UQ Wire: Facing Up To A White House Whitewash

While not defending President Clinton's unethical behavior, I feel compelled to point out that he was, as a sitting President, forced to testify under oath and in public in facing questions over sex at the conclusion of a 5 year investigation that consumed nearly $50 million.

In light of this record, it is indeed confounding that former Democratic Senator, now 9/11 Commissioner Bob Kerrey insisted upon his appointment that the Commission in its work 'not embarass the President' relative to questions over what led up to the murder of thousands--a 'failure' for which Nazi War Crimes prosecutor John Loftus said could not, in light of multiple foreign intelligence warnings recieved by the CIA and FBI, be defended as mere incompetence.

The Whitewater investigation culminating in Clinton going under oath over sex stands in stark and shocking contrast to the approach of the comparitively underfunded, deadline-facing 9/11 Commission to questions of accountability and the truth about over September 11th.

After over 14 months into the largest and most important Commission in our nation's history--an investigation into the brutal murder of nearly 3000 Americans and foreign nationals from over 100 countries; there has NOT been A SINGLE high level Administration or intelligence official that has been brought before the Commission in public and sworn to tell "the whole truth and nothing but the truth" to explain how a multi-billion dollar defense and intelligence infrastructure suffered a simultaneous and across-the-board collapse in the months and weeks leading up to, and on 9/11. Nor has a single official has been held accountable in a single agency. In fact many have been rewarded with larger budgets and promotions.

The American people, who government officials serve, have every right to know exactly what the President was told, when and what was done in response.

The American people have every right to know what warnings our intelligence agencies recieved, when they recieved them, and what was done in response.

The American people have every right to know how it was over 30 minutes after flight 77 was confirmed hijacked, and after two planes had already struck the WTC, that Washington D.C. the Pentagon and the nation's most protected airspace was not defended.

Only top level officials in positions of responsibility at the time of the attacks can answer those questions. They must answer to us, the people directly by way of the 9/11 Commission, and do so in public rather than hide behind flimsy and evasive claims of 'executive priviledge' or 'national security' or protected from genuine scrutiny in private 'interviews'.

The Commission tells us they have 'interviewed' FBI Director Mueller and CIA Chief Tenet. Yes, 'interviewed'; and all privately and behind closed doors and under the direction of an Executive Director with a brazen conflict of interest dismissed as irrelevant by the 9/11 Commissioners. Dr. Zelikow is a consumate Republican-aligned former Bush aide, one of only three to be allowed to see the August 6th briefing and close associate of the current National Security Advisor Condoleeza Rice; who now after weeks of 'negotiations' has been 'compelled' to be 'interviewed' in private this Saturday over what intelligence she and the President were privy to prior to the 9/11 attacks.

Americans must demand a wholely truthful account for what happened on September 11th. A merely "definitive account" just doesn't and won't cut it! 'Interviews' with minders don't and won't cut it. To get to the truth, the 9/11 Commission must demand testimony from Presidents Bush and Clinton, their respective Vice-Presidents and National Security Advisors, Richard Clarke, David Frasca, Air National Guard & NORAD pilots and the heads of all intelligence agencies. Anything short of this standard applied to this most important of investigations will leave the public wondering if they have just witnessed not only the biggest investigation of the U.S. Government in history but also the biggest Whitewash.

The bottom line here is if Administration and Intelligence officials have nothing to hide then why don't they come forward in public hearings, raise their hands and promise to tell the whole truth and nothing but the truth. If the Commission fails to fully apply this standard then they will have been complicit in the dangerous denial of accountability and cover-up of the truth about events and circumstances of 9/11.

For the sake of American people and in the name of the thousands who died on 9/11 let us hope they adopt a higher standard before time runs out on them--that is if it's not already too late.

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