Jennifer Loven
Bush Names Kissinger to Head 9/11 Probe
Thu Nov 28 15:14:41 2002
208.152.73.63

Bush Names Kissinger to Head 9/11 Probe

By Jennifer Loven
Associated Press Writer
Wednesday, November 27, 2002; 11:22 AM

WASHINGTON –– President Bush signed legislation creating a new independent commission to investigate the Sept. 11 attacks Wednesday and named former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger to lead the panel.

"This commission will help me and future presidents to understand the methods of America's enemies and the nature of the threats we face," Bush said at a White House signing ceremony with lawmakers, survivors and victims' families.

"This investigation should carefully examine all the evidence and follow all the facts wherever they lead," he said. "We must uncover every detail and learn every lesson of September the 11th."

"Dr. Kissinger will bring broad experience, clear thinking and careful judgment to this important task," Bush said at a signing ceremony in the Roosevelt Room of the White House. "Mr. Secretary, thank you for returning to the service of your nation."

Kissinger, speaking in the White House driveway, pledged to "go where the facts lead us."

"We are under no restrictions, and we will accept no restrictions," Kissinger said.

"This is not a matter simply for New York, it is a matter for all of America," said Kissinger, who has lived much of his life in New York City. He spoke briefly to family members before addressing reporters. "To the families concerned, there's nothing that can be done about the losses they've suffered, but everything must be done to avoid that such a tragedy can occur again."

Kissinger, one of the best known American diplomats of the 20th century, was secretary of state to Presidents Richard M. Nixon and Gerald R. Ford. He won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1973 with North Vietnam's Le Duc Tho for cease-fire negotiations during the Vietnam war. Kissinger also made a determined peacemaking effort in the Middle East and made repeated trips to the region.

The commission has a broad mandate, building on the limited joint inquiry conducted by the House and Senate intelligence committees. The independent panel will have 18 months to examine issues such as aviation security and border problems, along with intelligence.

Bush called on members to report back more quickly than 18 months, saying the nation needed to know quickly how it can avoid terror attacks in the future. "The sooner we have the commission's conclusions, the sooner this administration will act on them," Bush said.

However, Bush did not set as a primary goal for Kissinger to uncover mistakes or lapses of the government that could have prevented the Sept. 11 attacks. Instead, he said the panel should try to help the administration learn the tactics and motives of the enemy.

"This commission is not only important for this administration, this commission will be important for future administrations until the world is secure from the evildoers that hate what we stand for," Bush said. He pledged his administration will "continue to act on the lessons we've learned so far to better protect the people of this country. It's our most solemn duty."

The commission's creation is part of a bill authorizing intelligence activities in the 2003 budget year. Though most details of the legislation remain secret, lawmakers say it provides the biggest-ever increase in intelligence spending in an attempt to fix some counterterrorism weaknesses – such as a lack of information-sharing, a shortage of experts in certain key languages and new attention to traditional, human spying.

It was Bush's third major bill-signing in as many days and served as a holiday send-off for the president, who was leaving immediately afterward to spend the long Thanksgiving weekend at his Crawford, Texas, ranch.

Like the Homeland Security Department, the independent commission was an idea to which Bush's support came late.

The White House held that only Congress should investigate, arguing that an independent probe could distract administration officials from anti-terrorism efforts and produce leaks that could compromise intelligence operations. The change of heart came in September, as family members of Sept. 11 victims applied pressure and congressional hearings began to uncover intelligence and law enforcement failures.

The White House had concerns about the leadership and subpoena powers of the panel. Bush insisted only a bipartisan group should be able to compel testimony and documents, fearing that one-party subpoenas would lead to ineffective finger-pointing and allow the panel to be used merely to score political points.

The 10-member commission will be evenly divided between Republican and Democratic appointees. As Bush demanded, the president will name the chairman and it will take at least six members, in most cases, to approve subpoenas.

Fleischer said the changes would ensure the inquiry's usefulness. He also said Bush does not envision testifying before the panel.

But Sen. Joe Lieberman, D-Conn., a leading advocate of the commission, said it is likely Bush will be asked to address the panel.

"I would be surprised if this commission, in pursuit of the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, so help them God, did not want to speak with this president and high officials of this administration and previous presidents and high officials in previous administrations," Lieberman said.

In addition to serving as secretary of state, Kissinger also was national security adviser for Nixon and Ford from 1969-75. He made history in July 1971 when he made a secret trip to China, ending a Sino-American estrangement that had lasted for more than two decades.

He is the only secretary of state to have held down the job of national security adviser at the same time. He served in both posts from October 1973 to October 1975, when he left the NSC while retaining his role as secretary of state.

Kissinger also is well known for his efforts to achieve detente with the Soviet Union. The idea was to strengthen trade and economic ties with Moscow, giving the Soviets a stake in stable relations and perhaps taming Moscow's expansionist ambitions. The policy had mixed results.
© 2002 The Associated Press
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robertthebruce@naturecoast.net  - wrote:

Mr President, when I voted for you as the lesser of two evils, I was looking
forward to a change from the despotic immoral communist oriented
administration that you were to inherit from Comrade Klinton. You have made
some good changes in that direction, and unfortunately you were blessed by a
war which in my opinion was initiated by the communistic activities of the
previous administration. Comrade Klinton was and is a traitor to this
country, a disgrace to the office he held, and I told him so in the past.

Now, what is this nonsense of putting that fellow Henry in charge of an
investigation that the entire world will be watching? You do truly
disappoint me in that respect. I had strong hopes for you being your own
man, but it looks like I was mistaken. You now appear to be just another
pawn in the hands of the traitors who make up the Council on Foeign
Relations. Isn't there some way you can relieve yourself of the thongs that
have you bound to that organization which is bound to destroy this nation as
we have known it and love it?

The federal government has been infiltrated for so many years by that group
of America haters, people who are so enamoured with the spectre of POWER
over all else, that they are hell-bent on destroying this nation as
established by our founders. Our founders were true statesmen, a commodity
that is wholly lacking at all levels of government now, including all three
branches of government.

Our three branches of government would be hard put to find a shred of
integrity and honesty anywhere at the higher management levels. Appointing
Henry to such a task is making you and my country a laughing stock, with a
smattering of disbelief, considering his activities when he was on the
Taxpayers payroll in past administrations. He is responsible for giving OUR
Panama Canal to the Communist Chinese. He has absconded with truck loads of
government documents which were only partially returned to the government
archives after being legally challenged. And so many other of his efforts
to further extend his GREED and CONTROL would make ANOTHER book on him and
his personal goals at the expense of We The People.

I beg of you, reconsider. Might I suggest Bill McCollum, Bob Barr, J. C.
Watts, Alan Keyes, and Ron Paul, as possible candidates for that task? None
of them are members of that CFR group, or of the Trilateral Commission, and
would be more likely to give a full and honest accounting of the facts
regarding the events that led up to us being caught with our pants down
around our ankles when we were attacked on 11 September 2001.

With the reputation of Henry you are making a serious mistake in putting him
in charge of anything other than possibly maintaining the schedule for the
maintenance staff. Unless of course, it is desired to direct the
investigation in a specific direction in order to obtain a specific result.

Respectfully, Chester L McWhorter Sr, 504 N. Brighton Rd, Lecanto, Florida.
34461. Ph: 352-344-9073. Fax: Same. Email: robertthebruce@naturecoast.net
Note: sent by email, by snail mail, and by fax.

"Gentlemen, Comrades, do not be concerned about all you hear about glasnost
and perstroika and democracy in the coming years. These are primarily for
outward consumption. There will be no significant internal change within the
Soviet Union, other that for cosmetic purposes. Our purpose is to disarm the
Americans and let them go to sleep. We want to accomplish three things: One,
we want the Americans to withdraw conventional forces from Europe. Two: we
want them to withdraw nuclear forces from Europe. Three: We want the
Americans to stop proceeding with the Strategic Defense Initiative."
Mikhail Gorbachev, November 1987, in his address to the Politburo, their
"Congress".

"Comrades! We must abolish the cult of the individual decisively, once and
for all." Nikita Khrushcev, 25 Feb, 1956, 20th Congress of the Communist
Party.

" We must stop thinking of the individual and start thinking about what is
best for society." Hillary Diane "Rodham" Clinton, self admitted Fabian
Socialist.

robertthebruce@naturecoast.net

God Bless America