Sen. Levin Demands al Qaeda Box-Cutter Probe
(2004-01-30) — After David Kay told a Senate panel last week that his Iraq Survey Group has found no stockpiles of WMD, Sen. Carl Levin, D-MI, demanded a sweeping investigation of U.S. intelligence capabilities.
In addition to probing why the C.I.A. failed to discover Saddam Husseinís dearth of weapons of mass destruction, Sen. Levin said the investigation should determine how al-Qaeda acquired box cutters before September 11, 2001.
ìIn hindsight,î said Sen. Levin, ìItís more important to know how bin Laden got the razor blades. We know that those blades can destroy tall buildings and kill thousands. Why didnít the C.I.A. know three years ago that al Qaeda had box-cutter technology? If we had discovered their stockpiles and destroyed them by pinpoint bombing, 9-11 never would have happened.î
Sen. Levin suggested that the Bush administration downplayed al Qaedaís box cutter capabilities before September 2001, despite warnings from the outgoing Clinton administration that ëArab-looking peopleí had been seen in hardware departments at Wal-Mart, Sears and Home Depot in seven states.
Director of Central Intelligence George Tenet, a Clinton appointee, acknowledged that ìwe may have relied too heavily on information from the U.N.H.C.I. ñ United Nations Hardware and Cutlery Inspectors. We need to develop independent sources of information about all of the potential implements of destruction (P.I.D.), and of course that takes more money.î
An unnamed senior Bush administration official said, ìThe president welcomes any investigation that would strengthen our defenses and make America safer.î
ìOf course,î the official added, ìa cynic might argue that the most dangerous Iraqi weapon of mass destruction was pulled from a spider hole near Tikrit on December 13, 2003, by troops from the U.S. 4th Infantry Division.î
ìOur pre-war intelligence indicated that WMD was there,î he said. ìIt took us a long time to find it in an unlikely location. But thousands of lives have been saved as a result of our intelligence work, and our troops on the ground. Probe that, Mr. Levin.”
