# Why is the Bush administration trying to cover up the 9/11 investigation? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [May 1, 2003, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-bush-administration-trying-to-cover-up-the-9-11-investigation/172482 "2003-05-01T21:29:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Reeder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Reeder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reeder)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2003, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-bush-administration-trying-to-cover-up-the-9-11-investigation/172482/1 "2003-05-01T21:29:48Z")
> **[MSNBC News - Breaking News and News Today | Latest News](https://www.msnbc.com/)** > > MSNBC breaking news and the latest news for today. Get daily news from local news reporters and world news updates with live audio & video from our team. They even want to make secret things already discussed in public. Is it as the article says…the coming election? Covering their asses? Why not just release it all to the public? ---
**Author:** ![Saxman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f6c823/32.png) [@Saxman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saxman)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2003, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-bush-administration-trying-to-cover-up-the-9-11-investigation/172482/2 "2003-05-01T21:50:34Z")
Politics pure and simple. IMHO. Or not. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2003, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-bush-administration-trying-to-cover-up-the-9-11-investigation/172482/3 "2003-05-01T22:08:49Z")
Well, it they wanted to “cover it up” a “secret report” that dozens & dozens of people, including congressmen of both parties have read- would NOT be the way _I_ would go about it. Sure there may be things they they don’t want to release to the General Public, but enough dudes have read it that there is nothing mysterious in there. So “cover up”? Come on now. :rolleyes: Now, if the point is- we as the public have a “right to know”, then yes, you have a good point. But there is no wierd conspiracy thing going on here, even though it seems like you think there is. ---
**Author:** ![SanibelMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e4f/32.png) [@SanibelMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanibelMan)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2003, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-bush-administration-trying-to-cover-up-the-9-11-investigation/172482/4 "2003-05-01T22:50:03Z")
It seems more likely to me that it says a lot of things like “give money to first responders” and “budget for air sensors in all major cities” that the administration hasn’t done, and won’t do, before 2004, so this would serve as political ammo for Democrats. “Why hasn’t Bush given badly-needed money to the heroes in your town?” On a more conspiratorial note, I was listening to _Talk of the Nation_ today on NPR, and someone called in saying they had video that proved 7 World Trade Center had collapsed in a controlled fashion before the south tower fell. One of the guests said wryly, “I think I hear a grassy knoll…” but the listener offered to e-mail the video to TOTN. I had to go to class then, but did anyone hear a follow-up? Or does anyone have any idea what this guy was talking about? ---
**Author:** ![Tars\_Tarkas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Tars\_Tarkas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tars_Tarkas)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2003, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-bush-administration-trying-to-cover-up-the-9-11-investigation/172482/5 "2003-05-01T23:09:46Z")
IMO, they are going to use 9-11 to try and re-elect Bush, and this report would show a few warning signs were ignored, throwing off Bush’s whole campaign strategy. ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2003, 5:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-bush-administration-trying-to-cover-up-the-9-11-investigation/172482/6 "2003-05-02T05:02:30Z")
Well, I can think of a pretty important reason why they’d want to classify parts of the report, if not the whole thing: It’s going to provide a run-down of what went wrong, and the steps necessary to prevent similar events from happening again. If the bad guys know what you’re planning on doing, they can take steps to circumvent the measures that you’re taking. If they know what kinds of things you screwed up on, they can gauge how effective your intelligence forces are. So, while certain parts of the report _should_ be made public (like the names of officials who should have spotted something, but didn’t), much of it should be kept secret for legitimate reasons. ---
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2003, 5:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-bush-administration-trying-to-cover-up-the-9-11-investigation/172482/7 "2003-05-02T05:32:43Z")
Um, shouldn’t we wait for the administration to offer thier official bullshit reasons for suppressing the report before supporting them? ---
**Author:** ![Brutus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/91b2a8/32.png) [@Brutus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brutus)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2003, 5:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-bush-administration-trying-to-cover-up-the-9-11-investigation/172482/8 "2003-05-02T05:40:07Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by squeegee \* > \*\*Um, shouldn’t we wait for the administration to offer thier official bullshit reasons for suppressing the report before supporting them? \*\* Or attacking them? ---
**Author:** ![futureman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3da27b/32.png) [@futureman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/futureman)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2003, 5:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-bush-administration-trying-to-cover-up-the-9-11-investigation/172482/9 "2003-05-02T05:45:42Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by squeegee \* > \*\*Um, shouldn’t we wait for the administration to offer thier official bullshit reasons for suppressing the report before supporting them? \*\* Oh god, that was the official laugh out loud moment for me for the day. Who knows. I really hope that things start to get ugly though. I have the feeling that Bush is feeling a little pressure nowadays with the lack of WMD, Falling Polls, Loosing Jobs, snooping 911 folks. Well, that’s what you get for being so secretive. Your mistakes go unnoticed until its too late. He’s gonna go down like Nixon I hope. ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2003, 5:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-bush-administration-trying-to-cover-up-the-9-11-investigation/172482/10 "2003-05-02T05:46:36Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by squeegee \* > \*\*Um, shouldn’t we wait for the administration to offer thier official bullshit reasons for suppressing the report before supporting them? \*\* Who says I’m supporting them? I didn’t vote for Bush, and I won’t vote for him next year. I am saying that there’s a _legitimate_ reason for some parts of the report to be classified. Remember, they ordered many of the Warren Report files sealed for fifty years and that was the murder of _one_ man, 9/11 cost the lives of 3K people and had things gone slightly different, even more, so I’d say that it’s better if we kept _some_ of our weaknesses hidden from potential enemies, rather than letting it all hang out. ---
**Author:** ![futureman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3da27b/32.png) [@futureman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/futureman)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2003, 5:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-bush-administration-trying-to-cover-up-the-9-11-investigation/172482/11 "2003-05-02T05:50:57Z")
okay, then why can’t the evidence be classified but allow the results to be presented in such a way that gave information about how to go forward without compromising security. But anyway, if we were concerned about terrorism, we wouldn’t be giving NY and CA the lowest per capita anti-terror funding nor would we be attacking Iraq. The results could be presented in such a way as, “yes there was negligence” or “no there wasn’t” ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2003, 5:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-bush-administration-trying-to-cover-up-the-9-11-investigation/172482/12 "2003-05-02T05:54:35Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by futureman \* > \*\*okay, then why can’t the evidence be classified but allow the results to be presented in such a way that gave information about how to go forward without compromising security. But anyway, if we were concerned about terrorism, we wouldn’t be giving NY and CA the lowest per capita anti-terror funding nor would we be attacking Iraq. The results could be presented in such a way as, “yes there was negligence” or “no there wasn’t” \*\* Hey, I _never_ said Bush was smart! IAC, it’s MHO, that terrorists shot their wad on 9/11 and we’ll never see anything on that scale again from them. ---
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2003, 5:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-bush-administration-trying-to-cover-up-the-9-11-investigation/172482/13 "2003-05-02T05:58:37Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Brutus \* > Or attacking them? Whatever. In any case, we have a “fools rush in” moment in progress. How pithy. ---
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2003, 5:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-bush-administration-trying-to-cover-up-the-9-11-investigation/172482/14 "2003-05-02T05:59:46Z")
(Um, that wasn’t directed at you, Brutus) ---
**Author:** ![Already\_in\_Use](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a9adbd/32.png) [@Already\_in\_Use](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Already_in_Use)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2003, 6:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-bush-administration-trying-to-cover-up-the-9-11-investigation/172482/15 "2003-05-02T06:14:22Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Brutus \* > \*\*Or attacking them? \*\* I don’t care what your political persuasion is (and you’ve made yours quite clear); it’s pretty naive to wait for some kind of permission from above before engaging your brain. Obviously, more information helps us figure out what’s going on better, but that doesn’t mean we can’t get a head start with what we have. If your post was merely a joking reply to **squeegee** ’s joking remark, then nevermind. ---
**Author:** ![lander2k2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ea924/32.png) [@lander2k2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lander2k2)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2003, 6:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-bush-administration-trying-to-cover-up-the-9-11-investigation/172482/16 "2003-05-02T06:51:07Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by SanibelMan \* > \*\*It seems more likely to me that it says a lot of things like “give money to first responders” and “budget for air sensors in all major cities” that the administration hasn’t done, and won’t do, before 2004, so this would serve as political ammo for Democrats. “Why hasn’t Bush given badly-needed money to the heroes in your town?” > > On a more conspiratorial note, I was listening to _Talk of the Nation_ today on NPR, and someone called in saying they had video that proved 7 World Trade Center had collapsed in a controlled fashion before the south tower fell. One of the guests said wryly, “I think I hear a grassy knoll…” but the listener offered to e-mail the video to TOTN. I had to go to class then, but did anyone hear a follow-up? Or does anyone have any idea what this guy was talking about? \*\* I’d have to agree that the report contains political embarrassments that the Bush admin wants to avoid. As for the conspiratorial aspect, I never heard the radio show but I have seen a video of the WTC 7 collapse. It sure looks like a controlled demolition. Hell, the twin towers fell straight down into their footprints as well, which always seemed super-weird to me considering the nature of the incident. See the videos for yourself. The WTC 7 collapse video is near the bottom of the page. It is preceded by footage of the twin towers collapses. [http://home.attbi.com/~jmking/Collapse\_update.htm](http://home.attbi.com/~jmking/Collapse_update.htm) ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2003, 12:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-bush-administration-trying-to-cover-up-the-9-11-investigation/172482/17 "2003-05-02T12:14:54Z")
The article itself states rather clearly the motivations. > [@](#): > > Graham’s stand may not be terribly surprising, given that **the Florida Democrat is running for president and is seeking to use the issue himself politically** … Unlike Graham, Goss insists there are no political “gotchas” in the report, only a large volume of **important information about the performance and shortcomings of U.S. intelligence and law-enforcement agencies** prior to September 11. So we know why Graham wants to publicize it, and the Bush administration does not. As has been mentioned, politics as usual. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2003, 12:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-bush-administration-trying-to-cover-up-the-9-11-investigation/172482/18 "2003-05-02T12:40:25Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by futureman \* > I have the feeling that Bush is feeling a little pressure nowadays with the lack of WMD, Falling Polls, Loosing Jobs, snooping 911 folks. Well, that’s what you get for being so secretive. Your mistakes go unnoticed until its too late. He’s gonna go down like Nixon I hope. Falling polls? 77 percent approval rating, up from 69 last week? ---
**Author:** ![Latro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/a87d85/32.png) [@Latro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Latro)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2003, 12:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-bush-administration-trying-to-cover-up-the-9-11-investigation/172482/19 "2003-05-02T12:49:44Z")
> [@](#): > > It sure looks like a controlled demolition. How much time elapsed between the attack and the collapse? 8:46 a.m. - American Flight 11 from Boston crashes into the North Tower at the World Trade Center. 9:03 a.m. - United Flight 175 from Boston crashes into the South Tower at the World Trade Center. 10:05 a.m. - The South Tower at the World Trade Center collapses. 10:28 a.m. - The North Tower at the World Trade Center collapses. That would be some pretty fast decision making, planning, bringing up of the needed explosives, installing them and setting the charges. IOW Total Bull. ---
**Author:** ![Duke\_of\_Rat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Duke\_of\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duke_of_Rat)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2003, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-bush-administration-trying-to-cover-up-the-9-11-investigation/172482/20 "2003-05-02T14:16:46Z")
Now Latro, you and I both know that these explosive charges were all set by NSA commandos weeks before the planes crashed into the buildings. Of course terrorists were not flying the planes, kamikaze USAF pilots loyal to the cause were actually at the controls to insure that the planes hit at the correct level so the demolition explosions would not be evident in the 1000s of video replays of the collapses. What they are trying to REALLY cover up was the mission to remove the demolition explosives from the _secret location_ where the fourth plane was to have impacted, but those pesky civilians fouled the works by scrubbing that mission. That’s what I heard. 😉 [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-bush-administration-trying-to-cover-up-the-9-11-investigation/172482.md?page=2)