"Strick, I doubt that is a complete document."

I would have posted the photocopy of the actual document that's on some news sites but it does only show the first page, bullets and all. News organizations were apparently given copies to examine for themselves. Apparently they think all the meat's on the first page. I can only say that the document was said to have ended with the report that there were 70 FBI investigations as this does.

Here's a link to the copy if you're interested.

Aug 6th PDB -- Reuters via NPR

GUEST, I noted Ben Laden's reaction to the Afghan crusie missles for a reason. It shows he wasn't like Kadafi who could be discouraged by a retaliatory strike here or there. Exactly four weeks and one day after this briefing the policy toward Al Qaeda became one of complete destruction rather that containment that the Clinton administration had been following. Four weeks might sound like a long time under the circumstances, but it's record time for a policy change in Washington when there's no more than this to go on. I don't accept that there was a plan at that time, but what's described could safely be called a strategy for accomplishing the policy. No one did enough, but that's only "idle" when you look at it after the fact, not with the info the Administration actually received.

Given the trumped up reputation of the FBI, would you have automatically thought those 70 investigations were worthless? I guess I have been naive. I might be suspicous now, but then I would have thought they were doing their best.

I can't figure where Bob Kerry is coming from. No one, not even Clarke, has said that any information available would have been enough to guarantee preventing 9/11. Maybe with perfect hindsight or if certain wishes were granted, but not based on the facts. The 9/11 Commissioners are going to do us a major dis-service if they politicize their report as it increasingly appears they will.