We've Always Known, Haven't We?

Came across this article on the internet yesterday:

 

Ex CIA Chief:  Bush and Cheney Knew 9/11 Was Imminent, Concealed Intelligence 

 

which contains a link to the Politico Story, which is more thorough, considered and compelling:

 

The Attacks Will Be Spectacular

I have long suspected a connection between the Bush Administration and 9/11. I cannot to this day buy that they might have actually had a hand in planning the attack itself--that thought is too abhorrent, even for me. But, given the oil-crony connection between the Bush crowd and the Saudis, and given that the 9/11 attackers were mostly of Saudi extraction, even THAT is not impossible to believe, if you let yourself go there...

I think, however, it's more likely that the Bush Administration was looking for an excuse to make war on the Middle East, and if there WERE warnings about an imminent terrorist action, they might have "conveniently" ignored them, rationalizing that such an event would provide them with exactly the excuse they needed. I don't think they had a clue how horrific the attack was actually going to be...if they did, I don't think they would have been willing to risk so many American lives--not to mention the real estate and the American economy--as "collateral damage" of their ultimate goal.

But all you have to do is look at how beautifully 9/11 synced with what turned out to be prior goals of the Bush Administration, and you have to think it was more than just a coincidence. I have thought that for years.

The country I loved--the country in which I was born, nurtured and came of age--ceased to be on September 11, 2001.  Not necessarily because of the shock and horror of the Al Qaeda attack itself, but because of how that event was manipulated by the soulless, opportunistic administration that held the reins of power when it happened.

Rather than standing as a shining beacon of courage and moral purity, the Bush Administration chose to weave the event into the politics of fear, accusation, xenophobia and white privilege that would make the American public putty in their hands and give the "War President" carte blanche to roll back the Bill of Rights, imprison and torture political prisoners without due process, and start the war he had planned to start before ever setting foot in the oval office.

It is to the ultimate discredit of the American people that we allowed this to happen.  But when people are shocked and frightened, they tend not to make the best decisions.  In matters of interactions between nations, the people tend to look to those who are supposed to have a better grasp of the situation for clues on how to act.  When leadership reacts with courage, fortitude, calm and compassion, the people will follow.  When leadership indulges in the downward spiral of anger, suspicion and revenge, the people swirl down that sewer right behind them.

"Keep Calm and Carry On"?  That would be the polar opposite of the Bush Administration's "Fear, Suspect, Torture, Avenge and Never Forget" policy that played out after 9/11.  It tarnished the character of the American people and did damage to The United States' standing among the nations of the world which may never be reversed. 

The Bush Administration is no doubt culpable for the decrepit condition of our collective national soul. And now, it appears that it was complicit in the very disaster that put the degeneration into motion.  I can't say I'm surprised...are you?