What Did Bush Do To Stop The Attacks On September 11th?

Question

What was his counterterrorism strategy?

I never hear about him being concerned about bin Laden or terrorism before 9/11. Was he?

Why do Republicans always get defensive and hide behind Clinton? Clinton wasn't in office on September 11th.

Answer 1

He did absolutely nothing as brought out in the 9/11 Commissions report!

7-30-1996, WASHINGTON -- President Clinton urged Congress Tuesday to act swiftly in developing anti-terrorism legislation before its August recess.

"We need to keep this country together right now. We need to focus on this terrorism issue," Clinton said during a White House news conference.

But while the president pushed for quick legislation, Republican lawmakers hardened their stance against some of the proposed anti-terrorism measures.

Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott, R-Mississippi, doubted that the Senate would rush to action before they recess this weekend. The Senate needs to study all the options, he said, and trying to get it done in the next three days would be tough.

One key GOP senator was more critical, calling a proposed study of chemical markers in explosives "a phony issue."

Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, emerged from the meeting and said, "These are very controversial provisions that the White House wants. Some they're not going to get."

Hatch said the compromise bill would prevent international terrorist organizations from raising money in the United States and provide for the swift deportation of international terrorists.

The Republicans also dropped the additional wire-tap authority the Clinton administration wanted. U.S. Attorney general Janet Reno had asked for "multi-point" tapping of suspected terrorists, who may be using advanced technology to outpace authorities.

Rep. Charles Schumer, D-New York, said technology is giving criminals an advantage. "What the terrorists do is they take one cellular phone, use the number for a few days, throw it out and use a different phone with a different number," he said. "All we are saying is tap the person, not the phone number."

The measure, which the Senate passed overwhelmingly Wednesday evening, is a watered-down version of the White House's proposal. The Clinton administration has been critical of the bill, calling it too weak. AP

Note: The senate was controlled by the republicans in 1996. Trent Lott was the majority leader.
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Clarke: Bush didn't see terrorism as 'urgent'
9/11 panel hears from Berger, Tenet
Wednesday, May 19, 2004 Posted: 1:16 AM EDT (0516 GMT) CNN
A day of drama at the 9/11 Commission
Clarke: 'No sense of urgency'
Tenet admits 9/11 intelligence failings
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- President Bush's former counterterrorism chief testified Wednesday that the administration did not consider terrorism an urgent priority before the September 11, 2001, attacks, despite his repeated warnings about Osama bin Laden's terror network.
"I believe the Bush administration in the first eight months considered terrorism an important issue, but not an urgent issue," Richard Clarke told a commission investigating the September 11 attacks.".
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Rice Falsely Claims Bush’s Pre-9/11 Anti-Terror Efforts Were ‘At Least As Aggressive’ As Clinton’s
This morning, in the Fox-owned New York Post, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice reacts angrily to President Clinton’s criticisms of how the Bush administration approached the terrorist threat during their first eight months in office. (The Post headlines the article “Rice Boils Over Bubba“) An excerpt:
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice yesterday accused Bill Clinton of making “flatly false” claims that the Bush administration didn’t lift a finger to stop terrorism before the 9/11 attacks.
… “What we did in the eight months was at least as aggressive as what the Clinton administration did in the preceding years,” Rice added.
The 9/11 Commission Report contradicts Rice’s claims. On December 4, 1998, for example, the Clinton administration received a President’s Daily Brief entitled “Bin Ladin Preparing to Hijack US Aircraft and Other Attacks.” Here’s how the Clinton administration reacted, according to the 9/11 Commission report:
The same day, [Counterterrorism Czar Richard] Clarke convened a meeting of his CSG [Counterterrorism Security Group] to discuss both the hijacking concern and the antiaircraft missile threat. To address the hijacking warning, the group agreed that New York airports should go to maximum security starting that weekend. They agreed to boost security at other East coast airports. The CIA agreed to distribute versions of the report to the FBI and FAA to pass to the New York Police Department and the airlines. The FAA issued a security directive on December 8, with specific requirements for more intensive air carrier screening of passengers and more oversight of the screening process, at all three New York area airports. [pg. 128-30]
On August 6, 2001, the Bush administration received a President’s Daily Brief entitled “Bin Laden Determined to Strike U.S.” Here’s how the Bush administration reacted, according to the 9/11 Commission report:
[President Bush] did not recall discussing the August 6 report with the Attorney General or whether Rice had done so.[p. 260]
We have found no indication of any further discussion before September 11 among the President and his top advisers of the possibility of a threat of an al Qaeda attack in the United States. DCI Tenet visited President Bush in Crawford, Texas, on August 17 and participated in the PDB briefings of the President between August 31 (after the President had returned to Washington) and September 10. But Tenet does not recall any discussions with the President of the domestic threat during this period. [p. 262]

Answer 2

there is not any way that terrorists plotted the assaults in the borders of the US and the US Intelligence had no thought approximately this. i'm valuable the US government are no longer that slack in any respect. I had as quickly as seen a documentary mentioned as we could Roll 9/11.... The action picture means that US officers are rather plenty to blame in faking the whole incident..... The action picture is extremely convincing as each declare has been subsidized by using info. you are able to watch it. Its obtainable on the internet too. My take may well be the comparable as this French minister's opinion. the US knew what became going to ensue yet somewhat desperate to no longer end it because it later gave absolute authority for the US to pass to conflict with any usa it unfavourable. very almost at present after the incident, US despatched a call world extensive.."come to a variety quickly. you're the two with us or against us!"... What an arm-tornado! needless to say i would be incorrect....Any usa might flinch on the thought-approximately killing its very own voters in spite of everything....and there is not any longer plenty concrete info...... the US authories did no longer enable plenty deepest study into the problem...extraordinarily the Pentagon incident and the crash in Shanksville. i'm hoping this secret's solved sometime.

Answer 3

nothing. George Tenet, the former head of the CIA just released a very interesting book you should check into. He will be on 60 Minutes on Sunday.
Clinton warned the incoming Bush administration about bin Laden but Bush seems to have had trouble reading the reports. Should have had a pet goat as protagonist.

Answer 4

What did Clinton do in the 8 years running up to the attacks. Bush had been in office 8 whole months. Clinton sat on his thumb, turned down Bin Laden on a silver platter and basically used the white house as his own personal brothel. I really don't think you want to open this can of worms do you?

Answer 5

Here is the Clinton - 9/11 connection:
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/05226/553271.stm

As for Bush and Bin Laden, he probably was familiar with the family name from business dealings back in the 1980's but I doubt that he knew anything about Osama who was sort of a black sheep in his family.

One of Bush's mistakes was retaining George Tenet as CIA director, a holdover from the Clinton administration. Tenet was largely responsible for the Saddam/WMD theory held by both Clinton and Bush. If anyone was responsible for pre9/11 information, it was Tenet.

Answer 6

Where can I receive all the intelligence reports that President Bush was receiving on bin Laden and other terrorists that you obviously must have been receiving also to ask this question. Oh wait, weren't those classifed documents.

It is interesting though that all the questions that have been ask by Democrats as to why President Bush "allowed" this to happen, the actions needed to have "prevented" it the Democrats wouldn't allow to be enacted.

Answer 7

He, Bush was about as concerned as Clinton was, 9/11 was the wake up pay attention call.

Answer 8

Bush actually did nothing at all to stop the attacks on 9/11.

There are arguments that he may have know about the attacks ahead of time and just chose not to take action. See reference for links to both sides of this.

Answer 9

Clinton had 14 chances to capture bin-Ladin, and didn't. He was too busy playing Lick My Willy. So, why do libs continue to blame all of America's problems on Bush?

All the Presidents from FDR to the present share the responsibility for our current problems. So, stop blaming Bush, and blame ALL equally.

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Answer 10

What have you been smoking? what republicans are hiding behind Clinton? that such a stupid question I'm not going to dignify it with an answer. You and your liberal friends really need to see a psychiatrist about all this delusional hatred you have for our president. This has gone beyond reasonalble debate or disagreement , it is a full blown disorder, you need help.