9/11 Commission Report Under Fire

Rep. Curt Weldon (R-PA) has opened a Pandora’s box.  Weldon has unearthed information suggesting that military intelligence had identified four suspected members of a terrorist cell operating in Brooklyn/>, NewYork/>/> in 2000.  The group included several 9/11 hijackers including ringleader Mohamed Atta. 

According to the Associated Press, the 9/11 Commission’s former chief spokesman, Al Felzenberg, acknowledged that the commission decided not to include this information in its final report.  The military intelligence unit, “Able Danger,” did not share the information with the F.B.I. because of legal concerns. 

This is one of the biggest news stories of the year.  Clearly, several questions need to be asked and further investigation is necessary but whether or not the mainstream media becomes involved is anyone’s guess. And since George W. Bush was not president in 1999 when “Able Danger” uncovered the lethal group operating on American soil, my guess is that they may sit this one out. 

When the 9/11 Commission found no “collaborative relationship” between Iraq/>/> and al Qaeda, some big news outlets couldn’t get enough since they could take a swipe at Bush and his march to war.  Here were a few headlines: 

·              New York Times (6/17/04/>) “Panel Finds No Qaeda-Iraq Tie”

·              Los Angeles Times (6/17/04/>) “No Signs of Iraq-Al-Qaeda Ties”

·              San Francisco Chronicle (6/18/04/>) “The Iraq/>/> Myth”  

Obviously, the 9/11 investigation is far from over.  I wrote about this issue last year in an article, “Media Deception on the Iraq/>/> and al Qaeda Connection.”  I highly recommend reading Stephen F. Hayes at The Weekly Standard for exhaustive, expert analysis.  

It’s fair to say that objective journalists will find the time to reopen the investigation.  The others can be found either interviewing anti-war protestors camped out near Crawford/>, Texas/>/> or reviewing adoption records for the children of Supreme Court nominees.

nevin166@comcast.net