As most of us know former NSC Counter-terrorism chief Richard Clark attempted to get a urgent meeting of the NSC Principles in place on the danger of Al Qaeda pretty much from the first minute Bush walked into office - and was brushed off.
January 25, 2001 Richard Clarke Memo:
"We urgently need . . . a Principals level review on the al Qida network.
Even after the midnight intervention on Condi Rice by Clarke, Tenet and Cofer Black in July of 2000, August PDB and personal meeting between Tenet and Bush in Crawford - there still wasn't even a single meeting until just a week before the attack on 9/11.
While planning counter-terrorism efforts in preparation for the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, Clark found himself faced with a similar set of stalling, excuse making and buck passing. Considering the plot by Ramzi Yousef (the original World Trade Center bomber) to blow up nearly a dozen 747 simultaneously over the Pacific Ocean Clark asked the Special Agent in Charge at the Atlanta FBI Office... (Against All Enemies. page 106)
"What if somebody blows up a 747 over the Olympic Stadium, or even flies one into the stadium?!"
His response?
"Sounds like Tom Clancy to me," he sneered. "But if it happens well, that's an FAA problem."
In order to get some of the agencies planning for the Olympics to properly focus, Clarke made some phone calls.
One Week Later, Vice President Al Gore agreed to Chair the Counter-terrorism meeting himself.
He and Clarke made plans in the motorcade on the way to the meetihg.
"Here are some question you might like to ask, innocently." (The Same ones that Clarke had asked a week ago and received the run-around). "Then, after a awhile, you ought to look really mad."
"I do mad well." Gore smiled.
Once the meeting began he asked the questions, and got the same lame answers Clark had. He got mad, REAL Mad.
I know (then Joint Chiefs Chairman) General Shelton over there could probably personally scare away most terrorists, but we can't put Hugh on every corner. We need a better plan than this. Dick, I am going to ask you to pull that together, use whatever resoures these agences have that are needed. Anybody got any problems with that?
They didn't.
