Ashcroft's dishonest buck-passing and Rice's astonishing claims that the warnings were "historical" might not constitute lies under oath. Beyond any doubt, this testimony reveals their stunning lack of ability and accountability. In the end, the buck stops with Bush. Of course Bush refuses to accept any responsibility either.

A few simple facts get lost in this cloud of misrepresentation and media manipulation. January 20, 2001 Bush swore an oath to protect us from all enemies foreign and domestic. On September 11, 2001 we learned how little that oath meant to Bush and his administration. Now, we're seeing and hearing in sworn testimony that Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, Rice, Ashcroft, Powell and others ignored very specific warnings about the terrorist threat.

An Analogy for 9/11: Say you live next door to these people called the Bushes and their family friends the bin Ladens come over to visit them all the time. Then one day your house is set on fire and all the evidence points to these same bin Ladens.

You know the Bushes know the bin Ladens very well, and you know the Bush's dopey kid George Jr. - who worked for the bin Ladens - was supposed to be heading the neighborhood watch that night. You also know Junior helped all the bin Ladens leave town just after all this went down.

You telling me you're not even going to ask Junior about any of this? You saying it's okay if Junior tells the cops it's none of their business what he knew and when he knew it? You'd accept Junior's excuses that some other guy named Bill is really to blame? That's what 9/11 and the Bush cover-up is like.

Why we must know the causes of 9/11: This is not about making political hay. This is about our lives and safety. That's nonpartisan, at least to any decent human being. These are the most basic issues. No Patriot Act or Homeland Security Department can provide us with any national security unless we know the answers.

To be safe, we need to know what went wrong and why. It's very upsetting and troubling that certain politicians don't want us -- or anyone else to know the truth. In intelligence jargon, those at the top inform others on a "need to know" basis. We cannot afford and should not let our elected officials hide the truth from us. We need to know.

As the Washington Post's Helen Dewar reported under the headline: "House GOP Stops 9/11 Probe Plan," the Bush administration is still blocking any real inquiry into the causes of 9/11. As previously seen, top elected Republicans keep hiding the truth from the American people. They backed out on an agreement as "A tentative congressional deal to create an independent commission to investigate the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks fell apart hours after the White House and House Republican leaders objected to the plan, sources said last night."

All decent Americans want to know the truth, not to embarrass one party, agency or another, but to prevent another terrorist attack. To save lives. However, "Commission backers questioned whether the White House was trying to scuttle the panel privately while endorsing it publicly and planned a news conference today to air their complaints and push again for approval." This is simply unconscionable.

At first, it seemed possible that the White House and other top politicians were ready to let the investigation finally begin. "Earlier in the day, three of the four top leaders of the Senate and House intelligence committees, which are conducting a preliminary investigation of their own, announced they had reached agreement on a plan and said a fourth, House intelligence committee Chairman Porter J. Goss (R-Fla.), had signaled his approval."

Top Congressional leaders of both parties "acknowledged there were still some points of disagreement with the White House, which other sources said included the scope and duration of the inquiry, the composition of the panel and subpoena powers." However, Bush and Cheney's demands to hobble the investigation proved too much to overcome. House Republicans caved.

The plans to launch a real investigation by adding "the commission proposal to the intelligence authorization bill, which is on a fast track for approval" fell apart under Republican obstructionism. This ended any hopes to even begin looking for answers, "before Congress recesse[d] for the Nov. 5 midterm elections." This because "when House and Senate conferees met later to ratify the accord, they were told that House Republican leaders would not bring the legislation to the full House for a vote if the commission proposal was included as written."

Why not? What could cause our elected officials to shirk their most basic duty -- to protect us from terrorist attack? "'Clearly, it was because of [White House] objections,' said a congressional aide. "Why is the White House so steadfastly opposing a real investigation into 9/11? What are they trying to hide? Why are we letting them get away with it? See: "House GOP Stops 9/11 Probe Plan," Helen Dewar, Washington Post Friday, October 11, 2002; Page A14: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A9773-2002Oct10.html

Is this a cover-up? It certainly appears so. It's up to us to make the difference. Share this information with anyone who cares about our national security. Ask them to help us find the truth through a full, public investigation into what went wrong leading up the 9/11/01. Write to your elected officials and the media.

For more information, see other articles at this site:

Bush's Short-Sighted 9/11 Cover-Up: Rather than embrace efforts to find out what went wrong on 9/11/01 to prevent another devastating terror attack, right wingers in the White House adopted Watergate cover-up tactics, stonewalling, lying, and of course attacking Americans who want to know the truth.

Bush and other top Republicans followed White House political mastermind Karl Rove's advice to exploit the 9/11 disaster for partisan advantage. Now Bush's hand-picked 9/11 Commission Chairman staunch Republican and former NJ Governor Thomas Kean and others demand answers to important questions and draw unflattering conclusions about the Bush Administration's failure to keep up safe. http://www.mikehersh.com/Bushs_Short_Sighted_911_CoverUp.shtml

Bush and Cheney Block 9-11 Investigation: Democrats keep pressing for a full hearing into the massive failures which left us open to terrorist attacks. Why are Bush and Cheney still blocking a public 9-11 investigation? What caused the breakdown in intelligence and national security? Why didn't our FBI, CIA and military protect us? What happened to the Clinton Administration plans to combat Al Qaeda? Have Bush and Cheney cured the flaws in the system?

Asking these questions and demanding answers is our duty as Americans. It's the height of patriotism. Especially with our national security at stake. We have the right to know what went wrong. http://www.mikehersh.com/article_158.shtml

Air Force Colonel says "Bush Knew" about 9/11: A brave Air Force veteran is making his stand as an American, but the Bush Administration is trying to silence him. Few voices dare to speak truth to power. Lt. Colonel Steven Butler has been suspended for writing a letter in which he called President Bush 'a joke' and accused Bush of knowing about the Sept. 11 attacks. Don't let him stand alone. http://www.mikehersh.com/article_65.shtml

Demand Integrity: We may have been able to deny it for some time. But sooner or later we have to come to grips with the facts. We are ruled by a den of thieves. http://www.mikehersh.com/article_20.shtml

A Lesson in Accountability: Accountability. We Americans teach our children that they will be held accountable. It is after all, the golden rule in life. In my opinion, it is good parenting to instill the lesson in accountability in our children. I often wonder if George Bush Sr. and Barbara Bush had instilled that all important lesson in theirs as well? http://www.mikehersh.com/article_21.shtml

Demand Public Congressional 9/11 Investigation: George Bush wants to limit inquiry into 9-11 to secret congressional Intelligence Committee proceedings. The Washington Post, NY Times, and CNN Ask: What is Bush Hiding? http://www.mikehersh.com/article_2.shtml

Call it 9/11gate: Millions of Saudi dollars compromised the patriotism of top current and former Bush officials, including George W. Bush, George Herbert Walker Bush, James A. Baker III, and many others. That's why the Bush White House is desperately trying to prevent investigations into the September 11th terror attacks. http://www.mikehersh.com/article_4.shtml

Is Bush to blame for 9/11? The Bush White House is trying block investigations into the 9-11 terror attacks. Democrats demand public investigations, but Bush and Cheney are desperate to prevent this. Here's why: The Saudis hired several current and former top Bush administration officials. These officials looked the other way - or worse - before and after the Saudi-sponsored terrorist attacks. http://www.mikehersh.com/article_45.shtml