The Browncoat Rebellion — LiveJournal

11:57 pm - Moving/Falling Object!

Our Prez's police report finalized. He is, as I knew, a "falling object". And a threat to mankind, on or off a bike.

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US leader crashed by trying to 'pedal, wave and speak at same time'
MURDO MACLEOD

HE MAY be the most powerful man in the world, but proof has emerged that President George Bush cannot ride a bike, wave and speak at the same time.

Scotland on Sunday has obtained remarkable details of one of the most memorably bizarre episodes of the Bush presidency: the day he crashed into a Scottish police constable while cycling in the grounds of Gleneagles Hotel.

The incident, which will do little to improve Bush's accident-prone reputation, began when he took to two wheels for a spot of early-evening exercise during last year's G8 summit at the Perthshire resort.

After a hard day's discussion with fellow world leaders, the president was looking for some relaxation. Instead, he ended up the subject of a police report in which the leader of the free world was described, in classic police language, as a "moving/falling object".

It was "about 1800 hours on Wednesday, 6 July, 2005" that a detachment of Strathclyde police constables, in "Level 2 public order dress [anti-riot gear]," formed a protective line at the gate at the hotel's rear entrance, in case demonstrators penetrated the biggest-ever security operation on Scottish soil.

The official police incident report states: "[The unit] was requested to cover the road junction on the Auchterarder to Braco Road as the President of the USA, George Bush, was cycling through." The report goes on: "[At] about 1800 hours the President approached the junction at speed on the bicycle. The road was damp at the time. As the President passed the junction at speed he raised his left arm from the handlebars to wave to the police officers present while shouting 'thanks, you guys, for coming'.

"As he did this he lost control of the cycle, falling to the ground, causing both himself and his bicycle to strike [the officer] on the lower legs. [The officer] fell to the ground, striking his head. The President continued along the ground for approximately five metres, causing himself a number of abrasions. The officers... then assisted both injured parties."

The injured officer, who was not named, was whisked to Perth Royal Infirmary. The report adds: "While en-route President Bush phoned [the officer], enquiring after his wellbeing and apologising for the accident."

At hospital, a doctor examined the constable and diagnosed damage to his ankle ligaments and issued him with crutches. The cause was officially recorded as: "Hit by moving/falling object."

No details of damage to the President are recorded from his close encounter with the policeman and the road, although later reports said he had been "bandaged" by a White House physician after suffering scrapes on his hands and arms.

At the time Bush laughed off the incident, saying he should start "acting his age".

Details of precisely how the crash unfolded have until now been kept under wraps for fear of embarrassing both Bush and the injured constable. But the new disclosures are certain to raise eyebrows on Washington's Capitol Hill.

Jim McDermott, a Democrat Congressman, last night quipped: "Not only does he break the law over here on eavesdropping and spying on our own citizens, but it seems he can't even keep to your law when it comes to riding a bike. It's another example of how he can't keep his mind on the things he should be thinking about."

Bush often takes to two wheels for exercise, after pain in his knees forced him to give up running. He regularly rides at secret service training facilities near Washington, and the G8 accident is just one in a long list of mishaps. In May 2004, he fell off his mountain bike, grazing his chin, upper lip, nose, both knees, and his right hand, while riding on his ranch in Texas. In June 2003, he fell off his hi-tech Segway scooter.

In Scotland, an accident such as the one at Gleneagles could have led to police action. Earlier this year, Strathclyde Police issued three fixed penalty notices to errant cyclists as part of a crack-down on rogue riders. Legal experts also suggested lesser mortals could have ended up with a fixed penalty fine, prosecution, or at least a good ticking-off from officers.

John Scott, a human rights lawyer, said: "There's certainly enough in this account for a charge of careless driving. Anyone else would have been warned for dangerous driving.

"I have had clients who have been charged with assaulting a police officer for less than this. The issue of how long the police officer was out of action for is also important. He was away from work for 14 weeks, and that would normally be very significant in a case like this."

No-one was available for comment from the White House.
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Pardon me while I laugh my butt off......
http://news.scotsman.com/index.cfm?id=297002006

Current Mood: cheerful

07:14 pm - the Tide has Turned!!

It's official. The ONE issue Republicnas were still perceived as strong on was national security. That's over as of now! It's all over for the GOP. The fat lady is singing!
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New Rasmussen Poll: Dems Favored Over Bush On National Security

Everyone has been saying the politics of the Dubai Ports World deal is bad news for President Bush. Well, now we have an idea of just how bad. Rasmussen Reports has just released a poll showing that Americans now trust Democrats in Congress more than President Bush on the issue of national security by a margin of 43% to 41%. Only 17% of those polled favor the DPW deal, 64% oppose.

Let's stipulate something up front: this is a single poll taken at the height of both the Congressional and public outburst over the realization of the DPW deal. That said, it does give an idea of how deeply negative the public's initial reaction to the deal was.

The debate in the press seems to have moved back in favor of the President's position, at least to some degree, but whether the public follows along with that shift in the coming weeks is another matter. I suspect there is a substantial block of people (on both the left and the right) whose opposition to the deal won't be shaken no matter how effective the White House is at putting on a full court press - if that's what they decide to do.

If the numbers Rasmussen produced on DPW and national security are confirmed by other polls, the political implications are pretty darn big. There's no way Republicans in Congress - especially those up for reelection this November - are going to stand by and let this single deal (irrespective of the merits) erase a 10-20 point advantage over Democrats on national security. Ain't gonna happen. Unless the numbers change significantly, there is no way Congress is going to let this deal go through as is.



TrackBack URL for this entry:
http://www.realclearpolitics.com/cgi-bin/mt/mt-tb.cgi/437

Stick a FORK IN 'EM! HAHAHAHAHAHA Pardon my glee.

Current Mood: ecstatic

05:44 pm - ROTFLMGAO!

Personally, I think it's a grand idea.

http://rawstory.com/news/2005/Ohio_lawmaker_proposes_ban_on_Republican_0224.html

Ohio lawmaker proposes ban on Republican adoptions
RAW STORY
Published: February 24, 2006


If an Ohio lawmaker's proposal becomes state law, Republicans would be barred from being adoptive parents, Knight Ridder newspapers report. Excerpts:


State Sen. Robert Hagan sent out e-mails to fellow lawmakers late Wednesday night, stating that he intends to "introduce legislation in the near future that would ban households with one or more Republican voters from adopting children or acting as foster parents." The e-mail ended with a request for co-sponsorship.

On Thursday, the Youngstown Democrat said he had not yet found a co-sponsor.


Hagan said his "tongue was planted firmly in cheek" when he drafted the proposed legislation. However, Hagan said that the point he is trying to make is nonetheless very serious.

Hagan said his legislation was written in response to a bill introduced in the Ohio House this month by state Rep. Ron Hood, R-Ashville, that is aimed at prohibiting gay adoption.

"We need to see what we are doing," said Hagan, who called Hood's proposed bill blatantly discriminatory and extremely divisive. Hagan called Hood and the eight other conservative House Republicans who backed the anti-gay adoption bill "homophobic."

Current Mood: amused

02:52 pm - Planet Venus could not support life, life in/on clouds not ruled out.

Full article here:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/space/20060221/sc_space/planetaryprotectionstudygroupmullslifeonvenus

06:05 pm - Hold Onto Your Hats ....

Transcript from last night's Lou Dobbs:

http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0602/13/ldt.01.html

Tonight, the United States is about to allow a United Arab Emirates company to take operational control of many of this nation's major seaports. The Bush administration has OK'd a deal that would allow a company based on The Emirates it take charge of the ports. Many of them, most of them, vital to this nation's security. Bill Tucker reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BILL TUCKER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Dubai Ports World is set to take control of operations in ports in the United States. Those ports? New Orleans, Miami, Baltimore, Philadelphia, New York, and New Jersey. The deal involving a company from the Middle East is raising security concerns.

SEN. CHARLES SCHUMER, (D) NEW YORK: How do we know what checks they take on their employees? do they do background checks? If a terrorist organization should decide to infiltrate this new company, headquartered in the United Arab Emirates, what would stop them.

TUCKER: The UAE was home to two of the 9/11 hijackers. The Port Authority of New York/New Jersey says it will review its lease agreements with P & O before automatically granting the lease the of The Newark Terminal to Dubai Ports World.

Defenders of the deal note that Dubai Ports World operates ports all over the globe and that safe, smooth, port operation are very much in its business's interests. Security will remain in the control of local and federal law enforcement authorities, but -- MICHAEL O'HANLON, BROOKINGS INSTITUTION: Ports are essentially on the front line in the war on terror and on homeland security. And so allowing a foreign firm to operate a port is sort of like allowing a foreign firm to operate a U.S. military air field in a traditional conflict.

TUCKER: In other words, the United States should proceed cautiously. The Committee on Foreign investment in the United States, the same group which gave the green light to the takeover of UNOCAL by the Chinese National Overseas Oil Company has reviewed the deal of P & O and Dubai Ports World and given it its blessing.

When called for comment, a spokesman would only say -- no comment.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

Now coincidences happened but they're rare. So for that reason, we thought it was worth noting that the man nominated by President Bush to run the Maritime Administration is the director of operations of Europe and Latin American for Dubai Ports World, Lou. His name is David Sanborn.

DOBBS: And this coincidence and this program looks to at coincidences intensely, particularly like this and particularly with an administration that not for the first time has interesting coincidences reverberating throughout it. What do they say about this coincidence?

TUCKER: They don't have any comment about it. We weren't able to reach David Sanborn today.

DOBBS: Well, we hope that David would talk to us. We would hope that anyone in the administration would like it talk to us about this coincidence. And it would be fascinating to understand why the same government that thinks there's no problem, this administration, with turning over ownership to foreign corporation and companies of our air carriers sees no problems with having the United Arab Emirates, a company based there, take over our vital seaports. It's remarkable. Excellent job of report, Bill Tucker. Thank you, sir.

Current Mood: tired

03:26 pm - Paul Hackett Deemed Unfit for Duty

I just put this on blog so I'll put it here too because it sums up my disgust!


We need a new political party in this country. What is it with the Democratic Party? I have really had it with them now. As you probably know by now, the Democrats in Ohio (and probably on the national level) forced out ultra-charismatic candidate Paul Hackett, who was running for the Senate in Ohio. Here is what a writer on DailyKos had to say about Hackett late last here. It's enough to make you sob into your latte:

"I Just Met Paul Hackett. He's the One.
by AnthonySF

. . . . It was a full moon and probably the warmest November night on record in eminently bombable San Francisco, and Paul Hackett was holding a small fundraiser at Schroeder's in the Financial District.



I can only call it a privilege to have been part of that intimate crowd. Trust me, Paul Hackett will be elected to the U.S. Senate from Ohio next year. No two ways about it. Not to sound too awestruck, but the guy has Clintonian charisma and the most matter-of-fact way of simplifying an issue. Others may call themselves non-career politicians. Well here, folks, is a true non-career politician."

Current Mood: PO'd

03:06 pm - Valerie was working on IRAN

Good grief. (Note to Mr. Fitzgerald - please indict the VP as soon as it's convenient, OK? He's apparently a threat to National Security!)

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" Outed CIA officer was working on Iran, intelligence sources say

Larisa Alexandrovna
Published: February 13, 2006



Iran: The unmasking of covert CIA officer Valerie Plame Wilson by White House officials in 2003 caused significant damage to U.S. national security and its ability to counter nuclear proliferation abroad, RAW STORY has learned.

According to current and former intelligence officials, Plame Wilson, who worked on the clandestine side of the CIA in the Directorate of Operations as a non-official cover (NOC) officer, was part of an operation tracking distribution and acquisition of weapons of mass destruction technology to and from Iran.

Speaking under strict confidentiality, intelligence officials revealed heretofore unreported elements of Plame's work. Their accounts suggest that Plame's outing was more serious than has previously been reported and carries grave implications for U.S. national security and its ability to monitor Iran's burgeoning nuclear program."

The whole thing is at RawStory.com
http://rawstory.com/news/2005/Outed_CIA_officer_was_working_on_0213.html

And what is the White House focused on - finding out who leaked the NSA story!

Un-frackin' believable.

Current Mood: PO'd

09:48 am - Collateral Damage? Or Just Business As Usual?

Blame the victim, spin the facts. Wonder if anyone will bother to point out that Ms. Armstrong, the woman who owns the property on which this incident occurred, is a lobbyist?

http://www.bradblog.com/archives/00002409.htm


WASHINGTON — Vice President Dick Cheney accidentally shot and injured a man during a weekend quail hunting trip in Texas, his spokeswoman said today.

Harry Whittington, 78, was "alert and doing fine" after Cheney sprayed Whittington with shotgun pellets on Saturday at the Armstrong Ranch in South Texas, said property owner Katharine Armstrong.

Armstrong said Cheney turned to shoot a bird and accidentally hit Whittington. She said Whittington was taken to Corpus Christi Memorial Hospital by ambulance.

Cheney's spokeswoman, Lea Anne McBride, said the vice president was with Whittington, a lawyer from Austin, and his wife at the hospital this afternoon.


UPDATE FROM BRAD: Several sources (Fox, CNN, Reuters) confirming incident, but reporting it took place yesterday (Saturday) at 5:30pm Texas time. Why was the story withheld from the media until now? Almost 24 hours later? The man is reported to be in stable condition, apparently, at this time. Did they wait until they could report that he would be fine before releasing it at all? Would we have found out about it at all, therefore, if the man had died? Did they wait until after it was too late to be discussed discussed on the Sunday News shows?

Just some of the questions I expect we'll be hearing shortly.

FURTHER UPDATES...

Cheney on hunting...

I much prefer to catch wild fish or chase wild quail in South Texas...and perfectly happy to adjust as required.

And I also care a lot about gun laws. I worry sometimes that there is a growing antihunting sentiment that I run into with people...people who have no idea what it's all about...have never done it and don't like the idea of somebody else doing it.


On the Armstrongs, on whose ranch the incident occurred, and their relation to Cheney et al...From WhiteHouseForSale.org...


"We go out when the dew is still on the grass, and then hunt until we shoot our limit," Tobin said in 2000 of his ranch outings with Dick Cheney. "Then we pick a fine spot and have a wild game picnic lunch." True conservatives might choke on their javelina steaks if they knew that Tobin Armstrong dunned the government for $11,336 in farm subsidies between 1995 and 2002, according to the Environmental Working Group. Anne Armstrong served as: a close advisor to President Nixon; President Ford’s British Ambassador; and approved covert actions on the President’s Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board under Reagan. A veteran of blue-chip corporate boards, Anne Armstrong was a Halliburton director when that corporation hired Cheney. She is Kay Bailey Hutchison’s best friend...


Katherine Armstrong is the daughter of Anne, and was the one who witnessed the incident, quoted in the stories.

MORE... Shakespeare's Sister has details on Cheney's victim, Harry Whittington, and his long-standing crony-hood with Boy Bush...

DETAILS FROM HOSPITAL ON WHITTINGTON'S CONDITION... As Josh Marshall points out, details on Whittington's condition has so far only been reported by the property owner, Katharine Armstrong who has, by-and-large, downplayed the injury as no big deal.

CHRISTUS Spohn Hospital spokesperson, Yvonne Wheeler, tells The BRAD BLOG that the only information currently given to them by doctors is that Whittington is in "stable condition."

She's not able to say whether or not his condition has been worse previously when he was admitted to the facility at 8:15pm CT on Saturday, and then upgraded more recently.

News reports have said that Whittington was shot at 5:30pm CT, but Wheeler had no explanation for the apparent delay in his admission, other than she understands he was initially treated on-site. While the hospital is a two-hour drive from Armstrong's ranch, Whittington was transported to the facility by the hospital's own helicopter, so the reason for the apparent two-hour time-delay is still unclear.

No word yet on when Whittington may be released from the hospital.

Wheeler said that the media has requested a doctor there give a briefing on hunting accidents in general, and they will be doing so shortly.

We've so far been unable to receive comment from Cheney's office.

According to AP, Armstrong had said about the shooting:

"It broke the skin," she said of the shotgun pellets. "It knocked him silly. But he was fine. He was talking. His eyes were open. It didn't get in his eyes or anything like that."
...
"This is something that happens from time to time. You now, I've been peppered pretty well myself," said Armstrong.


THE LEFT COASTER POINTS OUT... That apparently it's all Whittington's own fault -- not Cheney's! -- that he got shot...At least according to Armstrong...


Whittington "came up from behind the vice president and the other hunter and didn't signal them or indicate to them or announce himself," Armstrong said.

"The vice president didn't see him," she continued. "The covey flushed and the vice president picked out a bird and was following it and shot. And by god, Harry was in the line of fire and got peppered pretty good."


BRAD BLOG commenter Bonnie reports...


At 7:00pm [ET] tonight CNN's anchor was interviewing a doctor from the hospital the shooting victim was in. The anchor asked him how the patient was doing and the doctor stated that he was in the Trauma ICU but stable. The anchor was then so dumb as to ask if the patient would be able to go home tonight. The doctor repeated that he was in ICU. This guys wounds did more than break the skin.


JAMES AND SARAH BRADY RELEASE COMMENT... And a hilarious one at that...


WASHINGTON, Feb. 12 /U.S. Newswire/ -- James and Sarah Brady made comments today related to Vice President Cheney's reportedly accidental shooting yesterday in Texas.

"Now I understand why Dick Cheney keeps asking me to go hunting with him," said Jim Brady. "I had a friend once who accidentally shot pellets into his dog - and I thought he was an idiot."

"I've thought Cheney was scary for a long time," Sarah Brady said. "Now I know I was right to be nervous."

POLITICAL CORTEX summarizes nicely...


So, what we have is an event shrouded in secrecy for almost twenty-four hours which, when disclosed, was accompanied by a fawning statement by a Bush apparachik exonerating Cheney from any and all blame and/or liability.

Thus, this appears to be yet another example of the Bush Administration attempting to manipulate the press and perhaps hide the truth. What really happened on that ranch yesterday? Who the heck knows. What we do know is that, regardless of what actually happened, the Administration spin doctors immediately jumped in and crafted a story that put Cheney in the best possible light. And the "traditional media" reported that story without any skepticism whatsoever. Nevertheless, in light of the circumstances described above, this story from Ms. Armstrong is really no more credible than the stories we first heard from the Bushies about Jessica Lynch and Pat Tillman.

Looks like just another day for the Bush White House and the pliant media.


EDITOR & PUBLISHER is now asking... What the delay was in notifying the public, and would the public have been notified at all if Armstrong hadn't released the information to the Corpus Christi Caller-Times. Apparently Bush, Card and Rove were informed on Saturday, as well, and didn't say a word and even the local police may not have been notified...


The Cheney spokesman [reporter Jaime] Powell spoke with, Lea Anne McBride, would not comment on whether the White House would have ever released the information had the Caller-Times not contacted them.

"I’m not going to speculate," McBride said, according to Powell. "When you put the call into me, I was able to confirm that account."
...
Francesco, at the Corpus Christi paper, said she felt it was a bit odd that her newsroom had not received any information about the shooting since "we often call law enforcement in area, even on weekends. We checked in and didn’t hear anything about it."
...
Frank James, reporter in the Chicago Tribune's Washington bureau, put his how spin on it later in the day, asking, "How is it that Vice President Cheney can shoot a man, albeit accidentally, on Saturday during a hunting trip and the American public not be informed of it until today?"

Indeed, others raised questions as well. "There was no immediate reason given as to why the incident wasn't reported until Sunday," The Dallas Morning News observed. "The sheriff's office in Kenedy County did not respond to phone calls Sunday."
...
The president, who was at the White House over the weekend, was informed about the incident in Texas after it happened Saturday by Chief of Staff Andrew Card and Deputy Chief of Staff Karl Rove and was updated on Sunday, press secretary Scott McClellan said.

But neither the White House nor the vice president's staff announced the shooting.
...
"When a vice president of the U.S. shoots a man under any circumstance," [Chicago Tribune's Frank] James noted, "that is extremely relevant information. What might be the excuse to justify not immediately making the incident public?

Current Mood: restless

03:28 pm - Happy go fun

The U.S. government is developing a massive computer system that can collect huge amounts of data and, by linking far-flung information from blogs and e-mail to government records and intelligence reports, search for patterns of terrorist activity.

http://deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,1249,635183282,00.html

Current Mood: sick

06:03 pm - So Much News, So Little Time!

http://nationaljournal.com/about/njweekly/stories/2006/0209nj1.htm#

Cheney 'Authorized' Libby to Leak Classified Information
By Murray Waas, National Journal
© National Journal Group Inc.
Thursday, Feb. 9, 2006

Vice President Dick Cheney's former chief of staff, I. Lewis (Scooter) Libby, testified to a federal grand jury that he had been "authorized" by Cheney and other White House "superiors" in the summer of 2003 to disclose classified information to journalists to defend the Bush administration's use of prewar intelligence in making the case to go to war with Iraq, according to attorneys familiar with the matter, and to court records.

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http://thinkprogress.org/2006/02/09/photos-abramoff-house/

EXCLUSIVE: Abramoff Photos of President Bush, First Lady ‘Just Sitting In His Office’
In an interview yesterday, Washingtonian editor Kim Eisler confirmed to ThinkProgress that he has viewed several photographs of President Bush with Jack Abramoff. Eisler, who authored a book on tribal politics and is an associate of Abramoff’s, says he saw the photos during a visit to Abramoff’s house where they were “just sitting in his office.”

The White House has continually refused to release photos of President Bush with Jack Abramoff. Moreover, Press Secretary Scott McClellan has said that if photos of the two together exist, they are shots taken at “widely attended” Hanukkah receptions in 2001 and 2002. But according to Eisler, none of the photos in Abramoff’s office were taken at Hanukkah receptions.

One photo at Abramoff’s home depicts Bush shaking hands with Abramoff in the Old Executive Office Building, which is adjacent to the West Wing of the White House. Another photograph shows Bush with Abramoff at what appears to be the Corcoran Gallery of Art in Washington. A third photo, which previously has not been disclosed, is of Abramoff’s wife with Laura Bush.
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http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2006/02/08/republican-reform-initiat_n_15336.html

Republican Reform Initiative

Indicted Rep. Tom DeLay, forced to step down as the No. 2 Republican in the House, scored a soft landing Wednesday as GOP leaders rewarded him with a coveted seat on the Appropriations Committee.

DeLay, R-Texas, also claimed a seat on the subcommittee overseeing the Justice Department, which is currently investigating an influence-peddling scandal involving disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff and his dealings with lawmakers. The subcommittee also has responsibility over
NASA — a top priority for DeLay, since the Johnson Space Center is located in his Houston-area district.
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http://americablog.blogspot.com/2006/02/growing-questions-about-whether-bush.html

Growing questions about whether Bush lied today about the supposed threat to LA that he supposedly foiled
by John in DC - 2/09/2006 04:58:00 PM


1. Los Angeles Mayor knows nothing about the supposed threat:
Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa said Thursday he was blindsided by President Bush's announcement of new details on a purported 2002 hijacking plot aimed at a downtown skyscraper, and described communication with the White House as "nonexistent."

"I'm amazed that the president would make this (announcement) on national TV and not inform us of these details through the appropriate channels," the mayor said in an interview with The Associated Press. "I don't expect a call from the president — but somebody."
2. Bush's claim to have thwarted an attack on LA is disputed by former FBI official
TODAY BUSH SAID: Bush Touted Thwarting of Post 9/11 U.S. Terrorism Plot. In a speech today, Bush told members of the National Guard Association of a foiled 2002 Al Qaeda plot to fly a plane into LA's US Bank Tower, the tallest building on the West Coast. Bush said that the terrorist's plan was put into place after 9/11 but "was derailed in early 2002, when a Southeast Asian nation arrested a key al Qaeda operative." Bush added, "Subsequent debriefings and other intelligence operations made clear the intended target and how al Qaeda hoped to execute" the plot, and helped other allies capture the ringleaders." - Washington Post, 2/9/06

BUT IN 2004: FBI Counterterrorism Official Said He Knew of No Thwarted Al Qaeda Attacks. After a CIA official claimed last year that the government had "probably prevented a few aviation attacks against both the East and West Coasts" since 9/11, John Pistole, the FBI's counterterrorism director, said he was "not sure what [the CIA] was referring to." - 9/11 Commission Testimony, 6/16/2004; New York Daily News, 6/17/04

Current Mood: indescribable