Sep 01 2005
Able Danger, And So It Begins
Tom Maguire links to a NY Times article that finally gives us a starting point for a possible end to the Able Danger story:
WASHINGTON, Aug. 31 – The Senate Judiciary Committee announced Wednesday that it was investigating reports from two military officers that a highly classified Pentagon intelligence program identified the Sept. 11 ringleader as a potential terrorist more than a year before the attacks.
The committee’s chairman, Senator Arlen Specter, Republican of Pennsylvania, said in an interview that he was scheduling a public hearing on Sept. 14 “to get to the bottom of this” and that the military officers “appear to have credibility.”
Excellent. In less than two weeks we should begin to get to the bottom of this. And there must be something here. I must still be psychic, because I posted yesterday that we had two weeks to a major break through emerging.
The officers, Capt. Scott J. Phillpott of the Navy and Lt. Col. Anthony Shaffer of the Army, have said the intelligence program identified the terrorist ringleader, Mohamed Atta, by early 2000. Colonel Shaffer, a reservist, has said three meetings with F.B.I. agents in 2000 to discuss Able Danger were canceled on the order of military lawyers.
I agree with Tom Maguire, something firm has shown up beyond the testimony of these two people. This should be fascinating to see.
I think Rep. Weldon should be the first to testify.
Here is an interesting pass from a speech he gave in Dec. 03 at
The 34th IFPA-Fletcher Conference on
National Security Strategy and Policy
Security Planning and Military Transformation
after Iraqi Freedom
The Money Quote:
“That was in 1999, and that led us to put language in two successive defense bills, calling for the creation of a joint capability. John Hamre said to me, “Congressman, I want to do this. I’ll pay for it. I don’t care where it’s housed. I’ll pay for it. But you’ve got to get the FBI and the CIA to agree. So I have a suggestion for you, Congressman.” This is the fall of 2000. “Please convene a meeting in your office. I’ll come. And bring the number two person from the FBI and the CIA person in, and brief them on this concept.” So in October of 2000, October of 2000, in my office, sat John Hamre, the Deputy Director of the FBI, and the Deputy Director of the CIA. And we briefed them on something we called the National Operations and Analysis Hub, which I didn’t design. It was done by intelligence people who knew the need.
We went through the whole capability. Hamre said, “I’ll pay for it.” Eight pages of material. It will bring together all 33 classified systems that exist in the federal government, only using external data, not spying on Americans. And the FBI and the CIA, in October of 2000, said, “We don’t need it. We’re doing good work on our own. We don’t need that capability.” Now, the Marine Corps took that example, and down at their headquarters and special ops headquarters, they developed a prototype also, and used that data. In fact, a year before 9/11, we had a complete profile of al-Qaeda. In fact, I took that down to the White House, and showed it to a person who will remain nameless. When I showed him the document, it was given to me by special forces command. He said to me, “Congressman, where did you get this from?” I said, “I got it from the military.” He said, “I’ve got to show this to the man.” I said, “Who’s the man?” He said, “You know who the man is. The man in the Oval Office.”
So Rep. Curt Weldon in this speech intimates that an unnamed White House Official wanted to show Clinton the Atta Al Quada Brooklyn Cell Chart… in 2000.
Please put Rep. Weldon on the stand. First. Please.
Monday Morning Intelligence and the New York Time
According to the NY Times (hat tip Tom Mcguire/AJ Strata), Senator Spector is going to hold some hearings…..