Ashcroft Assailed on Terror Warning

[DaveSZ]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A61742-2004May27.html


Ashcroft Assailed on Terror Warning

By John Mintz and Susan Schmidt
Washington Post Staff Writers
Friday, May 28, 2004; Page A04


Some allies of the Department of Homeland Security within the Bush administration and members of Congress criticized Attorney General John D. Ashcroft yesterday for issuing terrorist threat warnings at a news conference on Wednesday, contending he failed to coordinate the information with the White House and with Homeland Security, which has the job of releasing threat warnings.



With FBI Director Robert S. Mueller III by his side, Ashcroft said at a news conference two days ago that "credible intelligence, from multiple sources, indicates that al Qaeda plans to attempt an attack on the United States in the next few months. . . . This disturbing intelligence indicates al Qaeda's specific intention is to hit the U.S. hard." He added that the information has been "corroborated on a variety of levels."

Under the Homeland Security Act of 2002 and Bush administration rules, only the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) can publicly issue threat warnings, and they must be approved in a complex interagency process involving the White House. Administration officials sympathetic to Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge said he was not informed Ashcroft was going to characterize the threat in that way -- an assertion that Justice officials deny.

Earlier Wednesday, Ridge appeared on five news shows saying that although the prospect of a terrorist attack is significant, Americans should "go about living their lives and enjoying living in this country," as he said on CBS.

-more

[DaveSZ]

1. "Vote for us or die!"

That's their new slogan.

On a related note, you can view the timeline of events leading to Hitler's rise to power here:


http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/05/27/eveningnews/main620066.shtml

[Justice]

2. Ashcroft Looks Like Al Haig After Reagan Was Shot

I am in charge.....

[Cooley Hurd]

3. Wow! And this is from "Steno Sue" Schmidt...

Background: When Ken Starr wanted a "leak" to appear in the WaPo, he went to Steno Sue to write the story...

She's probably seen the writing on the wall (re: what's finally happening to Judith Miller at the NYT for being a mediawhore).

[tandot]

4. Kerry really doesn't need to do a lot right now. He just needs

to take advantage of the incompetence of them.

Only the Bush administration can be for terror alerts and at the same time against it. Flip-flopping at its finest!

[dusty64]

5. I STILL can't believe

this nutjob got confirmed. These war criminals are blatantly using the "terra" tool to push their extreme agenda and just about everyone knows it. Now whats gonna be DONE about it?

[Moderator]

6. Duplicate topic

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=102&topic_id=587523&mesg_id=587523