"We don't know what's out there"

We enjoyed the brief moment of silence yesterday as the Bush Lied™ Brigades and their adversaries temporarily ceased hostilities, turning their attention to the 567-page 9/11 commission report, fine-toothed combs in hand, seeking further ammunition. As framed by commission leaders in their presentation of the document --in the tired but serviceable phrase -- there was plenty of blame to go around. The system was "broken," and neither GW nor WJC should be singled out. Breathe in, breathe out . . . It's awful quiet around here . . . PDF documents are hard to read . . .

Then came the searchable version of the 9/11 report [via InstaPundit, who is Control Central for all things Bush Lied™]. We downloaded, typed "Clarke" and "Berger" into the search window and went on a treasure hunt. 'Found some gems that are probably being blogged about out there even as we blog.

Look at this! It's Hillary's fault! our knee jerked. Whoa, big fella. But fun, that kind of searching for the "big thing" that will blow this thing WIDE OPEN!

Paragraph #603: Frustrated by the Taliban’s resistance, two senior State Department officials suggested asking the Saudis to offer the Taliban $250 million for Bin Ladin. Clarke opposed having the United States facilitate a “huge grant to a regime as heinous as the Taliban” and suggested that the idea might not seem attractive to either Secretary Albright or First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton -- both critics of the Taliban’s record on women’s rights. 86 The proposal seems to have quietly died.

As our feverishly conspiratorial brain was cogitating over the possibilities, an attractive blonde woman emerged out of the fog of 24/7 TV news. 'Don't remember which station -- one of the cables, but not FOXNews, as you'll see when you hear the question that was asked. It was the 9/11 widow who had started the 9/11 commission ball rolling, and she was justifiably proud of her accomplishment. Look how far she had come. She had her report, and the national debate was enjoined. But had she learned anything? Was she humbled at the awesomeness of it all? Not a chance. Now she was complaining that GW had dragged his feet about authorizing the committee (some women are never satisfied?). Then the zinger (rough transcription):

Non-Fox Anchor: Yes, but how do you feel about the way the president reacted that day in the classroom when his aide whispered in his ear what had happened? The way he froze up?

9/11 Widow (tilts head, nods slowly, sadly): Well, I just haven't been able to figure that one out.

That gal needs to study a little history for perspective. Donald L. Luskin of The Conspiracy to Keep You Poor and Stupid reminds us of FDR's reaction, as told in a PBS "American Experience" documentary -- can you say frozen solid? -- to news of Pearl Harbor:

Alonzo Fields [White House butler]: Now, when I went upstairs, they had set up in the bedroom and they were taking communications from what was going on. And Paul Watson came out and he had this message and he says, "Mr. President, the whole damn Navy is gone. What in the hell are we going to do?" And the President and Mr. Hopkins -- he said to Mr. Hopkins, he says, "My God, my God, how did it happen?" He had his head in hands and at his desk like this. He says, "How did it happen?" He says, "Now I'll go down in history disgraced."

David McCullough [narrator]: [voice-over] At a Cabinet meeting that night, Labor Secretary Frances Perkins found Roosevelt deeply shaken. "He was having actual physical difficulty in getting out the words that put him on record as knowing the Navy was caught unawares."

Alonzo Fields: He looked drawn. His face was kind of pale-ish-like and tired-like, and it seemed to be a maze around him, just a blind sort of fog around him. When I looked at him, I got that impression from him, that he was in a fog, and he was so despondent over the fact -- he said, "We don't know what's out there."

Comments

[Dean]

Sissy:

First a disclaimer - I am not a Bush supporter. OK, now that that's out of the way, I try to read as much as I can about what all sides have to say about each other, and themselves, which is why I love your site - lots of data.

However, I found one of your recent posts disturbing. Your comments about one of the 9/11 widows who made sure that THERE WAS a 9/11 report were oddly hostile. First, the names of the four women who led this effort are Kristen Breitweiser, Patty Casazza, Mindy Kleinberg and Lorie van Auken. Everyone is indebted to them for pursuing our government to create the report.

So, why would you find it necessary to take one of them down by saying, "She had her report, and the national debate was enjoined. But had she learned anything? Was she humbled at the awesomeness of it all? Not a chance." Excuse me? "Learned anything", "humbled"? I assume the first thing she learned prior to publication was how hard elected Dems. and Reps. and appointed civil servants fought so that no light would every be shed on this tragedy. Since publication, I assume she's learning what everyone is learning by looking at the report: that fault lies in both parties, all agencies, and lots of individuals. "Humbled", I didn't realize she was one of the country's high and mighty. OK, maybe if her dead husband was a partner in one of those big Twin Tower firms she might have had money, but I think the loss of her husband and attacks against her from our nation's "Patriots" was "humbling" enough, don't you think?

She didn't even say anything outright negative against Bush. When the reporter tried to bait her, her answer was pretty non political. All she said was "Well, I just haven't been able to figure that one out." And for that she earns your scorn? Come on.

Finally we have from you "some women are never satisfied". Oh right, they should have stopped at the right to own property, or vote, or drive, or stopped here I guess, the right to hold elected officials accountable to the American public. What are you thinking Sissy, that now that the report is published that every official from every Party is going to due the right thing without freedom of the press and citizen activists who continue to force our government, of either party, to conduct themselves properly?

Keep up your postings of the Republican stance, but please, kicking around Widows and Orphans, for any reason, but especially when their only offense is not to praise Bush, weakens your message.

[Sissy Willis]

My issue with the gal who had her commission report was that she never stopped to say "thank you" to anyone.