Some email from listeners today:

On blacking out Ted Koppel tonight:

“… when the clean up of the Trade Center was celebrated, part of the ceremony was a reading of all the names of the dead, complete with flags waving and tears. No one objected to that.”


On the “repositioning” in Fallujah:

“It¹s an American retreat, a defeat. The city is being turned over to the people who were fighting us. The rest is just window dressing.”

On the revelation that Paul Bremer, then a terrorism expert, said in February 2001 that the Bush people seemed ready to “stagger along until there’s a major incident”:

“The Bremer interview backs up what Clarke told the 9/11 Commission on the precise same point.”

Can they write off Paul O’Neill, Richard Clarke and Paul Bremer all as malcontents?

Have a good weekend.

Posted by lehrer at 04:10 PM

Read an excerpt from the 9/11 commission Staff Statement regarding the evacuation of Saudi Flights in the days after the September 11 attacks.

Read Craig Unger's piece about the flights from Vanity Fair

Email us your comments

(This relates to Friday's interview with author Craig Unger and Thursday's interview with Newsweek's Mark Hosenball)

An excerpt from Staff Statement Number 10, April 13, 2004

The Saudi Flights

National air space was closed on September 11. Fearing reprisals against Saudi nationals, the Saudi government asked for help in getting some of its citizens out of the country. We have not yet identified who they contacted for help. But we have found that the request came to the attention of Richard Clarke and that each of the flights we have studied was investigated by the FBI and dealt with in a professional manner prior to its departure.

No commercial planes, including chartered flights, were permitted to fly into, out of, or within the United States until September 13, 2001. After the airspace reopened, six chartered flights with 142 people, mostly Saudi Arabian nationals, departed from the United States between September 14 and 24. One flight, the so-called Bin Ladin flight, departed the United States on September 20 with 26 passengers, most of them relatives of Usama Bin Ladin. We have found
no credible evidence that any chartered flights of Saudi Arabian nationals departed the United States before the reopening of national airspace.

The Saudi flights were screened by law enforcement officials, primarily the FBI, to ensure that people on these flights did not pose a threat to national security, and that nobody of interest to the FBI with regard to the 9/11 investigation was allowed to leave the country. Thirty of the 142 people on these flights were interviewed by the FBI, including 22 of the 26 people (23 passengers and 3 private security guards) on the Bin Ladin flight. Many were asked detailed
questions. None of the passengers stated that they had any recent contact with Usama Bin Ladin or knew anything about terrorist activity.

The FBI checked a variety of databases for information on the Bin Ladin flight passengers and searched the aircraft. It is unclear whether the TIPOFF terrorist watchlist was checked. At our request, the Terrorist Screening Center has rechecked the names of individuals on the flight manifests of these six Saudi flights against the current TIPOFF watchlist. There are no matches.

The FBI has concluded that nobody was allowed to depart on these six flights who the FBI wanted to interview in connection with the 9/11 attacks, or who the FBI later concluded had any involvement in those attacks. To date, we have uncovered no evidence to contradict this conclusion.

(a full rundown of the tenth hearings)

Posted by lehrer at 10:25 AM

Now two prominent guests in the last few weeks have said that the “war on terrorism” is misnamed. 9/11 Commission member Bob Kerrey said it should be the “war on Islamic extremism”. Today former National Security Advisor Zbigniew Brzezinski said terrorism is a military tactic. He said calling it a war on terrorism is like calling World War II a war on the blitzkrieg. But ZB is very clear in his belief that Iraq is not part of that war and only served to make us more vulnerable to terrorists in New York. In his new book The Choice: Global Domination or Global Leadership, he compares the U.S. today to the late stage Roman Empire when they took a “with us or against us” attitude toward virtually the entire world. 'Nuff said.

Posted by lehrer at 03:53 PM

From this day forth, we will only scrutinize Republicans. We were convinced by a flood of e-mails during this morning’s segment with the three Boston Globe reporters who’ve been covering John Kerry for 20 years and wrote a political biography of him. Here’s a typical excerpt from one of the emails:

Why is there such scrutiny of the Kerry record? Because that is what the Rove White House wants in order to divert attention from Bush and his record! There was no real scrutiny of Bush and his record when he ran for President…. To divert attention from all of this, let's talk about whether it was Kerry's medals or ribbons! Kerry is a model of integrity and intelligence next to Bush and his people!

So we promise: from now through Election Day, we will only scrutinize Bush.

Posted by lehrer at 03:08 PM

We’ll make this mostly a guest blog entry today from Jack in Short Hills, who emailed us after the show. He was responding to a caller who attended The March For Women’s Lives yesterday, who objected strongly to John Kerry sending his daughter to represent him. What do you think? Jack wrote:

I don't think that John Kerry helps himself with the swing voters (i.e. the non ABB's) by showing up at a pro-abortion rights rally --

Kerry is more directly confronted by the hierarchy of the Catholic Church with the publication in the U.S. of Ecclesia De Eucharistia and the pronouncements of Cardinal Arinze and Bishop Wilton Gregory. Ted Kennedy appeared to trivialize Arinze's position - as I read his remarks in the LA Times (reg. required) last week.

(Editor’s Note: ABB stands for Anyone But Bush)

On one other topic, New Republic Editor Peter Beinart said the flap about Saudis flying out of the country after 9/11 when other flights were grounded is being overblown. He responded on the show to a clip of Prince Bandar on Meet The Press. I tend to agree. If Democrats are harping on this to make Bush look bad, they should bark up a different tree. With all the problems confronting the nation, do you really expect swing voters to turn the President out of office because he and Richard Clarke let Saudi elites go home?

Posted by lehrer at 04:22 PM

Maybe the politically androgynous Michael Bloomberg is a Republican after all! The New York Times poll today finds half of NY Republicans approve of the job he’s doing, but only a third of NY Democrats do. And his Department of Education policies, the centerpiece of his administration is much more popular with people who don’t have kids in the schools than those who do. Wayne Barrett on our show today wondered who Bloomberg is really ending social promotion for!

Unresolved question from today’s show: Is the Snapple they sell in public schools sweetened with corn syrup? Email us if you know.

Posted by lehrer at 04:21 PM

It’s amazing. No issue splits progressive listeners – and those who toil in the nightlife biz - like the smoking ban in bars. It’s either a workers rights issue or a symbol of creeping fascism, depending who you ask. It raises passions so much that rock and blues artist Joe Jackson has been moved to write a protest song about it, which we played during his appearance on the program today. He also claims the EPA and other mainstream sources have “cooked the books” in its review of studies on the health effects of second hand smoke, because they are zealots. Here’s a web page that tries to flesh out the same idea. I have no clue how credible it is. But please don’t ask me to volunteer to work in smoke-filled rooms eight hours a night to prove the point.

Posted by lehrer at 03:23 PM

Here’s what I think about Sen. Chuck Hagel’s idea for reviving the draft, which we had a call-in about today:

I love the idea because it’s the only equitable way to distribute military risk in our society.

I hate the idea because the government should never force people to fight in wars they don’t support.

I love the idea because it would force top officials to have a personal stake in their decisions about military action.

I hate the idea because at least the market-based military we have today has to offer incentives like college tuition. What would they give people if they could just force us in?

I hate myself for liking something about our mercenary military.

I love the idea because reservists and Guard members with kids at home shouldn't have to serve in Iraq.

I hate the idea because my own kids could get called in a few years.

It’ll never happen because members of Congress feel the same way about their kids.

Posted by lehrer at 04:04 PM

NPR’s Rick Karr covered more than one search engine in his five-part series The Search Engine Wars but when he was on the show today our listeners wanted to talk Google and Gmail.

In the last few weeks the company has found themselves embroiled in a controversy all stemming from the introduction of google email – Gmail. The advantages range from the incredible storage size 1000 megabytes (much more than other free email providers) to the ease that the user would have to search for archived messages.

Rick pointed out the main disadvantage is the potential for privacy infringement on the user. He explained emails either sent or received by the Gmail member will be monitored for marketing purposes allowing companies access to anything from your sexual orientation to your choice in deck furniture even after you have cancelled your Gmail account.

A Gmail Beta user called in to disagree indicating changes have been made allowing users to delete their mail and account permanently.

Whoever is right, it will probably lead to an increase in spam.

One of our listeners asked about the "I'm Feeling Lucky" button, which Rick informed us was Google's means of showing off their prowess in hunting information down.

Brian suggests going to Google and typing in "Weapons of Mass Destruction" and then clicking "I'm Feeling Lucky".

To save you googling time – we’ve posted the results here

Do you think in the future we’ll still use the verb to google regardless of the search engine, kind of like the way we Xerox now?

Posted by lehrer at 05:42 PM

I've been wondering why John Kerry chose yesterday to go on Meet The Press. He must have known that the Bob Woodward book would suck all the air out of the weekend news cycles, right into today. Maybe he didn’t actually want the publicity for some reason. But he’s not solving his biggest problem: everyone knows what he’s against, but not what he’s for.

In any case, Woodward’s Plan of Attack adds Colin Powell to the drip drip drip of insiders who believe Bush and Cheney were irrationally obsessed with Iraq. Can Powell, Paul O’Neill and Richard Clarke all be dismissed as malcontents?

By the way, Powell’s “Pottery Barn Rule”, described by Woodward – if you break Iraq, you’ve bought it - drew a few howls of protest from callers who say they’ve broken things at Pottery Barn – and even after getting something home – and their returns policy is very generous.

Posted by lehrer at 04:05 PM

9-11 Commissioner Slade Gorton says he doesn’t like to draw conclusions about the Commission's hearings. But on today’s show, the former Republican Senator seemed eager to opine:

-he dubbed Attorney General John Ashcroft’s comments about Commissioner Jamie Gorelick heightening the wall (between intelligence and law enforcement) as a “cheap shot.”

-said the most recent hearings about law enforcement and the intelligence community were more important than the past hearings with Richard Clarke and Condoleezza Rice.

-responded to comments about the Commission spending too much time giving interviews to the media, saying, “if we have to make the choice between plenty of publicity and public education and hiding behind closed doors, I'll take the former anytime.”

-He said he was “less entranced" with the idea of setting up a new MI-5-type agency: “Many of us were I think more entranced then than we are now.”

Mail us your thoughts

Posted by lehrer at 04:41 PM

Rheingold Beer is trying to make a comeback in New York with an ad campaign that lays into Mayor Bloomberg. One spot targets the smoking ban, another the cabaret laws, and another the mayor’s alleged ticket blitz.

My somewhat sarcastic interview of Rheingold CEO Tom Benheim today generated complaints from smokers (and, to be fair, some non-smokers) that I was treating him differently from other guests, revealing my bias against the smoking law.

Truth is, I have long been and remain conflicted about the smoking law. I do buy the mayor’s argument that it’s a workers rights issue, and that no one should be put in the position of having to breathe carcinogens eight hours a night to make a living – or a better living. But I also think some compromise should be possible to accommodate smokers. How about ventilated rooms where smoking patrons can bring their food and drink but not be served? Or is that too much like a leper colony?

BUT: How cynical it is for a company to pass off a demographic marketing campaign as some kind of civic participation! Benheim even admitted in our interview that this should work for him as a business model because his target customers tend to be disproportionately smokers – 18-34 year old males.

Posted by lehrer at 07:17 PM

For all the criticism by the presumed Democratic presidential nominee of the current resident of the White House, it was hard to find differences between them today on the defining issues of Israel and what to do next in Iraq. At least, that was the case judging by our interview with Kerry’s National Security Adviser Rand Beers. Check out the Iraq and Israel threads in our 20 minute interview. And as you’ll hear in a sound bite we played, Kerry even called the occupation of Iraq a "great enterprise".

We were so struck by the similarities that on tomorrow’s show, we’ll have Newsweek's Richard Wolffe to try to articulate the differences we might have missed.

Meanwhile, we invite your e-mail on the question: how are Kerry and Bush different on future U.S. policy toward Iraq, and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict?

And don’t forget our contest to name this blog: deadline April 25th.

Posted by lehrer at 05:40 PM

While the pols on the 9/11 Commission jockey for impact, keep your eye on the staff reports. The one released today skewers the FBI on numerous fronts. Worst of all, it says the FBI under Louis Freeh failed to establish an effective counter-terrorism operation despite it being raised to priority number one in the last two years under Clinton. Then, oh by the way, the report says Ashcroft downgraded terrorism below drug and gun enforcement.

Meanwhile, Janet Reno testified during our live coverage that in her opinion, the Patriot Act is improving domestic security without harming civil liberties. But neither she nor Freeh wants a US secret police force, like Britain’s MI5, as some have proposed.

Posted by lehrer at 02:41 PM

Idle speculation: As bad as the FBI is coming out of this, I wonder if Ashcroft may wind up the ultimate 9/11 fall guy, with Rudy riding to the rescue as the new AG just as Kerry rolls out his veep.

Posted by lehrer at 02:07 PM

Using a number 2 pencil, mark the answer that most reflects reality:

1.Social Promotion harms kids by not holding them accountable.
2.Leaving kids back harms kids by making them feel old and useless.

Well, if studies of Chicago’s end to social promotion are any indication, the correct answer is both A and B above. In other words, the whole social promotion debate is a red herring! The real answer is to provide failing kids the intensive help they need to get them up to grade level, whether you hold them back or not. Also, that third grade is too late to identify those kids.

New York City schools Chancellor Joel Klein says he gets it, but for now, his focus is on leaving lots of third graders back this year to make the point of no more business as usual. The real test will come next year, when we see how many of the left back kids pass the tests then…. And whether the small class sizes and early intervention programs he promises actually materialize.

Posted by lehrer at 02:26 PM

While the news media were trying to figure out whether to continue spinning Condi's testimony or focus on the very scary news coming out of Iraq yesterday, Bill Clinton met for about four hours in secret with the 9/11 Commission. The day's papers contained little information on the meeting. Fortunately, Commissioner Bob Kerrey was able to share a few points when he was a guest on the show this morning.

on the Cole Bombing:“I was very critical of the President and his national security people in earlier hearings on that point and his answer is that they just weren’t certain. They had not been persuaded by the CIA and FBI that Al Qaeda was responsible.”

on rumors Sudan wanted an extradition deal for bin Laden in 1996:“He said I do not recall ever having that offer.”

The net effect of Condi on perceptions of Bush admin pre-9/11 actions?: [bloomberg]

Posted by lehrer at 04:32 PM

Forget about Richard Clarke vs. Condoleeza Rice. Bob Kerrey vs. Rice was much more interesting. In Dr. Rice’s testimony today, Kerrey said the attacks could have been prevented, if only the intelligence would have been better circulated about a lot of Arab men taking flying lessons. Rice said there was “no silver bullet.” He insisted the Clinton Administration gave the Bush Administration a detailed plan for going after Al Qaeda. She disagreed. He supported the Iraq war but said it’s now hurting American interests. He told Rice she didn’t have to respond to that, and she didn’t. And for some reason, he insisted on calling Rice “Dr. Clarke”. Earth to Bob….

Posted by lehrer at 02:56 PM

Attention White House Press Corps: follow up on this. It came out that the August 6th, 2001 Presidential Daily Brief was about Bin Laden’s “determination” to attack the United States. Rice said it was not a warning but a “historical" document requested by the President. It’s still a classified document. Freedom of Information Act filing anyone?

Note- the PDB is now declassified!

Posted by lehrer at 02:30 PM

If our conversation on today’s show with Newsweek’s Richard Wolfe is any indication, it looks like Bush and Kerry are trading issues. It used to be that the limp job market favored the Democrat, while going to Iraq favored Bush. But, jobs are coming back (at least for now) and Kerry risks looking like a whiner by downplaying the quality of the jobs. And Iraq is going to Hell (at least for now) and Bush’s poll numbers relating to Iraq keep going down. Bring it on… in reverse!

Posted by lehrer at 04:12 PM

Meanwhile, is there nothing in between seedy decay and saccharine Disney for Times Square? You’d think the intersection known as “the crossroads of the world” could have cleaned itself up without stripping itself of its soul. But alas. Talking about his new book The Devil’s Playground, James Traub recalled the heyday of Times square when it was safe enough, but endearingly quirky. Today, look elsewhere for New York street life.

Where in New York have you found great New York characters? Email us.

Posted by lehrer at 04:04 PM

This morning’s show kicked off with a spirited debate on Ikea’s plan to set up shop in Red Hook, Brooklyn. The New York Sun’s Errol Louis was in Brian’s seat today while Brian was off for Passover (he returns tomorrow).

The debate about whether the jobs and new services would be enough to offset the traffic problems actually continued off the air. The Red Hook civic alliance’s John McGettrick and Ikea’s Pat Smith argued their way to our lobby and eventually parted ways even before the elevator arrived (much to the relief of concerned onlookers).

Posted by lehrer at 04:34 PM

Comments also continued off the air and emailers on both sides of the debate weighed in. Here’s a sample...

Long term successful development rarely has an easy solution. Do the people of Red Hook notice how mall sprall decentralizes neighborhoods and makes people dependent on one employer?

It's a CLASS thing, man. The working class people need jobs while the gentrifying pioneers dream of Red Hook as Brooklyn Heights, and big scores made in real estate. Make me puke.
IKEA would be the best thing to happen to Red Hook in a century.
Hey, The White Fleet ain't coming back. Get with the program, or get out is my advice.

Send us your thoughts

Posted by lehrer at 04:28 PM

On this morning’s show, we followed up on our April Fool's call-in about Mayor Bloomberg’s proposal to “ban smoking in your own home”.

We thought that there was enough silliness in my tone of voice, and that there were enough clues sprinkled throughout, including our “happy holiday’ disclaimer at the end (not to mention our fake city councilwoman “Phyllis Morris”). But the feedback continued to come in over the weekend that many of you believed it, and more importantly, that some smokers were made really upset by it.

We’ve been doing April Fool’s segments for years and years and this is the first one that has had this kind of effect. The call-in this morning was primarily for smokers on what is revealed by this as an underlying issue: That it could be believable that the mayor of New York might propose to outlaw smoking in your own home!

We took calls from smokers to about what it’s like to be a smoker in today’s world.

-BL
Email us your thoughts.

here is a selection of some emails we received...

The most intense anti-smoking campaign in history was launched by Adolf Hitler, a little known fact…Liberty and responsibility are directly correlated-- one cannot enjoy liberty without a proportional amount of responsibility. Careful what you non-smokers wish for lest we end up as infants of the state.
-
While I agree that your joke was made easier to fall for by the eroding of civil rights generally, I hope that the reactions smokers had will open their eyes to the sadness of their addiction.
-
I have been harassed on a daily basis over my smoking. I can tell without exaggeration that during my 15 minute walk to get my lunch everyday I have had as many as 8 people tell me to stop smoking.
-
Nobody cared about smoking until the health insurance lobby became more powerful than the tobacco lobby.

Posted by lehrer at 04:55 PM