get donkey!

Today more information came out that indicates that the Phoenix Memo was actually more detailed than previously thought. Among other things, the memo actually named eight men who were taking classes at Arizona flight schools.

Of course this new information contradicts Ari’s description of the memo in his Tuesday Press conference:

Q Yes. Has the President asked to see the FBI Phoenix memo? Isn’t he curious to see it?

MR. FLEISCHER: He was briefed on it, and that sufficed.

Q But — one more, one more, if I can. Also — just — so he has not asked to actually see the memo?

MR. FLEISCHER: He was briefed on it, and that sufficed, he said.

Q Okay, okay. Final question. On — you talk about how Congress is investigating and that’s important. But why wouldn’t this President want to have known sooner about the existence of this memo to make sure that his administration — his FBI, his Justice Department — that they are instituting changes to make sure this information doesn’t slip through the cracks? Not Congress. Why wouldn’t the President be a little bit frustrated that “Why am I only finding out about this memo now? And if I found out about it sooner,” perhaps he could make changes to make sure this does not slip through the cracks.

MR. FLEISCHER: And what is it in the memo that is so critical that you say the President needed to know about? Can you be specific?

Q Yes. This memo, Ari, as you know, came out in July. And had it gone to the right places in July, potentially other things could have happened. So the question being said, this President, who’s here trying to make sure that all his agencies are doing the right thing, wouldn’t he be a little upset that he’s only finding out about the existence of a memo that came out in July only in the last week or two?

MR. FLEISCHER: Well, that’s exactly why Congress is taking a look at all events up to the 11th, with the support of the President.

Q Doesn’t he want to check and do his own investigation with his own agencies to make sure that —

MR. FLEISCHER: Kelly, I think it’s also possible you may be overstating the impact of the memo, if you’re suggesting that this memo in and of itself could have prevented the attack.

Q No one is saying that.

MR. FLEISCHER: The fact that people who are familiar with the memo, including people who are familiar with the memo, have said that it was broad, about flight schools across the country. It did not even name the specific people who were aboard the planes, who did the hijacking. [emphasis mine]

While it is still unclear if any of the eight men named in the memo took part in the 9/11 attacks, it is becoming quite clear that this memo was not as vague as Ari would like us to believe. I think it is also a shocking that the president still hasn’t actually seen the memo. He was only briefed on it. If I were him, I would be extremely curious to see if this memo would have contained any info that could haver led to thwarting the 9/11 attacks. I still do not get the impression that the President is even remotely engaged in fixing problems within the nation’s intelligence organizations.

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