Jim DiEugenio Wrote:Be careful what you ask for, Jim.


You have the editorial cutting skills of Norman Redlich.

It was Albert who brought the brain stuff up, all I said was I agreed with him--in a post which also mentioned McAdams.

From there on in, you and he were off to the races.

All on me? Again, please. You are uncontrollable on this issue.

Magda Hassan Wrote:It was the group-think by one group there that spurred the formation of the DPF and a source of pride for many.

Cliff Varnell Wrote:

Jim DiEugenio Wrote:Be careful what you ask for, Jim.


You have the editorial cutting skills of Norman Redlich.

It was Albert who brought the brain stuff up, all I said was I agreed with him--in a post which also mentioned McAdams.

From there on in, you and he were off to the races.

All on me? Again, please. You are uncontrollable on this issue.

Hardly.

I tried in two posts to put the thread back on topic -- McAdams and Colby.

Albert posted on-topic.

Then you dragged this stuff up again.

It's all on you, Jim.

Quote:http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5233007/
9/11 commission staff statement No. 17
The text as submitted to the National Commission
on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States

Updated: 10:17 a.m. ET June 17, 2004

Improvising a Homeland Defense

Staff Statement No. 17

United 93 and the Shootdown Order......

..........There is conflicting evidence as to when the Vice President arrived in the shelter conference room. We have concluded, after reviewing all the available evidence, that the Vice President arrived in the shelter conference room shortly before 10:00, perhaps at 9:58.

............In most cases the chain of command in authorizing the use of force runs from the President to the Secretary of Defense and from the Secretary to the combatant commander. <b>The President apparently spoke to Secretary Rumsfeld briefly sometime after 10:00, but no one can recall any content beyond a general request to alert forces. The President and the Secretary did not discuss the use of force against hijacked airliners in this conversation.


http://www.whitehouse.gov/vicepresid...p20010916.html
Camp David, Maryland
September 16, 2001

The Vice President appears on Meet the Press with Tim Russert

......MR. RUSSERT: Let me turn to the events of Tuesday. <b>Where were you when you first learned a plane had struck the World Trade Center?</b>

VICE PRES. CHENEY: Well, I was in my office Tuesday morning. Monday, I had been in Kentucky, and the president had been in the White House. Tuesday, our roles were sort of reversed. He was in Florida, and I was in the White House Tuesday morning. And a little before 9, my speechwriter came in. We were going to go over some speeches coming up. And my secretary called in just as we were starting to meet just before 9:00 and said an airplane had hit the World Trade Center, and that was the first one that went in. So we turned on the television and watched for a few minutes, and then actually saw the second plane hit the World Trade Center. And the--as soon as that second plane showed up, that's what triggered the thought: terrorism, that this was an attack...

MR. RUSSERT: You sensed it immediately, "This is deliberate"?

VICE PRES. CHENEY: Yeah. Then I convened in my office. Condi Rice came down. Her office is right near mine there in the West Wing.

MR. RUSSERT: The national security adviser.

VICE PRES. CHENEY: National security adviser, my chief of staff, Scooter Libby, Mary Matalin, who works for me, convened in my office, and we started talking about getting the Counterterrorism Task Force up and operating. I talked with the president. I'd given word to Andy Card's staff, who is right next door, to get hold of Andy and/or the president and that I wanted to talk to him as soon as they could hook it up. This call came in, and the president knew at this point about that. We discussed a statement that he might make, and the first statement he made describing this as an act of apparent terrorism flowed out of those conversations......[URL="http://www.9-11commission.gov/archive/hearing2/9-11Commission_Hearing_2003-05-23.htm"]

http://www.9-11commission.gov/archiv...2003-05-23.htm[/URL]
MR. MINETA: I didn't know about the order to shoot down. I arrived at the PEOC at about 9:20 a.m. And the president was in Florida, and I believe he was on his way to Louisiana at that point when the conversation that went on between the vice president and the president and the staff that the president had with him.

MR. ROEMER: So when you arrived at 9:20, how much longer was it before you overheard the conversation between the young man and the vice president saying, "Does the order still stand?"

MR. MINETA: Probably about five or six minutes.

MR. ROEMER: So about 9:25 or 9:26. And your inference was that the vice president snapped his head around and said, "Yes, the order still stands." Why did you infer that that was a shoot-down?.......

Quote:New Photos Show Bush Administration Reaction to 9/11 Attacks

Started by Len Colby, Yesterday, 05:25 PM (24 July, 2015)

In never-before-released photographs taken on Sept. 11, 2001, the shock, horror and gravity of the terrorist attacks can be read on the faces of President George Bush, Vice President Dick Cheney, their wives Laura and Lynne, National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice, CIA Director George Tenet and other senior Bush and Cheney staffers.



http://www.pbs.org/w...to-911-attacks/

Quote:http://www.villagevoice.com/news/054...y,70685,6.html
Open and Shut
Four years later, we still have ten big questions
by Jarrett Murphy
December 5th, 2005 6:30 PM

On Monday, December 5, the 9-11 Public Discourse Projecta private group formed by 9-11 Commission members after their official mandate lapsed in 2004held a wrap-up press briefing in Washington, signaling the last gasp of official inquiries into the attacks four years ago. The National Institute of Standards and Technology also recently completed its final report on the twin towers. Already gathering dust are a Federal Emergency Management Agency study, the joint inquiry by Congress, the McKinsey reports on New York City's emergency response, probes by federal inspectors general, and other efforts to resolve the myriad doubts about the hijackings.

Some questions can't be answered: People who lost loved ones will never know exactly how the end came, if it hurt, what the final thoughts and words were. But other questions are more tractable. Here are 10 of them:

1. Where was the "National Command Authority"?

There has never been a true accounting of <b>why the nation's leaders were out of the loop for so long that morning. George W. Bush and his aides even have told different versions of how the president was actually informed of the first plane striking: The president claimed erroneously that he saw it on TV, while chief of staff Andrew Card said it was Karl Rove who told the president. According to the official version, after Rove told Bush, the president talked to then national-security adviser Condoleezza Rice. She told him about the crash but apparently did not know about the reported hijacking of American Airlines Flight 11, which military air defenses learned about 17 minutes earlier.</b>

Secretary of Defense <b>Donald Rumsfeld was informed of the second plane hitting the WTCyes, the second planeduring his intelligence briefing but continued the briefing and was at his desk when Flight 77 struck the Pentagon.

Together, the president and secretary of defense are the National Command Authority that is supposed to lead the country in the case of military emergency. But Bush didn't get in touch with Rumsfeld until after 10 a.m., around the time the fourth and final plane crashed in Shanksville,</b> Pennsylvania. When Bush was criticized days after 9-11 for failing to return to Washington until more than 10 hours after the first attack, the White House claimed there had been a threat ("real and credible," in flack Ari Fleischer's words) to Air Force One. <b>There was none. All the 9-11 Commission says of this phantom threat is that it was the product of "a misunderstood communication."</b>

2. Who gave the order to try to shoot the planes down?

The commission is noticeably vague on this point. The official version says Dick Cheney told the military a little past 10 a.m. to shoot down a threatening plane, claiming that the president had given his approval for the order. But while a few people in the White House bunker noted a call between Cheney and Bush moments earlier,<b> only Rice says she heard Cheney bring up the shoot-down order. Despite the fact that people at both ends of the call were taking notes, the commission found that "there is no documentary evidence of this call."</b> Meanwhile, some of the fighter jets in the air over D.C. received no orders to shoot down planes, while other military aircraft got the OK from the Secret Service to fly "weapons free," which means they had wide authority to take out suspicious aircraft.

Since the military was given little or no notice about the planes, maybe it doesn't matter who authorized a shoot-down. But the record is unclear. Neither Cheney nor Bush testified under oath before the 9-11 panel, in public or private. .......

Quote:President Meets with Displaced Workers in Florida Town Hall Meeting
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/relea...011204-17.html

"Q Hi, Mr. President. I want to say, they haven't won. I got in my car today, and I'm in the same building with you, speaking to you. They have not won.
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you very much.
Q And would you say hello to my son Jordan, and my daughter Patricia.
THE PRESIDENT: Jordan and who?
Q Patricia.
THE PRESIDENT: Hi, Patricia; how are you? How old is Patricia?
Q Five, and Jordan is in 3rd grade. And Jordan has a question, if I could
give him the microphone.
THE PRESIDENT: You bet. Your mother is relaying the Mike to you, Jordan.
Q One thing, Mr. President, is that you have no idea how much you've done for
this country. And another thing is that, how did you feel when you heard
about the terrorist attack? (Applause.)
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you, Jordan. Well, Jordan, you're not going to believe what state I was in when I heard about the terrorist attack. I was in Florida. And my Chief of Staff, Andy Card -- actually, I was in a classroom talking about a reading program that works. <b>I was sitting outside the classroom waiting to go in, and I saw an airplane hit the tower -- the TV was obviously on. And I used to fly, myself, and I said, well, there's one terrible pilot. I said, it must have been a horrible accident. But I was whisked off there, I didn't have much time to think about it. And I was sitting in the classroom, and Andy Card, my Chief of Staff, who is sitting over here, walked in and said, "A second plane has hit the tower, America is under attack." And, Jordan, I wasn't sure what to think at first. You know, I grew up in a period of time where the idea of America being under attack never entered my mind -- just like your Daddy's and Mother's mind probably. And I started thinking hard in that very brief period of time about what it meant to be under attack. I knew that when I got all of the facts that we were under attack, there would be hell to pay for attacking America. (Applause).

Quote:http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/relea...0020105-3.html
For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
January 5, 2002

President Holds Town Hall Forum on Economy in California

......THE PRESIDENT:......Go ahead and yell it out. If I don't like the question, I'll just change it. (Laughter.)

Q Mr. President, I'm a Navy chaplain, serving with the Marines in 29 Palms, California. I am also honored to have you as my Commander-in-Chief.

THE PRESIDENT: Thank you. (Applause.)

Q My question is very simple: How can we, as pastors, pray specifically for you and your family? (Applause.)

THE PRESIDENT: Well, first -- thank you. I have -- first of all, I believe in the power of prayer. (Applause.) And I have felt the prayers of the American people for me and my family. I have. And I want to thank all of you who have prayed. People say, well, how do you know? I say, well, I can just feel it. I can't describe it very well, but I feel comforted by the prayer.

I think the thing that -- the prayer that I would like America is to ask for is to pray for God's protection for our land and our people, to pray against -- that there's a shield of protection, so that if the evil ones try to hit us again, that we've done everything we can, physically, and that there is a spiritual shield that protects the country. (Applause.)

Do you have a question. Come on underneath. The man's got a question.

Q First of all, I'm very impressed in how you handled the situation on September 11th. (Applause.)

THE PRESIDENT: That's plenty. (Applause.) No. Thank you.

<b>Q What was the first thing that went through your head when you heard that a plane crashed into the first building?</b>

THE PRESIDENT: Yes. Well, I was sitting in a schoolhouse in Florida. I had gone down to tell my little brother what to do, and -- just kidding, Jeb. (Laughter.) And -- it's the mother in me. (Laughter.) Anyway, I was in the midst of learning about a reading program that works. I'm a big believer in basic education, and it starts with making sure every child learns to read. And therefore, we need to focus on the science of reading, not what may feel good or sound good when it comes to teaching children to read. (Applause.) I'm just getting a plug in for my reading initiative.

Anyway, I was sitting there, and my Chief of Staff -- well, first of all, when we walked into the classroom, I had seen this plane fly into the first building. There was a TV set on. And you know, I thought it was pilot error and I was amazed that anybody could make such a terrible mistake. And something was wrong with the plane, or -- anyway, I'm sitting there, listening to the briefing, and Andy Card came and said, "America is under attack."

And in the meantime, this teacher was going on about the curriculum, and I was thinking about what it meant for America to be under attack. It was an amazing thought. But I made up my mind that if America was under attack, we'd get them. (Applause.) I wasn't interested in lawyers, I wasn't interested in a bunch of debate. I was interested in finding out who did it and bringing them to justice. I also knew that they would try to hide, and anybody who provided haven, help, food, would be held accountable by the United States of America. (Applause.)

Anyway, it was an interesting day.......

Quote:Daniel Coit Gilman ( July 6, 1831 October 13, 1908)
......He was also co-founder of the Russell Trust Association, which administers the business affairs of Yale's Skull and Bones society......... Early years .....At Yale he was a classmate of Andrew Dickson White, who would later serve as first president of Cornell University. The two were members of the Skull and Bones secret society, and traveled to Europe together after graduation and remained lifelong friends. Gilman was also a member of the Alpha Delta Phi Fraternity. Gilman would later co-found the Russell Trust Association, the foundation behind Skull and Bones. After serving as attaché of the United States legation at St. Petersburg, Russia from 1853 to 1855, he returned to Yale and was active in planning and raising funds for the founding of Sheffield Scientific School. ......Career From 1856 to 1865 Gilman served as librarian of Yale College, and was also concerned with improving the New Haven public school system.

http://quixoticjoust.blogspot.com/2015/07/follow-yellow-brick-road-part-i.html
..........
Gilman was actually one of President White's closest associates at Yale. When Johns Hopkins University was founded in the 1870s, its trustees approached White for help in finding a university president. Correspondence between White and Gilman shows that they discussed the matter, calling it the "Baltimore scheme" since the Hopkins trustees were based in that city. The "scheme" was successful, and Gilman served as Johns Hopkins University's first president from 1875 to 1901. Gilman did his part by hiring Bonesman William Henry Welch to the faculty in 1884 and appointing him first dean of the School of Medicine in 1893.

Interestingly, White was publicly silent about his membership in Skull and Bones. His voluminous autobiography fails to mention it, despite a full chapter on his activities at Yale. White's own diary, spread across sixty-nine volumes, disappeared after his death. It wasn't until 1951 that a Cornell librarian discovered it locked in a suitcase and hidden in the library stacks, surrounded by books. Concealed with the diaries was an especially unique item: White's personal Skull and Bones membership book. Was the Bones book hidden by White himself?

White's experiences with Yale's oldest and most prestigious secret society clearly influenced him heavily. While a professor at Michigan, he allegedly founded a similar organization called The Owls, and he encouraged the creation of a society system at Cornell University. ......

Quote:http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4179618/
Russert: This is what John Kerry had to say last year. He said that his colleagues are appalled at the quote "President's lack of knowledge. They've managed him the same way they've managed Ronald Reagan. They send him out to the press for one event a day. They put him in a brown jacket and jeans and get him to move some hay or move a truck, and all of a sudden he's the Marlboro Man. I know this guy. He was two years behind me at Yale. I knew him, and he's still the same guy."

Did you know him at Yale?

President Bush: No.

Russert: How do you respond to that?

President Bush: Politics. I mean, this is you know, if you close your eyes and listen carefully to what you just said, it sounds like the year 2000 all over again.

Russert: You were both in Skull and Bones, the secret society.

President Bush: It's so secret we can't talk about it.

Russert: What does that mean for America? The conspiracy theorists are going to go wild.

President Bush: I'm sure they are. I don't know. I haven't seen Web pages yet. (Laughs)

Russert: Number 322.

President Bush: First of all, he's not the nominee, and but look, I look forward

Russert: Are you prepared to lose?

President Bush: No, I'm not going to lose.

Russert: If you did, what would you do?

President Bush: Well, I don't plan on losing.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/Default.aspx?id=3080246&p1=0
MR. RUSSERT: You both were members of Skull and Bones, a secret society at Yale. What does that tell us?

SEN. KERRY: Not much, because it's a secret.

MR. RUSSERT: Is there a secret handshake? Is there a secret code?

SEN. KERRY: I wish there were something secret I could manifest there.

MR. RUSSERT: Three twenty-two, a secret number?

SEN. KERRY: There are all kinds of secrets, Tim. But one thing is not a secret. I disagree with this president's direction that he's taking the country. We can do a better job. And I intend to do it.

MR. RUSSERT: And we'll be watching. Be safe on the campaign trail. John Kerry, thanks for joining us.

SEN. KERRY: Thank you, sir.

MR. RUSSERT: And we'll be right back.

Quote:http://www.nydailynews.com/archives/gossip/rich-bounty-good-article-1.902485
A RICH BOUNTY, GONE FOR GOOD
BY Deborah Mitchell
NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
Sunday, January 28, 2001,
...........
SECRET-SOCIETY NEWS The Washington Post may have a unique means of charming its way into the Bush White House: Dana Milbank, one of its reporters on the beat, not only graduated from Yale but was a member of the top-secret Skull and Bones society that both Presidents Bush joined. But Milbank insists that his college ties won't help him unlock sources in the administration. "If only you were correct that this would help me in some way," he says. "I can't even get a phone call through there. It's hopeless.

" Milbank's coverage of the 2000 presidential election has already been turned into a book, "Smashmouth," that's just been released by Basic Books.....

Quote:http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A63076-2004Sep30.html
Dana Milbank
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, October 1, 2004

White House Insiders is a show featuring Washington Post staff writers Mike Allen and Dana Milbank. Every two weeks, one or both will take your questions on the White House, the president and the Bush administration.
..........
Kennesaw, Ga.: Hi Mr. Milbank. Both camps are still spinning like mad, so you may not have been able yet to get any honest reaction from either of them. But do you have a sense for what the Bush team will want to change between now and the next debate?
The longer the debate went on last night, it seemed, the weaker and more fatigued Bush sounded -- he doesn't do many speeches or appearances of any kind that call for him to be "on" for that long. And he really dislikes having to respond to personal criticism; it shows. Is this fixable? Is it just a matter of Bush getting into game shape, as it were?
Dana Milbank: Actually, I had the opposite take: that Bush started weak but gained strength. Still, your overall point makes sense: Bush is not used to being challenged and confronted -- by the political opposition, by the press, even by his aides.....

.....
Los Angeles, Calif.: Has Skull and Bones endorsed either candidate yet, or is that secret as well?
Dana Milbank:
They are doing a skull count. ......