November 13-19, 2003

slant

Come Clean

Bush should fess up on 9/11.

by Kyle F. Hence

Whether we’re talking about pre-war intelligence or massive pre-9/11 failure, an insular government culture, and in particular, an administration that denies accountability while obscuring the truth behind claims of "executive privilege" is a grave danger to our national security.

There is no more serious threat to the integrity of the Constitution and the national security it was intended to protect than an administration practicing excessive secrecy and obfuscation, especially when unchallenged.

That this pattern is seen in frustrated investigations of the vice president's energy meetings, the CIA leak and Iraqi WMD is of concern enough. However, when the pattern is expressed relative to 9/11, on which the whole world turned, it merits serious concern and unprecedented action. Refusal by our president to come clean on pre-9/11 intelligence and by our nation's leadership to insist upon clear accountability represents a particularly egregious breach of a sacred contract -- that between the people and their elected representatives.

President Bush must answer to the American people he serves. Unlike the Bush administration response to pre-attack intelligence and to multiple hijackings, the 9/11 Commission and the Congress must act promptly and decisively, to be sure Bush does. Business as usual in this case will neither inspire confidence in our, thus far, unaccountable leadership, nor in our nation's security.

The commission's current inquiry into the events of 9/11 is the most important and largest investigation this nation has ever undertaken. If previous ones are any indication they have their work cut out for them. Many faulted the Warren report for ignoring, distorting or misinterpreting key evidence. As a result, the vast majority of Americans believe a wider conspiracy led to the assassination of President Kennedy -- believe that Oswald didn't act alone.

The case against al-Qaeda and Osama bin Laden is built either on circumstantial evidence or torture and drug-induced "confessions" by alleged 9/11 accomplices interrogated in undisclosed locations far from the public eye, neither seen nor heard. Meanwhile, circumstantial evidence, running counter to the official narrative, suggests a wider circle of complicity or foreign sponsorship that has, for the most part, been ignored.

It's no wonder that today, millions around the globe, and not just on the Muslim street, don't believe the official line coming out of Washington regarding what happened on 9/11 and why.

The commission's problems getting access to key documents from NORAD, the CIA, the FAA, and the White House has only added fuel to the fire. And so has the commission's failure to apply a high level of investigative vigor in a transparent and public manner. Shamefully, the commission has bowed already under administration pressure to allow government "minders" to attend all closed interviews while failing to adequately explain why not a single witness has testified under oath.

Currently, it is the commission's subpoena threat over White House documents that is finally stirring overdue attention by the media on the unasked and unanswered questions of 9/11.

The administration has yet to be called out for what has already been made public about pre-9/11 intelligence. According to published reports, the Presidential Daily Briefing (PDB) given the president on Aug. 6, 2001, and being sought by the commission, titled "Bin Laden Determined to Strike U.S.," specifically mentions hijackings. Problem is, just after the attacks, the White House insisted there were no warnings. They lied. We've since learned from the Congressional Joint Inquiry and published press accounts that nearly a dozen nations issued specific warnings about targets, method, suspects and, in one case, timing.

But that is not all they lied about. On May 18 and19, after details from the Aug. 6 PDB were leaked, Ari Fleischer, Condaleezza Rice and the president himself all assured the American public that while they were aware of the threat of traditional hijackings no one could have imagined planes could be used as weapons. Documents have emerged since to establish that, in fact, the intelligence community was well aware of this method of attack and had prepared for just such a threat to the president at the early 2001 G-8 Summit in Genoa, Italy. Again, they lied.

The 9/11 commissioners, already granted security clearance, must see all relevant 9/11 documents in their entirety if they are to dispel the rising suspicion that the Bush administration may be hiding evidence of egregious negligence to fulfill their duty to protect the American public. A pattern of obstruction and secrecy must not be allowed to stand. Not here. Not now. Not about 9/11.

Kyle F. Hence is co-founder of the Washington, D.C., and New York City-based watchdog 9/11 CitizensWatch. If you would like to respond to this Slant or have one of your own (850 words), contact Howard Altman, City Paper editor in chief, 123 Chestnut St., third floor, Phila., PA 19106 or e-mail altman@citypaper.net.

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