They Were Warned...And Did Nothing...Part II?

Newly released memo warned of al Qaeda threat

Document described during 9/11 hearings
Friday, February 11, 2005
Posted: 8:20 AM EST (1320 GMT)
CNN.com

Article Link: Here

The memo dated January 25, 2001 -- five days after Bush took office -- was an essential feature of last year's hearings into intelligence failures before the attacks on New York and Washington. A copy of the document was posted on the National Security Archive Web site Thursday.

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He described the network as a threat with broad reach.

"Al Qaeda affects centrally our policies on Pakistan, Afghanistan, Central Asia, North Africa and the GCC (Gulf Arab states). Leaders in Jordan and Saudi Arabia see al Qaeda as a direct threat to them," Clarke wrote.

"The strength of the network of organizations limits the scope of support friendly Arab regimes can give to a range of U.S. policies, including Iraq policy and the (Israeli-Palestinian) Peace Process. We would make a major error if we underestimated the challenge al Qaeda poses."

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It recommended that the new administration urgently discuss the al Qaeda network, including the magnitude of the threat it posed and strategy for dealing with it.

The meeting on al Qaeda requested by Clarke did not take place until September 4, 2001.

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I guess tax cuts for the rich and telling the world to go pound sand on nuclear treaties and the environment were more important.