Chair of Ind. Panel Studying 9/11 Says It Didn't Have to Happen
For the first time, the chairman of the independent commission investigating the Sept. 11 attacks is saying publicly that 9/11 could have and should have been prevented, reports CBS News Correspondent Randall Pinkston."This is a very, very important part of history and we've got to tell it right," said Thomas Kean.
"As you read the report, you're going to have a pretty clear idea what wasn't done and what should have been done," he said. "This was not something that had to happen."
Appointed by the Bush administration, Kean, a former Republican governor of New Jersey, is now pointing fingers inside the administration and laying blame.
"There are people that, if I was doing the job, would certainly not be in the position they were in at that time because they failed. They simply failed," Kean said.
Get the rest of this CBS story.
Matt's Chat
I repect this guy's opinion but I think he should wait until he releases his report before saying anything. It damages his credibility of objectivity. He hasn't seen all the evidence or heard all the testimony that he is going to need for his report, so why is he coming out with this statement now?I do think there were some serious flaws in our intelligence community and I do think that prior to 9/11, no one would believe a plot like that could be carried out by al Queda. Hindsight history and blame gaming isn't going to solve the problems. We need to stay focused on improving our intelligence capabilities.
Mark's Remarks
NO MATT, Mr. Kean is exactly right. 9/11 did not have to happen. If President Clinton would have taken the 1993 bombing more seriously, if he had taken the other bombings more seriously, it might not have happened. If President Clinton and his administration would have helped the intelligence community instead of handcuffing it, then maybe 9/11 could have been prevented. And most of all, if President Clinton would have taken at least the third or fourth offer from the Sudan to turn over bin Laden, 9/11 would not have happened. On that Mr. Kean is dead on, that 9/11 was preventable.
Were there intelligence gaps? You betcha. Were there flaws endemic to the system that reared their ugly head? Yup. However, who really made it so the FBI and CIA could not talk to each other? Clinton. Who limited the recruiting of human intelligence? Clinton. So, While Mr. Kean may be right that 9/11 could have been prevented, I think he is looking at the wrong administration, if he wants to assign blame. The blood of 3,000 citizens is on Bill Clinton's hands.
Now, I agree with Matt, that this panel needs to be concerned with fixing the problems, not assigning blame. Leave that for historians like me and for others to decide. Of course, cursory research and testimony obviously levels it at the feet of the irresponsible Clinton Administration. Someday in the future I will present just such a paper for perusal. However, Christmas is coming and I have to get ready for the WMD Christmas Gift to all seekers of truth and integrity out there.
