During the summer of threat:
ROEMER: Would it have made any difference if you had mentioned — did you ever mention it, for instance, to the president — your briefing the president from August 6th on?
TENET: I didn’t see the president. I was not in briefings with him during this time. He was on vacation. I was here.
ROEMER: You didn’t see the president between August 6, 2001, and September 10th?
TENET: Well, no. Before — saw him after Labor Day, to be sure.
ROEMER: So you saw him September 4th — at the principals’ meeting?
TENET: It was not at principals’ meeting.
ROEMER: Well, you don’t see him…
TENET: Condoleezza Rice — Condoleezza — I saw him in this time frame, to be sure.
ROEMER: OK. I’m just confused. You see him on August 6th with the PDB.
TENET: No, I do not, sir. I’m not there.
ROEMER: OK. You’re not — when do you see him in August?
TENET: I don’t believe I do.
ROEMER: You don’t see the president of the United States once in the month of August?
TENET: He’s in Texas and I’m either here or on leave for some of that time, so I’m not here.
ROEMER: So who’s briefing him on the PDBs?
TENET: The briefer, himself. We have a presidential briefer.
ROEMER: But you never get on the phone or in any kind of conference with him to talk at this level of high chatter and huge warnings during the spring and summer to talk to him through the whole month of August?
TENET: We talked to him directly throughout the spring and early summer almost every day.
ROEMER: But not in August?
TENET: In this time period, I’m not talking to him, no.
TENET: I don’t have a recollection of being called, Mr. Roemer. But I’m sure that if I wanted to make a phone call because I had my hair on fire, I would have picked up the phone and talked to the president.
ROEMER: It was just never made.
TENET: No.
So despite all the threats, warnings, increased “chatter,” and other clues pointing toward a terrorist strike, President Bush never once talked to the CIA director in the month leading up to 9/11?
That speaks volumes on how our “steady leadership” has performed behind the scenes.
UPDATE: Via Atrios, a CIA spokesman claims Tenent briefed Bush on August 17.
The “increased chatter” was from early in the summer, and the intelligence agencies felt it had died down by late summer. You’re applying timelines to actions that don’t exist.
I’m sorry, but that makes no sense CJ, you’re claiming that “chatter” decreased to a point of non-consequence JUST PRIOR to the worst attack on American soil, since the native American Indians were slaughtered by the thousands in the 19th century?
I disagree vehemenantly, with the notion that not only did “chatter” stop, but that if it did, it would mena a reduced risk or priority.
–jeff-perado