In an op-ed in the New York Times a couple of days ago, Kurt Eichenwald claims to have seen excerpts from presidential daily briefs from throughout 2001, and says that the lone declassified one (“Bin Laden Determined to Strike in U.S.”) is nothing compared to those in the months beforehand. He says that the White House actively discredited strong, specific CIA warnings that Al Qaeda was planning a big attack in the U.S. for some time in the summer. On July 9, hen it became clear that Bush was going to completely ignore their warnings, the CIA counterterrorism group even talked about all leaving en masse so that they wouldn’t have to take the fall for the attack. Note that this is an op-ed—presumably it hasn’t been subjected to the Times’ rigorous fact-checking. →
Tag Archives: cia
Links for May 6th
- New York Times: Tornado Leaves Couple With Nothing, but Not for Long
This is a simple, sweet story about a poor couple from rural Alabama who lost the little that they owned in last week's tornadoes. Their (rented) mobile home was destroyed. In the week since, though, people keep showing up and helping in ways large and small. They surely haven't been made whole, but I speculate they might feel more cared for than they have in a bit. - New York Times: Data Show Bin Laden Plots – C.I.A. Hid Near Raided House
The CIA rented a house a few doors down from Bin Laden's house, and used infrared cameras to watch inside the house, microwave eavesdropping equipment to listen, and radar to look for underground tunnels. Bravo. - Phil Gyford: Two billion viewers
Did two billion people actually watch the royal wedding, as was reported nearly universally? Nearly a third of the planet's inhabitants? Of course not.