As disorder in Iraq spreads and the Bush administration offers no plan for withdrawal, Americans are coming to the realization that the war is wrong. As the 9/11 panel continues its interrogation of the Bush Administration and what was known about September 11, 2001 that could have prevented the horrific attacks from occurring, the truth is starting to be revealed.Over the last few weeks, the 9/11 panel has worked diligently to expose the truth about what was known before September 11, 2001 that could have prevented the attacks from occurring. The biggest outcry came during Richard Clarke’s testimony, when he apologized to the families of 9/11 victims, stating that their government failed them. Clarke worked for the Bush administration as a counterterrorism coordinator, but now claims nothing was done to prevent 9/11, despite the evidence that a major attack against the U.S. was going to occur. George Tenet, the CIA director who testified in mid-April, stated that the CIA would need another five years to defend the country against al Qaeda. He also stated that mistakes were made and officials failed to create a defense against the horrific attacks.
Of course, the Bush administration has tried everything to hush criticism. They launched a campaign to try to discredit Clarke, but they failed. National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice testified, so questions and suspicions about having a private testimony couldn’t do any harm to the Bush administration. She only stated that there was no way that the Bush administration could have known that the terrorists would have hijacked planes and launched an attack on American soil. Ashcroft, who testified in April, blamed the attack on the Clinton administration for creating a lack of cooperation between the CIA and FBI. It seems as though no one in the Bush administration wants to take any blame or responsibility for what happened on that terrifying September morning.
Despite Rice’s testimony that the Bush administration had no way of knowing the attack was impending, a memo released in August 2001 stated otherwise. In the August memo given to Bush in 2001, there were warnings by officials that al Qaeda and bin Laden were planning a serious at-tack on U.S. soil. Apparently, the memo mentioned hijacking planes as a possibility. However, the Bush administration failed to act in time, and the horrific attack occurred.
Besides the truth about 9/11 and the failure of the Bush administration to prevent the attack from occurring, the truth about the war is also surfacing. As the death toll in Iraq continues to escalate by the day, Americans are now, more than ever, ques-tioning the reasons and motives for war. The American public is hungry for the truth. Far before the war began, an outpour of protests occurred all over the world. Ironically, the peace movement predicted much of what is occurring now. The movement knew that no WMDs were in Iraq and that the unjust war would lead to instability in the country. However, Bush ignored the voice of the people. Now, many more are asking where the weapons are, and why sons and daughters had to die in Iraq. What purpose are troops even serving? Iraqis surely are not enjoying any type of democracy and freedom when chaos and bloodshed have engulfed their country.
Besides the 9/11 panel, prominent journalists and those who formerly worked in the administration have also questioned the Bush administration’s credibility. Paul O’Neill, Bush’s former head of the treasury department, has spoken out against the Bush administration, stating the war in Iraq is wrong and mis-guided. In his book, “The Price of Loyalty,” O’Neill even claims that the war in Iraq was planned as soon as Bush took office, before 9/11. “Against All Enemies,” by Richard Clarke, the former terrorism expert who worked with the Reagan administration, Clinton administration, and both Bush administrations, details how the recent Bush administra-tion ignored warnings of an al Qaeda attack and then focused all of their attention on Iraq. In his new book, “Plan of Attack,” Bob Woodward attacks the Bush administration, claiming that the plans for Iraq were secretive, rushed, and misguided. The book claims Bush failed to realize the consequences of war. Woodward helped expose the Watergate scandal with Carl Bernstein 30 years ago. Woodward has strong credibility.
The Bush administration has proved to be one of the most suspicious and secretive administrations in U.S. history. The 9/11 panel must continue to work to expose the truth concerning what was known about September 11, 2001 that could have prevented the attack from occurring. Prominent journalists also need to continue working to expose the truth. It seems as though as each week passes, the truth continues to slowly rise to the surface.
Brian Fanelli is a sophomore majoring in Comparative Literature.