WTF Is It Now?!?

Actual Letters to the Editor in Newsday:

"It is remarkable - and appalling - that Dick Cheney and Condoleezza Rice dominated Sunday morning's major talk shows. As you reported, they were on all five of them ["Terror Warning," May 20]. Not only is it clear that the administration usurped the network news to give its spin, but the appearances of these two suggest that there's more than a little truth to the points raised about what President George W. Bush knew or should have known. And I wonder, where does big oil come in?"

"Four years ago, Republican leaders in Congress dragged our nation through months of stupid and inane impeachment hearings. Silly charges were made against a Democratic president that had nothing to do with national security. Today, serious matters concerning the state of our nation's intelligence-gathering capabilities prior to the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11 need to be analyzed . The Bush administration has the unmitigated gall to accuse Democratic leaders in Congress of politicizing this issue. The hypocrisy is sickening. We deserve better. Those who lost loved ones and those who fear a reprisal of terrorist events demand to know what could have been done and what measures are being implemented now. It is imperative that a bipartisan commission be convened immediately. And most sane Americans would believe that the prevailing threat of terrorism is slightly more important than a president's sex life."

"After Sept. 11, it was OK to suggest that Clinton could have prevented them. Now, to suggest the same about Bush is just a political ploy from supporters of Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle and other Democrats. Thankfully, there hasn't been anyone cynical enough to suggest that these warnings were ignored purposely. An attack like that couldn't help anyone's popularity anyway, could it?"

"Given the unsavory election results and Bush's negative approval rating at the start of his tenure, and given the fact that New York is a Democratic stronghold not supportive of his administration, one shouldn't be surprised that the White House was aware of the Sept. 11 threat but withheld the information. The Washington spinmasters knew that we would turn to our leaders for direction and give them our bipartisan support after Sept. 11, despite our individual leanings. Shame on them." - - - (thanks to a.s. at the bc forum).