3/14/2002

On March 14, 2002, British Prime Minister Tony Blair’s Foreign Policy Advisor David Manning reported on his meeting to discuss Iraq with National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice: ” ‘Condi’s enthusiasm for regime change is undimmed. But there were some signs, since we last spoke, of greater awareness of the practical difficulties. …From what she said, […]

Read More… from 3/14/2002

3/13/2002

In a news conference on March 13, 2002, President “Bush downplayed concern on the whereabouts of Osama bin Laden, saying the accused terrorist mastermind is on the run and ‘I truly am not that concerned about him.’ ”  – “Bush Talks of Threats, Concerns and U.S. judges,” CNN, March 14, 2002 […]

Read More… from 3/13/2002

3/13/2002

“At a March [13] 2002 press conference, President George W. Bush referred to bin Laden as ‘a person who’s now been marginalized.’ ”  – Peter Bergen, The Osama bin Laden I Know, Page xxvii […]

Read More… from 3/13/2002

3/13/2002

At a press conference on March 13, 2002, when asked by a reporter why he rarely speaks of bin Laden anymore, President Bush replied: ” ‘…I don’t know where he is. You know, I just don’t spend that much time on him, to be honest with you. …I truly am not that concerned about him. […]

Read More… from 3/13/2002

3/13/2002

On March 13, 2002, Vice President Dick Cheney said: “The Taliban regime is out of business, permanently.’ ”  – Peter Bergen, The Longest War, Page 309 […]

Read More… from 3/13/2002

3/13/2002

On March 13, 2002, Assistant Attorney General Jay Bybee sent a memo to General Counsel William Haynes, titled, ‘The President’s Power as Commander in Chief to Transfer Captured Terrorists to the Control and Custody of Foreign Nations.‘ Bybee wrote that the President has the constitutional right to capture and detain any prisoners captured in armed […]

Read More… from 3/13/2002

3/13/2002

When asked if he would “take action against Iraq unilaterally,” President George W. Bush stated: “One of the things I’ve said to our friends is that we will consult, that we will share our views of how to make the world more safe. In regards to Iraq, we’re doing just that. Every world leader that comes […]

Read More… from 3/13/2002

3/12/2002

As stated in “The Report of the Iraq Inquiry – Executive Summary”: “469. On 12 March, Mr Blair and Mr Straw reached the view that there was no chance of securing a majority in the Security Council in support of the draft resolution of 7 March and there was a risk of one or more vetoes […]

Read More… from 3/12/2002

3/12/2002

For many of the 350 intelligence and security officials participating in a national intelligence symposium on March 12, 2002, “the conference revealed that U.S. intelligence is losing the war on terrorism, despite the best efforts of the military to track down and find Islamic terrorists around the world. The main problem identified…is the failure to […]

Read More… from 3/12/2002

3/12/2002

At a national intelligence symposium attended by 350 intelligence and security officials on March 12, 2002, common themes for fixing intelligence community problems were: “better intelligence sharing among agencies; better data mining to fruitfully harvest the vast amounts of intelligence collected; the importance of persistent surveillance of terrorists; and the need to improve operations against […]

Read More… from 3/12/2002