01 Sep 2004 Bush Knew! by Geoffrey Moore
When commenting on the tragic events of September 11, 2001, many on the left have one thing to say. That one thing is “Bush knew”!
If you listen to the likes of Michael Moore (no relation, thank God) and Cynthia McKinney, one would be led to believe that President George W. Bush was in cahoots with Osama Bin Laden and had full knowledge of dates, times and other logistics of what would happen on that morning. While I can’t believe that he did not know they would fly planes into those buildings, there are things that he and the administration did know.
President Bush knew that Iraq was a safe haven for terrorists. Vice President Dick Cheney publicly provided information that Abdul Rahman Yasin was in Iraq and receiving money and shelter from Saddam Hussein. This is the same Abdul Rahmn Yasin who mixed the chemicals used in the 1993 bombing of the World Trade Center.
Bush knew that Abu Musab al-Zarqawi was also in Iraq. This is the same Abu Musab al-Zarqawi who ran terrorist training camps in Afghanistan, and then fled to Iraq after we invaded. He is still masterminding terror attacks in Iraq to this day.
Bush knew (which apparently the media did not, even though they’ve reported it) that Hussein continued to order his military to shoot at our fighter planes while they were patrolling the “No Fly Zone.”
Bush knew that Hussein was paying the families of Palestinian suicide bombers that often target Israeli civilians. He was paying up to $25,000 for them to blow up restaurants and shopping malls.
Bush knew through Russian President Vladimir Putin and Russian intelligence that Hussein was planning terrorist attacks on U.S. and U.S. interests.
We now know, despite the minimal amount of mainstream media coverage, that the United Nations inspectors say Saddam Hussein also probably shipped out the WMDs before and after the war. Perhaps they went to neighboring Syria – another country supporting terrorism.
After 9/11, Bush said “We will make no distinction between the terrorists who committed these acts, and those who harbor them.” While many on the political left try to find something from President Bush that implicates Saddam directly in 9/11, that quote summarizes the President’s position. Iraq, at the minimum, harbored and sponsored terrorism.
To those who make the claims that “Bush knew,” they don’t realize how correct they are.
Geoffrey Moore is a member of the National Advisory Council of the African-American leadership network Project 21, and an MBA student and marketing analyst in the Chicago area. Comments may be sent to [email protected].
Published by The National Center for Public Policy Research. Reprints permitted provided source is credited. New Visions Commentaries reflect the views of their author, and not necessarily those of Project 21.
