Would President Gore have prevented 9/11?
EmailThe embargo has been lifted and we can now quote from former VP Al Gore’s book "The Assault On Reason" as freely as we want. Yesterday I was limited to what had been mentioned on GMA.
So here’s the unfettered piece.
For me the most surprising part of the book was Gore’s implication that if a more competent person had been president during 9/11 — like, say, him — 9/11 might not have happened.
Gore argues that the president does not need enhanced domestic surveillance powers he has sought and received, often in secret, just competent use of the information already available.
He points out, for instance, the fact that 9/11 terrorists Nawaf Alhazmi and Khalid Almidhar were already on a State Department/INS watch list.
He does not flatly state that 9/11 would not have occurred during a Gore administration. But, he writes, "whenever power is unchecked and unaccountable, it almost inevitably leads to mistakes and abuses. In the absence of rigorous accountability, incompetence flourishes."
Then, using a study from the Markle Foundation, Gore shows how "better and more timely analysis" — not the increased data sought by the Bush administration — would have led to other hijackers Salem Alhazmi, Mohamed Atta, Marwan Al-Shehhi and so on. Bush received that dire warning in August 2001, Gore notes at two different points in the book — "Bin Laden Determined to Strike in U.S." — which he refers to as "a headline more alarming and more pointed than any I saw in eight years of six-days-a-week CIA briefings."
Gore notes that he took pre-9/11 warnings seriously, even if Bush did not. After all, "unilateral action to protect the nation from a sudden an immediate threat" is "inherent power that is conferred by the Constitution to the president," Gore says, noting that as vice president he "made that very point to President Clinton when he had the opportunity to seize an al Qaeda operative who was planning an attack against us. And the president took my advice, though the individual we attempted to capture escaped."
But instead, Gore writes, incompetence rules the day and Bush has "taken us much further down the road toward an intrusive ‘Big Brother’-style government — towards the dangers prophesied by George Orwell in his book 1984 — than anyone ever thought would be possible in the United States of America."
It’s a strong charge, laid out carefully, with tidbits dropped here and there throughout the book. I’ve covered Al Gore for years. He rarely misspeaks, never miswrites. He is smart and deliberate.
What do you think?
– jpt
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I haven’t read the book, so comments are based on your analysis and quotes. There is no question that an overwhelming majority of Americans do not support Cheney/Bush now. Unfortunately they have lied and deceived their way to occupying the Executive Office for over six years and counting. Gore is probably correct in his analysis of who would have done better from 2001 and thereafter. The real question, since the clock cannot be turned back, is where do we go from here. Wimps in the Senate and House leadership positions are not going to get the job done. Standing up to the lier/deceivers in the White House(if they had the courage to do that), might get us on a better pathway.
Posted by: sophillyfatz | May 22, 2007, 12:01 pm 12:01 pm
I get the feeling having gone half way through Tenet’s book, The Center of the Storm, that there were many other warnings through the FAA that failed to spur the actions needed to ultimately foil the 9/11 attack.
No doubt a more competent administrator would have responded better to the warnings in the PDF’s, but my gut feeling is that this some form of 9/11 would still have gone down regardless of the fellow sitting in the chair.
One thing to note is how defensive Condi is when questionned about failing to connect the dots. What’s unsaid in her language is that warnings were there, but corresponding actions did not occur.
Could Gore have connected the dots in the 8 months he would have been on the job, we’ll never know.
Posted by: The Commander Guy | May 22, 2007, 12:17 pm 12:17 pm
Mr. Gore is indeed intelligent, deliberate, and thoughtful about what he writes and says. Although we will never know if the 9/11 tragedy would not have happened on his watch, Mr. Gore’s assertion that he would have “connected the dots” to link information about terrorist activities is reasonable. He has proven himself to be meticulous in analyzing information (see “An Inconvenient Truth” for those skills in action) and in drawing conclusions, unlike the Keystone Kops antics of the current administration. And Mr. Gore is quite correct in his statement that unchecked power wielded by an incompetent leader brings us much closer to “1984″ than we would think. I can’t help but wonder how much better off we as a nation would be if the Supreme Court hadn’t decided the 2000 election instead of the voters.
Posted by: chuck | May 22, 2007, 12:20 pm 12:20 pm
President Bush has always referred to September 11, 2001, as that “fateful” morning, which would imply that even if Bush had the competence to pay more attention to the gathering threat, the result would have been the same. I disagree.
Posted by: reyonthehill | May 22, 2007, 12:25 pm 12:25 pm
This headline sent shivers down my back. Lets see the terrorist were here training while he was vice-president, the wall between the CIA and FBI was built up (9/11 Report states that). So he not of prevented 9/11, and actually we probably would of been hit again. Remember more terrorist were picked up a few day later at the airport since they did not get on the plane on 9/11. With Gore they probably would of been able to. See Gore would go to the useless U.N.
Remember they hit us 8 times during his vice-presidencey, so how would he of prevented this one.
This one will give me nightmares!!
Posted by: spock | May 22, 2007, 4:01 pm 4:01 pm
hey chuck that movie Inconvenient Truth is a Sci-fi movie, it is not based on any fact at all, just propaganda, even the people that believe man is responsible disagree with this movie. So Please!! when he was vice-president why did he not push this garbage. Watch the History Channel they had a good show on this Sunday nite.
Posted by: spock | May 22, 2007, 4:30 pm 4:30 pm
The head of antiterrorism in the Whitehouse for for antiterrorism in the Whitehouse for George H. W. Bush and Bill Clinton was Richard Clarke. He was given a senior-level post and reported to the president and attended cabinet meetings. When George II took over, he demoted Clarke to a deputy position and he was not given access and had to report to Condalisa Rice. If Gore was president Antiterrorism would still be on the front burner. Proactive steps could have been taken that may have prevented the 9/11 tragedy.
At the very best we would not be mired in the Iraq war.
Posted by: Glen Parker | May 22, 2007, 7:46 pm 7:46 pm
I recently got the chance to see a wonderful documentary on the 9/11 tragedy and memories rushed through me like a montage of mixed emotions. I relived the horror of that dreadful day and when all the emotions inside of me stabilized I was left with one, anger.
Putting the state of the nation aside, I do believe our President Bush made the right decision in going in to the Middle East and at least trying to show what most Americans were thinking about their terror strike against us. This was an act of war and despite what the populace popular mindset is today we cannot back down or we will look like an easy target for any terrorists who wish to get a point across.
I do believe that the pulling of troops will then be truly a wasted effort on our part and then our dead soldiers will have surly died in vein.
Let’s remember those who perished in Washington, New York and those brave people that took the plane from the terrorists and crashed it to the ground putting their own lives in harms way. They died fighting and we as Americans will always fight for what is right.
George W. Bush became our president to lead us toward a better life but was handed a huge portion on his plate. He is doing the best that he can and despite all he has to deal with many still give him grief and this is unjustified and un-American.
Fighting the bullies of the world became America’s job when a small dictator tried to take over this small world of ours. This is something to ponder now isn’t it? So the next time you feel that we are fighting a lost cause just remember the eighty million Americans that died fighting in World War 11 and stop all the shame filled anarchy.
Posted by: Bob D. Caterino | May 22, 2007, 11:54 pm 11:54 pm
There is no question that 09/11 would have happened if Gore or Clinton were president.The Clinton administration was focused on Al Qaeda and they did as much as they could to fight terrorism given the climate of the times.
There were many proposals from the Clinton administration such as having more sky marshals that were voted down by the GOP congress. The fact is that Al Qaeda waited until Clinton left office to strike the US because they knew the Bush administration was asleep at the wheel.
Posted by: Reba Shimansky | May 23, 2007, 3:18 am 3:18 am
The last years of Clinton-Gore were embroiled by a political strategy to focus on Clinton’s personal life to denigrate the serious work of the office of the president. The strategy worked as Bush was able to overcome experience and success of the administration to win with a campaign that he would restore dignity to the office. Somehow the events of 9-11 and the war in Iraq seem more troubling than personal follies. I wonder how many people who cheered the Bush victory over Gore still feel the same elation with their choice.
Posted by: Eamon | May 23, 2007, 8:36 am 8:36 am
Bob Caterino, very good post, could not of said or thought of something better.
For all those that say that BClinton/Gore were fighting Terrorism, well lets see – Somalis, USS Cole, Embasseies, and of course the First World Trade Center bombings financed by Al Qeada, oh by the way since they decided to bring the one person up on charges in a civilian court, I remember them describing how to bring down the towers by hitting from above, so Gore would not only of not been able to stop 9/11, I truly believe that the Clinton/Gore appeasement mentality CAUSED 9/11.
Posted by: spock | May 23, 2007, 9:46 am 9:46 am
Too partisan Al Gore.
I think that Ron Paul is on a better train of thought right now. He is questioning 30 years of policy and Al Gore is only looking at 10. As a nation we need to look to Iran/Iraq in the 1970s-80s, Lebanon in the 1980s, Israel from the 60s-now. Our policies in the Middle East are mercantilist and detrimental.
Al Gore has set himself a beautiful table upon which to run, much like he had in 2000. Unfortunately he is using the table to do the same guffawing and finger pointing he did at the debates. We know you are smarter Al, now prove it.
Al Gore needs to take a page from the Bill Clinton notebook, “It’s the environment, stupid”.
He can fix our foreign policy, our lagging economy, and stem global warming with an environmental platform. Promise to cut oil imports and mandate our automakers to resume producing electric cars. Tax the record-profit-taking oil companies and redirect their money into environmental technologies and manufacturing. We led the world in internet tech during the 90s, lets lead the world in green energy tech in the 10s.
DRAW DOWN OUR RELIANCE ON THE MIDDLE EAST, PLEASE!
9/11 never would have happened if Al-Qaeda had no oil money. If we truly want to fight a war on terror and prevent more attacks, then cut off the funding and stop buying oil. “It’s the environment, stupid”
Posted by: thedevilyoudont | May 23, 2007, 11:06 am 11:06 am
And also, for all those out there who want to blame someone or something for 9/11…
Go out to your driveway and get in your car. Drive down to Exxon and fill ‘er up. Light, sweet, crude.
Posted by: the devil you don't | May 23, 2007, 11:10 am 11:10 am
First, Stop Blaming Isreal, thedevilyoudont, Yes its true Oil copmpanies made record profits, but don’t you know the goverment made more in taxes then the oil companies made in profit from gas. Now I am not big fan of Oil companies, but if people like Gore would allow them to buld more refineries, drill in Anwar, Drill off our coast, drill within our borders, well we would not be depending on middleeast oil, oh by the way we only get about 20% from there, most comes from Canada and Mexico. So Gore let us build refineries, let us build Nuclear Reactor, (If France can do it we can) oh by the way an interesting article I read stating how our so called Greenhouse gases have gone down, while Europe on their Green Socialistic move has gone up.
Gore is a Propagandist, We got the best man for the job in office now, except he is making a mistake on the immigration issue. but noone is 100%, but at least that is only mistake that he is making. Gore would of bankrupted the US, by the way HE did nothing for the internet, it was created by the the military, which Gore despises. so please put it in the black box.
Posted by: spock | May 23, 2007, 11:43 am 11:43 am
spock-
How can you not involve Israel in a conversation about 9/11? Al-Qaeda has directly stated monthly since the attack that US support of Israeli policies and the US building of military bases in Saudi Arabia are the terrorist organization’s raisons d’etre. To deny that is blindly jingoistic and obviously zionistic. You are clearly willing to accept and defend the most irrational of propoganda, so why not just accept Gore’s as well?
Posted by: thedevilyoudont | May 23, 2007, 11:53 am 11:53 am
First all Israel wants to do is survive. You libs have the Blame the victim mentality.
As far as military bases in Saudi Arabia, if the country wants us there, who business outside that country and ours is it?
Lets see now back to Israel, they are dealing with suicide bombers, and threats of annihilation from Iran.
thedevilyoudont If I am a Zionist would not that make you a anti-Semite?
So you don’t want to support Israel and let them destroy Israel. What happen to human rights?
Here is the truth NO matter what we do Al Qeada is going to hate us period. Appeasing them just gives them strength.
Posted by: spock | May 23, 2007, 12:53 pm 12:53 pm
By the way devilyoudont they hate us because of the Freedom we have and the liberalism, so hey lets kick out the liberals.
Posted by: spock | May 23, 2007, 12:55 pm 12:55 pm
thedevilyoudont, Also I guess then Iraq had something to do with 9/11, since he mentioned that also!
Posted by: spock | May 23, 2007, 2:20 pm 2:20 pm
I don’t even know where to start here… I’ll just go in order. This is the last post I’ll waste on you Mr. Spock.
If all Israel wants to do is ‘survive’ then why have they found it necessary to push into the territory of every single one of their neighbors since they have arrived in the Middle East. It is NOT self-defense! Israel has more weapons than the entire Arabian Peninsula combined! Perhaps if the US and Israeli governments promoted tolerance of the Palestinian people from the 1960s on Hamas, Hezbollah, and Al-Qaeda never would have come into existence. Perhaps if Israel made attempts at integrating into the Middle East and worked towards creating a modern Palestine instead of arming themselves with the most volatile weapons on Earth, these organizations would not find it necessary to suicide bomb Israeli cities.
Zionism is the belief that the state of Israel has a right to exist in the middle east. Anti-Semitism is a hatred of the Jewish faith and people. It might surprise you to know that there are large populations of Orthodox Jews that don’t want the state of Israel to exist. Living in New York City I encounter all kinds of Jews on a daily basis. Not all of them believe the state of Israel is a good idea. Some actually believe it is a grave mistake that only will incur more hatred and more killing of innocent Jews. Read up.
As to your ‘freedom’ argument… stop watching FOX News. That doesn’t make any sense at all and if you say that to educated people, you will be laughed at.
Saudi Arabia? You clerly have a very rudimentary understanding of Middle East politics. The Saudi Arabian govenment is run for the most part by an oil cartel. King Fahd has made the majority of his riches exporting oil to the West and in return his oppressive regime has been propped up by the US government for decades. To say that his willingness to allow bases on Arabian soil is reflective of the will of the Saudi Arabian people is blindly ignorant. That is like saying that if the Italian government thinks its OK for the US to put bases in the Vatican, then what business is it of the Pope to complain. Certain Muslim groups are angry that there are military bases in their Holy Land! I don’t blame them. Especially when they are set up by closed-minded, jingoistic, ignorant people with no concept of other cultures…
IRAN!? IRAN!? IRAN!? Have we not learned that our current administration has a habit of falsifying intelligence in order to pre-emptively start wars? Have we not learned once (installment of the Shah) that meddling in Iranian policy is the kind of thing that creates immense blowback and encourages state-sponsored terrorism against western interests. Iran is at least a decade away from making a weak nuke. If you care an ounce for the thousands of US troops sitting like birds on a wire in Iraq you would leave Iran alone. They only began funding Shiite militias and selling RUDs to them after the US stoked the nuclear fires and attackd their leadership. I don’t necessarily like Iranian politics, but a simple look at their faltering economy would dictate that recruiting world powers to boycott their exports would be much more effective in bringing about a change in their government. NOT KILLING INNOCENT CIVILIANS!
As to the comment about Gore making America bankrupt??? Bush HAS bankrupted our government with his tax cuts and overspending. At the end of the Clinton administration we were running a budget surplus and now we are running trillions of dollars in debt. How is this possible if we are getting more in taxes from the oil companies than they are making in profit???? Because we are spending all of that tax money fighting a war in Iraq to protect their investments.
To say that drilling in the US would solve our oil demands is so retrogressive it makes me think you are sitting in a smoking jacket with a monocle looking over a newspaper from 1902. Move forward. Change the status quo. Instead of satisfying an unhealthy consumption, change the way the system works. If you weighed 500 pounds, would you bankrupt yourself buying more doughnuts or would you go on a diet??? We have been eating sweets in this country for too long and it’s time to start making a salad.
Don’t defend George Bush, massive oil consumption, pre-emptive wars, and gun running in the middle east!!! If you wouldn’t want it in your own backyard, then why are you so willing to put it in everyone elses?
YOU ARE FIGHTING A ‘PEACE WAR’. Does that make sense?
Posted by: thedevilyoudont | May 23, 2007, 10:46 pm 10:46 pm
devilyoudont – you say a lot but have no meaning, First on Isreal, they were invaded, the land outside of Isreal they hold is used as a buffer, and actually they started giving back. and Hamas attacked. was that in 1967 +/- and again in 1990s
Did you know the goverment has more money coming into it now then ever before due to the tax cuts, which created more jobs, 95.5 Employment. The problem is we had Repubs acting like Libs and spending, different issue.
The Goverment makes 5 times in oil revenue then the oil companies, which make less the ten cents per gallon.
Again where did this President Lie, I heard none, Intelligence from multiple places, such as Russia, Briton, France even said he had WMD’s, he used WMD’s and we found WMD’s and plus that was only one of the reasons.
By the way these terror groups were around with Hitler, they help Hitler, Arafat family had close ties with him.
Another thing, how come they kill other muslims, ahhh!
The Vatican is its own Country, and they can not complain if Italy wants us to put bases in Italy. So Saudi Arabia does not own its own country.
Do you realize this group of Islamic Terrorist want a Crusade against anyone who does not agree with them.
The funny thing is it should be the libs that are up in arms for they will be the first at the chopping block if this group wins
Clinton led us into a recession, taking money from one pocket and putting into another does nothing. Our deficit has already dropped more then half with Bush.
What is so unhealthy about using oil, I am sure you drive a car, Gore owns 5 mansion one of which using more energy in a month then the average person uses in a year.
Oh we get 20% or less from the middle east, most comes from Canada and Mexico.
The state of Israel originally was for the Jews. As far as you comment about knowing Orthodox that don’t believe in Israel should exist, well we have Americans that do not believe America should exist.
You leave out on thing Bin Laden said is that America will back down if attacked since they did it so many time under Clinton, Somalia, USS Cole. and the others.
Peace Through Strength is the only way.
You Libs love Appeasement, give excuses to the enemy and attack your own country, but yet if you love them so much, why don’t you move to those countries.
Iran – As far as Boycotting and cutting their economy, would that not be similar to what put Hitler in power. Germany was bankrupted at time he took power. What they are doing is an Act of War. You say what gives us the right to interfere, so what gives them the right?
Libs always Blame the victims first, over 3000 American civilians died some of libs state they deserved it., which were targeted, we are doing are best not to hit civilians, if we did not care this war would be over.
Wake up we are in the middle of WW-III !!
Look into real history and not what the enemy says.
Posted by: spock | May 24, 2007, 1:12 pm 1:12 pm
thedevilyoudont, I wrote a long response, but I see it has not shown up. To put it short, Israel has the right to defend itself. They did not start the aggression.
Stop with the Liberal Talking Points, Stop Blaming America, Stop Appeasing.
You only get Peace through Strength. You never Fear to Negotiate but do negotiate out of Fear.
FYI – Bad example using Italy and the Vatican, The Vatican is an independent Country. Who cares who the king of Saudi Arabia is, they run the country, if they want us there then whats the issue?
You speak of the Shah, in 1950′s well if this President of Iran was affected that would make him 60 plus years old, The reason we have the issue with Iran is due to Lib Carter bowing down when the Hostages were taken. PEriod. So Learn Current History.
Further back history we can go too, The area of Israel was controlled by the Jews prior to anyone else until the Roman empire took it. The Muslims ran a first crusade against the Christians, oh and they say that is is a new crusade.
These terrorist groups were around with Hitler, working with the Nazis.
A little tidbit on the side info, Bush’s ranch uses less energy then any one of Gore’s 5 mansions.
So please, they even say that we live in sin, they do not believe in Womens rights. and so on.
So Stop reading Gearge Soros talking points.
Posted by: spock | May 24, 2007, 2:32 pm 2:32 pm
With the RON PAUL statement about the United States foriegn policy being much of the blame for ill will towards America, and most to blame for an act like 9/11, I would say that Al Gore without doing anything to change our foriegn would not have prevented 9/11 or some other such act against the USA. His reading and understanding the intel that was available to Bush may have changed the way the events went down. But hind site is not doing much good about where we are now. I am looking ahead to a RON PAUL win 2008. The ONLY way to a constructive change in America.
Posted by: Tumbleweedin | May 26, 2007, 9:33 am 9:33 am