Call it Slander ... and Ignorant

Cal Thomas | Syndicated columnist | Published: May 17, 2002

Call it Slander ... and Ignorant

The media and several liberal Democrats last week tried to make an issue out of an intelligence report that suggested last summer agents of Osama bin Laden might try to hijack American airplanes. The implication is that President Bush could have stopped what happened on September 11.

This is a slander against the President's character, but it also shows how ignorant some people are about intelligence information.

Each morning, the President receives an intelligence briefing from his national security adviser and the CIA. It contains lots of data, distilled from a vast amount of information. Some of it is based on lies from people seeking to mislead us. The President and his aides must decide which to take seriously and act upon and which not to take seriously.

There is no question that our intelligence agencies were depleted. That began in the Carter administration. They are now being reformed. It will take time. But to imply that President Bush had word of the specific attack on September 11 and did nothing about it is slander. I'm Cal Thomas in Washington.

Call it Slander ... and Ignorant