incredible.. a war criminal is intended to lead the investigation in the 9/11 case…
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Bush appointed Henry Kissinger on Wednesday to lead an independent investigation of the government’s failure to prevent the Sept. 11 attacks, instructing the former secretary of state to “follow all the facts wherever they lead.”
“We must uncover every detail and learn every lesson of Sept. 11,” Bush said before signing legislation creating the 10-member commission, which he initially opposed, and naming one of the most controversial American statesmen of the last half-century as its chairman.
Kissinger promised a full investigation, including an examination of any ties between U.S. ally Saudi Arabia and Osama bin Laden’s al Qaeda network, which the United States accuses of masterminding the attacks.
“We are not restricted by any foreign policy considerations … We are under no restrictions and we would accept no restrictions,” Kissinger said, adding that Bush assured him that “he has every intention to carry out the recommendations of the commission.”
Democrats, who appointed former Sen. George Mitchell as vice chairman of the commission, said Bush could be asked to testify in person about events leading up to the attacks that killed more than 3,000 people. The White House rebuffed the suggestion. Kissinger skirted the question.
Mitchell, a Democrat known for high-profile efforts to broker peace in the Middle East and Northern Ireland, promised to “do all I can to ensure that the commission’s inquiry is thorough, fair and non-partisan.”
CONTROVERSIAL CHOICE?
The president said Kissinger, 79, a Nobel Peace Prize winner and secretary of state under Presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford, would bring “broad experience, clear thinking and careful judgment to this important task.”
But critics blasted the choice, citing Kissinger’s hotly contested record during the Vietnam War and a U.S.-abetted coup in Chile. A new documentary called “The Trials of Henry Kissinger” alleged Kissinger is an international war criminal.
“Kissinger is not distinguished as an impartial judge of government misconduct, to put it mildly. To the contrary, he is an investigatee, not an investigator, and one who has stubbornly resisted the disclosure of official information to members of Congress, courts of law, private researchers, and others,” said Steven Aftergood, a government secrecy expert at the Federation of American Scientists.
The Bush administration initially opposed the commission, arguing that a congressional investigation was better equipped to preserve national security secrets. But victims’ families led a public campaign and pressured Bush to back down.
“This commission will help me and future presidents to understand the methods of America’s enemies and the nature of the threat we face,” Bush said before flying to his ranch in Crawford, Texas, for a Thanksgiving holiday weekend. “This investigation should carefully examine all the evidence and follow all the facts wherever they lead.”
The commission, included in a spending bill for intelligence agencies, will look for failures in intelligence, aviation security, immigration and other areas. Subpoenas could be issued by agreement of the chair and vice chair or a vote of six of the 10 commission members.
Bush urged the commission to expedite its work, due to be completed within the next 18 months. “After all, if there’s changes that need to be made, we need to know them as soon as possible,” Bush said.
In a message to victims’ families, who he will meet with monthly, Kissinger said, “There is nothing that can be done about the losses they have suffered, but everything must be done to avoid that such a tragedy can occur again.”
A spokesman for the families welcomed Kissinger’s appointment and urged U.S. intelligence agencies to produce the documents and testimony the commission needs. “We look forward to working with him to make the commission effective in uncovering the problems that led to the Sept. 11 attacks,” said Stephen Push, whose wife died on the hijacked plane that crashed into the Pentagon.
BROADER PROBE
White House spokesman Ari Fleischer said Bush did not envision testifying before the panel, asserting it would not be “within the precedence of any congressional commission.”
White House officials disclosed in May that Bush was told in the months before the attacks that al Qaeda might hijack U.S. passenger planes, prompting the administration to issue an alert to federal agencies — but not to the American public.
Officials said Bush received no information to suggest al Qaeda planned to use airplanes as missiles as they did on Sept. 11 to attack the Pentagon and destroy the World Trade Center.
But Democrats said Bush’s testimony may be needed. “I would be surprised if this commission, in pursuit of the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, did not want to speak with this president and high officials in this administration,” said Sen. Joseph Lieberman, a Connecticut Democrat.
The commission will include five Republican appointees and five Democrats. Congress’ intelligence committees previously investigated the failures of U.S. spy agencies.
source: http://rense.com/general32/kiss.htm