SECTION
FIFTEEN
EMAIL PAGE ONE
sm
COLUMN
SEVENTY, APRIL 1, 2002
(Copyright © 2002 The Blacklisted Journalist)
BUSH ASKS DASCHLE TO LIMIT SENATE INVESTIGATIONS INTO WTC ATTACK
Subject:
the bigger picture- Enron and oil pipeline deal
Date: Tue, 12 Feb 2002 14:01:19 EST
From: BretthA@aol.com
To: info@blacklistedjournalist.com
CNN
-- CNN Capitol Hill Producer Dana Bash and CNN Correspondents
http://www.cnn.com/2002/ALLPOLITICS/01/29/inv.terror.probe/index.html
WASHINGTON
(CNN) -- President Bush personally asked Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle
Tuesday to limit the congressional investigation into the events of September
11, congressional and White House sources told CNN. The request was made at a
private meeting with congressional leaders Tuesday morning. Sources said Bush
initiated the conversation. He asked that only the House and Senate intelligence
committees look into the potential breakdowns among federal agencies that could
have allowed the terrorist attacks to occur, rather than a broader inquiry that
some lawmakers have proposed. The sources said Tuesday's discussion followed a
rare call to Daschle from Vice President Dick Cheney last Friday to make the
same request.
"The
vice president expressed the concern that a review of what happened on September
11 would take resources and personnel away from the effort in the war on
terrorism," Daschle told reporters. But, Daschle said, he has not agreed to
limit the investigation.
"I
acknowledged that concern, and it is for that reason that the Intelligence
Committee is going to begin this effort, trying to limit the scope and the
overall review of what happened," said Daschle, D-South Dakota. "But
clearly, I think the American people are entitled to know what happened and
why," he said.
Cheney
met last week in the Capitol with the chairmen of the House and Senate
intelligence committees and, according to a spokesman for Senate Intelligence
Chairman Bob Graham, D-Florida, "agreed to cooperate with their
effort."
The
heads of both intelligence committees have been meeting to map out a way to hold
a bipartisan House-Senate investigation and hearings. They were discussing how
the inquiry would proceed, including what would be made public, what would
remain classified, and how broad the probe would be. Graham's spokesman said the
committees will review intelligence matters only.
"How
ill prepared were we and why? We are looking towards the possibility of
addressing systemic problems through legislation," said spokesman Paul
Anderson.
Some
Democrats, such as Sens. Joseph Lieberman of Connecticut and Robert Torricelli
of New Jersey, have been calling for a broad inquiry looking at various federal
government agencies beyond the intelligence community.
"We
do not meet our responsibilities to the American people if we do not take an
honest look at the federal government and all of its agencies and let the
country know what went wrong," Torricelli said. "The best assurance
that there's not another terrorist attack on the United States is not simply to
hire more federal agents or spend more money. It's to take an honest look at
what went wrong. Who or what failed? There's an explanation owed to the American
people," he said.
Although
the president and vice president told Daschle they were worried a wide-reaching
inquiry could distract from the government's war on terrorism, privately
Democrats questioned why the White House feared a broader investigation to
determine possible culpability.
"We
will take a look at the allocation of resources. Ten thousand federal
agents---where were they? How many assets were used, and what signals were
missed?" a Democratic senator told CNN.
##
CLICK
HERE TO GET TO INDEX OF COLUMN SEVENTY
CLICK HERE TO GET TO INDEX
OF COLUMNS
The
Blacklisted Journalist can be contacted at P.O.Box 964, Elizabeth, NJ 07208-0964
The Blacklisted Journalist's E-Mail Address:
info@blacklistedjournalist.com
THE BLACKLISTED JOURNALIST IS A SERVICE MARK OF AL ARONOWITZ