Growing Questions and Cynicism

Hmmm. So it turns out that too cynical is not cynical enough. After President Bush's announcement of the thwarted terrorist attack in Los Angeles, here at the Blue Voice, Marcia Ellen answered with "please don't insult my intelligence" and Marigolds wondered if this was just misdirection away from the illegal NSA wiretapping. At AMERICAblog, John Aravosis points out that...

1. Los Angeles Mayor knows nothing about the supposed threat:

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa said Thursday he was blindsided by President Bush's announcement of new details on a purported 2002 hijacking plot aimed at a downtown skyscraper, and described communication with the White House as "nonexistent."

"I'm amazed that the president would make this (announcement) on national TV and not inform us of these details through the appropriate channels," the mayor said in an interview with The Associated Press. "I don't expect a call from the president — but somebody."

2. Bush's claim to have thwarted an attack on LA is disputed by former FBI official

TODAY BUSH SAID: Bush Touted Thwarting of Post 9/11 U.S. Terrorism Plot. In a speech today, Bush told members of the National Guard Association of a foiled 2002 Al Qaeda plot to fly a plane into LA's US Bank Tower, the tallest building on the West Coast. Bush said that the terrorist's plan was put into place after 9/11 but "was derailed in early 2002, when a Southeast Asian nation arrested a key al Qaeda operative." Bush added, "Subsequent debriefings and other intelligence operations made clear the intended target and how al Qaeda hoped to execute" the plot, and helped other allies capture the ringleaders." - Washington Post, 2/9/06

BUT IN 2004: FBI Counterterrorism Official Said He Knew of No Thwarted Al Qaeda Attacks. After a CIA official claimed last year that the government had "probably prevented a few aviation attacks against both the East and West Coasts" since 9/11, John Pistole, the FBI's counterterrorism director, said he was "not sure what [the CIA] was referring to." - 9/11 Commission Testimony, 6/16/2004; New York Daily News, 6/17/04

Is there anyone left that still sees the president as honest and trustworthy? Whenever I see him speak I'm reminded of what someone once said about former Oakland A's owner Charlie Finley, "He has such a high regard for the truth that he uses it sparingly."

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