Able Danger: The Drumbeat Is Getting Louder

[Annie]

http://austinbay.net/blog/?p=496

8/17/2005
Able Danger: It’s time for President Bush to address this


I haven’t written about the military’s Able Danger “data-minig” operation and Rep. Curt Weldon’s accusations that the outfit had identified four 9/11 hijackers prior to the 9/11 attacks. Several things struck me as curious for an allegation of this magnitude, among them: (1) no available paper trail; (2) no knowledgeable Defense official or officer involved providing information “on background”, much less speaking on the record. Allegations of conspiracy don’t impress me; facts do– and I wasn’t getting facts.

That being said, I thought many of the folks serving on the 9/11 panel were weak, pompous politicos — placed there because of personal political connections, not defense and intelligence acumen or reputation for careful analysis. However, Lee Hamilton and Tom Kean have credibility, and they were the men who led the commission. If Able Danger had evidence, I expected Kean and Hamilton to demand to see it and vet it.

Yesterday Fox, the AP and NY Times changed the dimensions of this story. I’m still not certain where the allegations will lead, but we now have an officer involved providing details. How clear and detailed was the Able Danger information? We still don’t know– Weldon’s and Shaffer’s allegations could still unravel if the information amounts to “hearsay.”

But today the Times reports:

A military intelligence team repeatedly contacted the F.B.I. in 2000 to warn about the existence of an American-based terrorist cell that included the ringleader of the Sept. 11 attacks, according to a veteran Army intelligence officer who said he had now decided to risk his career by discussing the information publicly.

The officer, Lt. Col. Anthony Shaffer, said military lawyers later blocked the team from sharing any of its information with the bureau.

Colonel Shaffer said in an interview on Monday night that the small, highly classified intelligence program, known as Able Danger, had identified the terrorist ringleader, Mohamed Atta, and three other future hijackers by name by mid-2000, and tried to arrange a meeting that summer with agents of the Washington field office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation to share its information. ..

The “wall” between mil/CIA and the police serves a definite civil purpose. That wall has lowered significantly in the past–when we were at war. It’s been lowered since 9/11. Until 9/11 America did not consider the terrorists’ attacks as war. Washington treated the terrorists as criminals. That was the strategic error, no matter what you think of Clinton or Bush.

If Jamie Gorelick wasn’t the weakest commission member, she was the most compromised. Gorelick should have recused herself from participation on the 9/11 Commission– because she did “raise the wall” during the Clinton Administration. Had she done that she would have enhanced her reputation. But she didn’t.

LTC Shaffer told the NY Times:

He said he learned later that lawyers associated with the Special Operations Command of the Defense Department had canceled the F.B.I. meetings because they feared controversy if Able Danger was portrayed as a military operation that had violated the privacy of civilians who were legally in the United States.
“It was because of the chain of command saying we’re not going to pass on information - if something goes wrong, we’ll get blamed,” he said.

I’ll defer to my wife — who is a lawyer– on this point. She says attorneys are trained to say no and raise objections. They’ll hesistate because they anticipate an ACLU law suit and a DC political firestorm. A senior military commander will focus on the potential for attack — he knows the American people are “the final client” and will weigh the data with that in mind. So far there is no evidence that says any discussion between attorneys and senior commanders took place.

It’s time for the President to make a statement about Able Danger, even something as simple as “the lieutenant-colonel’s statements require further investigation.” Then, let’s investigate, with presidential authority.

Stay tuned.

 

[Annie]

Just googled:

Results 1 - 30 of about 284 related articles. Search took 1.02 seconds.

Officer: Hijacker Info Blocked
CBS News - 46 minutes ago
(CBS/AP) An Army intelligence officer says his unit was blocked in 2000 and 2001 from giving the FBI information about a US-based terrorist cell that included ...
Lawyers stopped Army unit sharing 9/11 fears
Times Online, UK - 1 hour ago
By Sam Knight, Times Online. A secret military unit repeatedly tried to arrange meetings with the FBI in the year before the September ...
Questions dog 9/11 probe
News24, South Africa - 1 hour ago
Washington - An army intelligence officer said on Wednesday he does not believe the 9/11 commission pressed hard enough for documentation of claims that ...
Officer says unit tried to warn FBI pre-9/11
Chicago Tribune, United States - 3 hours ago
By Philip Shenon. WASHINGTON -- A military intelligence team repeatedly contacted the FBI in 2000 to warn about the existence of ...
Colonel: 9/11 warning ignored
San Francisco Chronicle, United States - 3 hours ago
Washington -- A military intelligence team repeatedly contacted the FBI in 2000 to warn about the existence of a US-based terrorist cell that included the ...
Able Danger man identifies himself
CNN - 7 hours ago
Mohamed Atta is believed to have piloted one of the planes that hit the World Trade Center. WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Publicly identifying ...
Agent Defends Military Unit's Data on 9/11 Hijackers
FOX News - 11 hours ago
WASHINGTON — Lt. Col. Tony Shaffer (search), a military intelligence specialist who worked on a secret pre-Sept. 11 investigative ...
Officer Says Pentagon Barred Sharing Pre-9/11 Qaeda Data With FBI
New York Times, United States - 15 hours ago
WASHINGTON, Aug. 16 - A military intelligence team repeatedly contacted the FBI in 2000 to warn about the existence of an American ...
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Voice of America - 17 hours ago
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Army blames red tape for intel snafu
WJRT, MI - 2 hours ago
By ABC12/The Associated Press. WASHINGTON (AP) - — (08/17/05)-- An Army intelligence officer says his unit was blocked from giving ...
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Arkansas Democrat-Gazette (subscription), AR - 6 hours ago
BY PHILIP SHENON THE NEW YORK TIMES. WASHINGTON — A military intelligence team repeatedly contacted the FBI in 2000 to warn about ...
Gil Spencer: Weldon’s Able Danger now has a voice
The Delaware County Times, PA - 6 hours ago
Suddenly, there is a name (beside Curt Weldon’s) to put with the allegation that a secret military intelligence unit called Able Danger identified Mohammed ...
'Able Danger' source goes public
Norristown Times Herald, PA - 7 hours ago
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Army officer involved in gleaning Atta intel in 2000 speaks out
WorldNetDaily, OR - 9 hours ago
A military intelligence specialist who says he personally told 9-11 commission staff about the fact Defense Department investigators tracking al-Qaida were ...
Officer: Army Blocked From Sharing Info. With FBI
WXii 12.com, NC - 9 hours ago
WASHINGTON -- An Army intelligence officer said his unit was blocked from giving the FBI information about a US-based terrorist cell that included the future ...
The Omission Commission
The Weekly Standard - 10 hours ago
by Edward Morrissey. REPRESENTATIVE CURT WELDON dropped a delayed political bombshell with a special-orders speech last June in which ...
Anonymous No More
Power Line, MN - 13 hours ago
Earlier today, I wrote that the military officer claiming to have identified Mohammed Atta as an al Qaeda agent in advance of September 11 could not be ...
NY Post editorial advanced Weldon's unsubstantiated claims on Able ...
Media Matters for America, DC - 19 hours ago
An August 15 New York Post editorial strongly criticized the 9-11 Commission for its failure to report that a secret military intelligence unit, code-named ...
Able Danger Witnesses to Go Public
NewsMax.com, FL - 23 hours ago
Rep. Curt Weldon said Monday that one or more members of an elite team of military intelligence officers who had identified al Qaeda ...
Fears of backlash kept pre-9/11 data from FBI
Washington Times, DC - Aug 15, 2005
By Audrey Hudson. Pentagon lawyers, fearing a public-relations "blow back," blocked a military intelligence unit from sharing information ...
The 9-11 smoking gun
WorldNetDaily, OR - Aug 14, 2005
It now appears that Mohammed Atta, the ringleader of the 9-11 plot, was actively working inside the United States with a New York-based sleeper cell, including ...
Able Danger's hidden hand
Washington Times, DC - Aug 14, 2005
By Jack Kelly. The report of the September 11 Commission, once a best seller and hailed by the news media as the definitive word ...
Able Danger could taint Sept. 11 probe, report
Palm Beach Post, FL - Aug 14, 2005
Americans might have learned more than a year ago about a secret program dubbed Able Danger. That we only now are hearing about ...
Getting Gorelicked: Another Brick in 'the Wall'
ChronWatch, CA - Aug 14, 2005
In reference to articles about the Jamie Gorelick's “wall of separation” directive (Gorelick 'Memogate') and the refusal of a request by “Able Danger ...
'Able Danger' Stopped From Informing FBI
Salon - 40 minutes ago
August 17,2005 | WASHINGTON -- An Army intelligence officer said Wednesday he does not believe the 9/11 commission pressed hard enough for documentation of ...
Congressman Wants More Investigation Into 9/11
Voices Magazine, MO - 1 hour ago
By Paige Kollock. | Voices Magazine | Did Pentagon officials know about the September 11th, 2001, hijackers' ties to al-Qaeda nearly ...
'Able Danger' Stopped From Informing FBI
Norman Transcript, OK - 1 hour ago
An Army intelligence officer said Wednesday he does not believe the 9/11 commission pressed hard enough for documentation of claims that military intelligence ...
Member Of "Able Danger" Reveals Identity
All Headline News - 2 hours ago
Washington DC (AHN) - A former member of a classified Pentagon intelligence unit identifies himself for the first time and offers details on what he claims are ...
Army unit had early lead on Atta, 3 other hijackers
AZ Central.com, AZ - 5 hours ago
WASHINGTON - A military intelligence team repeatedly contacted the FBI in 2000 to warn about the existence of an American-based terrorist cell that included ...

 

[dilloduck]

My gut feeling on this one is that even if the 9/11 commission had acknowleged the fact that Atta's name was known to the pentagon the "wall" was still there and it wouldn't have changed anything. All I can see coming out of this is Clinton and Gorelick looking more responsible for the lack of intelligence leading up to 9/11.
The current administration has taken steps to tear down the intelligence wall to prevent this from occuring again.

 

[Bonnie]

My gut feeling on this one is that even if the 9/11 commission had acknowleged the fact that Atta's name was known to the pentagon the "wall" was still there and it wouldn't have changed anything. All I can see coming out of this is Clinton and Gorelick looking more responsible for the lack of intelligence leading up to 9/11.
The current administration has taken steps to tear down the intelligence wall to prevent this from occuring again.

Absolutely which made Gorelick's seat on the Commission even more laughable.

 

[Annie]

The Omission Commission
The 9/11 Commission Report failed to make any mention of Iraqi operations in Germany that might have been connected to al Qaeda.
by Edward Morrissey
08/17/2005 12:00:00 AM




more
http://www.weeklystandard.com/Content/Public/Articles/000/000/005/951nmtfi.asp

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[Bonnie]

Whoops!

http://www.usmessageboard.com/forums/showthread.php?p=319786#post319786

Crud..... did I do it again? :tng: Kathianne please stop entering my brain without a permission slip

 

[Annie]

Crud..... did I do it again? :tng:

Yeah, I'm trying to figure which of us has the left brain and which the right?