spring and Summer of 2001, and was approved by the president's senior national security officials on September 4. It was the very first major national security policy directive of the Bush administration -- not Russia, not missile defense, not Iraq, but the elimination of al Qaeda.

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Her testimony so far seems to indicate Bush was aware of the threat of Al-Qaeda and wanted to eliminate it.

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When threat reporting increased during the Spring and Summer of 2001, we moved the U.S. Government at all levels to a high state of alert and activity.

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Doesn't seem to indicate he ignored the threat.

Now let's get to the real heart of the matter.

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The threat reporting that we received in the spring and summer of 2001 was not specific as to time, nor place, nor manner of attack. Almost all of the reports focused on al Qaeda activities outside the United States, especially in the Middle East and North Africa.

In fact, the information that was specific enough to be actionable referred to terrorist operations overseas. More often, it was frustratingly vague. Let me read you some of the actual chatter that we picked up that spring and summer: "Unbelievable news coming in weeks," "Big event ... there will be a very, very, very, very big uproar," "There will be attacks in the near future."

Troubling, yes. But they don't tell us when; they don't tell us where; they don't tell us who; and they don't tell us how.

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The threat seems pretty vague. She talks more about it later.

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On August 6, 2001, the president's intelligence briefing included a response to questions that he had earlier raised about any al Qaeda intentions to strike our homeland.

The briefing item reviewed past intelligence reporting, mostly dating from the 1990s, regarding possible al Qaeda plans to attack inside the United States. It referred to uncorroborated reporting that from 1998 that terrorists might attempt to hijack a U.S. aircraft in an attempt to blackmail the government into releasing U.S.-held terrorists who had participated in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing. This briefing item was not prompted by any specific threat information. And it did not raise the possibility that terrorists might use airplanes as missiles.

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These threats still seem to vague to act on, but the administration didn't ignore it, according to Rice.

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On July 5, chief of staff Andy Card and I met with Dick Clarke, and I asked Dick to make sure that domestic agencies were aware of the heightened threat period and were taking appropriate steps to respond, even though we did not have specific threats to the homeland.

Later that same day, Clarke convened a special meeting of his CSG, as well as representatives from the FAA, the INS, Customs, and the Coast Guard. At that meeting, these agencies were asked to take additional measures to increase security and surveillance.

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She mentions some more security steps taken, but I think you get the idea.

I think Rice best sums up what my point was in my earlier post.

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Yet, as your hearings have shown, there was no silver bullet that could have prevented the 9/11 attacks. In hindsight, if anything might have helped stop 9/11, it would have been better information about threats inside the United States, something made difficult by structural and legal impediments that prevented the collection and sharing of information by our law enforcement and intelligence agencies...

I know that, had we thought that there was an attack coming in Washington or New York, we would have moved heaven and earth to try and stop it. And I know that there was no single thing that might have prevented that attack.

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Bush never had an opportunity pre 9/11 to eliminate Osama, but Clinton did.

From Clinton's Remarks on Osama bin Laden
Delivered to the Long Island Association's Annual Luncheon Feb. 15, 2002

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At the time, 1996, (bin Laden) had committed no crime against America so I did not bring him here because we had no basis on which to hold him, though we knew he wanted to commit crimes against America.

So I pleaded with the Saudis to take him, 'cause they could have. But they thought it was a hot potato and they didn't and that's how he wound up in Afghanistan.

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Clinton had the opportunity, but didn't take it. But again, hindsight is 20/20.

In conclusion, terrorism was recognized as a threat by Clinton and Bush prior to 9/11. What they both failed to realize is that the terrorists were at war with us, but we weren't at war with them. It took the events of 9/11 for America to realize this.

Wow, that was a very well thought out and placed argument.

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Originally posted by Forsakenproductions:
Wow, that was a very well thought out and placed argument.

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Your compliment is most appreciated.