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-   -   Something big looming: Coverups. Sen Grahams book. (https://thetfp.com/tfp/tilted-politics/68202-something-big-looming-coverups-sen-grahams-book.html)

Superbelt 09-07-2004 04:51 AM

Something big looming: Coverups. Sen Grahams book.
 
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/9584265.htm

Quote:

WASHINGTON - Two of the Sept. 11, 2001, hijackers had a support network in the United States that included agents of the Saudi government, and the Bush administration and FBI blocked a congressional investigation into that relationship, Sen. Bob Graham wrote in a book to be released Tuesday.

The discovery of the financial backing of the two hijackers ''would draw a direct line between the terrorists and the government of Saudi Arabia, and trigger an attempted coverup by the Bush administration,'' the Florida Democrat wrote.

And in Graham's book, Intelligence Matters, obtained by The Herald Saturday, he makes clear that some details of that financial support from Saudi Arabia were in the 27 pages of the congressional inquiry's final report that were blocked from release by the administration, despite the pleas of leaders of both parties on the House and Senate intelligence committees.

Graham also revealed that Gen. Tommy Franks told him on Feb. 19, 2002, just four months after the invasion of Afghanistan, that many important resources -- including the Predator drone aircraft crucial to the search for Osama bin Laden and al Qaeda leaders -- were being shifted to prepare for a war against Iraq.

Graham recalled this conversation at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa with Franks, then head of Central Command, who was ``looking troubled'':

``Senator, we are not engaged in a war in Afghanistan.''

''Excuse me?'' I asked.

''Military and intelligence personnel are being redeployed to prepare for an action in Iraq,'' he continued.

...

According to Graham, the FBI and the White House blocked efforts to investigate the extent of official Saudi connections to two hijackers.

Graham wrote that the staff of the congressional inquiry concluded that two Saudis in the San Diego area, Omar al-Bayoumi and Osama Bassan, who gave significant financial support to two hijackers, were working for the Saudi government.

Al-Bayoumi received a monthly allowance from a contractor for Saudi Civil Aviation that jumped from $465 to $3,700 in March 2000, after he helped Nawaf al-Hazmi and Khalid al-Mihdhdar -- two of the Sept. 11 hijackers -- find apartments and make contacts in San Diego, just before they began pilot training.

When the staff tried to conduct interviews in that investigation, and with an FBI informant, Abdussattar Shaikh, who also helped the eventual hijackers, they were blocked by the FBI and the administration, Graham wrote.

The administration and CIA also insisted that the details about the Saudi support network that benefited two hijackers be left out of the final congressional report, Graham complained.

Bush had concluded that ''a nation-state that had aided the terrorists should not be held publicly to account,'' Graham wrote. ``It was as if the president's loyalty lay more with Saudi Arabia than with America's safety.''

Especially because of this passage
Quote:

Graham also revealed that Gen. Tommy Franks told him on Feb. 19, 2002, just four months after the invasion of Afghanistan, that many important resources -- including the Predator drone aircraft crucial to the search for Osama bin Laden and al Qaeda leaders -- were being shifted to prepare for a war against Iraq.
I see Bush as the worst President this country has had in a long time.

filtherton 09-07-2004 06:07 AM

No really, he's tough on terrorism. [/head back in sand]

sailor 09-07-2004 06:13 AM

As always, you can't believe everything you hear--but unfortunately, that wouldnt surprise me, and if true, Ill agree--that would solidly put Mr Bush in the cadre of Worst Presidents Ever.

Superbelt 09-07-2004 06:25 AM

I'll tend to believe people who have been on the inside, such as ranking members of Senate Intelligence Committees.
He was chairman of the Senate Select committee on Intelligence during and after 9/11.

I think things like that should give an individual some bearth of credibility.
I would like to see Tommy Franks get questioned on whether it is true that only 4 months after the start of Afghanistan that we started pulling out our troops and equipment that was essential in the search. I think that would go a long way towards convincing many people that Bush is bad for America.

vinmag7 09-07-2004 06:47 AM

nothing would suprise me. this administration is one of the most secretive and does not think the american public should know what they are doing.

pan6467 09-07-2004 03:21 PM

By the way I saw Graham in an interview last night or this AM and from his reactions and what he said he is not much of a Kerry man, so GOP DON"T BE saying he's trying to help Kerry, my impression was he doesn't really seem to want to. But that's my impression. I'm sure you all will scream how wrong I am.

As for Graham's statements, I thoroughly believe them as fact. I never heard a commercial telling me how great Saudi Arabia until last year. And the commercials work very hard to prove to us their friendship..... WHY? Tells me they are hiding something. Like that 3rd grader who would steal shit from people's desks and then "find it" it someone else's.

james t kirk 09-07-2004 05:46 PM

That's a pretty explosive allogation.

I wonder if Joe average American will even care though.

Nope, probably not.

The only thing that will sink the USS George W. Bush is if some sort of sexual misadventure (recent) comes to light.

That's the only thing Mom and Pop understand.

shakran 09-07-2004 05:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by james t kirk
That's a pretty explosive allogation.

I wonder if Joe average American will even care though.


Not unless they somehow work it into Fear Factor or Cops ;)
Quote:

The only thing that will sink the USS George W. Bush is if some sort of sexual misadventure (recent) comes to light.
what you said was exceedingly cynical, which means it's even more depressing that what you said was also exceedingly accurate.

powerclown 09-07-2004 06:52 PM

Man, it just keeps getting stranger and stranger...

There are a couple of interesting facts to this case:
1) the timing of the release of this book (next week), or, ~59 days to election.
2) the political affiliation of Bob Graham (democrat).

Saudi arabia & the US are allies on paper, yet many of the 911 hijackers were saudi. This fact Im sure must cause extreme complications in the relations not only between the 2 countries, but especially among the relations the saudi government have with their own people. On the one hand, the saudi government must placate the americans by letting them know they are doing all they can to crack down on the anti-american rhetoric and radicalism rampant across their country, while on the other hand, they must constantly seek to appease and de-fuse their own rabidly anti-american citizenry so as to stay in power (and alive).

Given this potentially explosive political relationship between the 2 countries, I can see both governments making deals in back rooms or on airplanes where secrecy is imperative for the sake of both countries' well-being. Politics aren't black & white, because relationships between people (and therefore, governments) aren't black & white.

Ustwo 09-07-2004 07:10 PM

No no no Powerclown quit being rational.

Remember if GWB is involved it must be evil.

This book will make some talking points by some left leaning comentators but won't make any traction outside of those who already hate Bush.

Superbelt 09-07-2004 07:14 PM

Wha?
I thought the media was an irrational liberal behemoth bent on pushing our talking points and destroying good godfearing conservatives?

Did I miss a dimensional reorientation meeting?

OpieCunningham 09-07-2004 07:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Superbelt
Wha?
I thought the media was an irrational liberal behemoth bent on pushing our talking points and destroying good godfearing conservatives?

Did I miss a dimensional reorientation meeting?

No you haven't missed anything.

The way it works is this:

- The conservatives have exclusive rights to truth. Such as the SBVT.
- If the media were not biased, they would never attack the conservatives.
- Since the media is biased, there will probably be one or two above the fold articles in some of the more extremist papers (like the NYtimes) concerning Grahams unfounded accusations. When these occur, they will be denounced as liberal bias.
- In a non-biased media world where journalists only support the objective truth, there is no critique of conservative policies, because they hold all the rights to objective truth.
- As the world we live in has a media which does occasionally question conservative policies, it must be a biased media.

It's simple, really. Quit being rational SuperBelt.

Asterlite 09-07-2004 07:49 PM

the myth of the liberal media is just that; a myth. if the media was so "liberal" why would they find and air interviews with the liars that attack Kerry's millitary record, and yet completely ignore all the people that served in the ntl guard with Bush ( or DIDN'T serve) who would testify before open court that bush was absent from his duties. if the media is so liberal, why are there public investigations devling into Kerry's past so in depth, while Bush's past is kept under lock, key, and heavy black magic marker? The liberal media is actually owned and operated by conservatives.

Mephisto2 09-07-2004 08:22 PM

I'm curious as to how many people here actually believe Saudi Arabia was involved in the 9/11 attacks.

As this is an interesting topic, I think I'll post a new poll, but in the mean time why the current anti-Saudi "witch-hunt" in the media? Surely you guys should be going out of your way to keep existing and make new friends in the Middle East?!!

Mr Mephisto

DelayedReaction 09-07-2004 08:33 PM

I find it more interesting that the administration diverted resources from the hunt for OBL.

[Conspiracy] They moved the resources because they already had him. [/Conspiracy]

pan6467 09-07-2004 09:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Asterlite
the myth of the liberal media is just that; a myth. if the media was so "liberal" why would they find and air interviews with the liars that attack Kerry's millitary record, and yet completely ignore all the people that served in the ntl guard with Bush ( or DIDN'T serve) who would testify before open court that bush was absent from his duties. if the media is so liberal, why are there public investigations devling into Kerry's past so in depth, while Bush's past is kept under lock, key, and heavy black magic marker? The liberal media is actually owned and operated by conservatives.

I think you make great points but I have a bit of a different take.

I think bias exists on both sides, but I think the biggest bias is the one both sides have against the press. And as I have stated before that to me is the scariest of biases because we are forcing the press to react to news the way we want them to, so that they can keep the ratings and the ad rates up.

Just look how they sensationalize any time a beautiful rich woman is missing and how they focus on what the husband is doing. If Laci Peterson or the one in Utah had been ugly and poor do you think they'd have said anything nationally?

By focusing on this minutia, sensationalizing it, and making it front page, they don't have to focus on real issues.

Just like our politicans, if they keep throwing mud and trying to destroy each other's character they don't have to run on issues, because people get tired of it and just tune it out.

We are becoming very desensitized, that is why we have to blow things out of proportion, sensationalize and make it all Hollywood. Those things that aren't like Graham's book, W's NG record or alleged coke use, or even the war and what truly is going on over there. Notice we get blurbs but nothing truly showing us what is happening over there..... like we did for Desert Storm or the beginning of the war.


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