Considering that the Bush administration discounted or simply ignored the warnings it received from the outgoing Clinton administration, and from various intelligence agencies, both domestic and foreign, about the danger of organizations such as al Qaeda and of people like Osama bin Laden, it is patently obvious that the Bush administration was criminally incompetent. I am also of the opinion that, since from the very first days of the Bush administration, they were trying to figure a way to justify an invasion of Iraq to the American people, that they quite probably figured that terrorist groups may very well provide them with the "Pearl Harbor" they would need. Even so, when the attack on the World Trade Center did come, they had to pull out all the smoke and mirrors at their command to convince people that Iraq actually had something to do with it, even though almost every reasonable, well-informed person knew that was not the case.

I do not believe the Bush administration actively participated in the attack. The conspiracy put forth (or should I say "put Froth?") in this thread is so complex and convoluted that it would have Rube Goldberg stunned with admiration, and it requires ignoring science (see the article bodad linked to above) and invoking an extremely cynical view that, out of the thousands of people it would require to bring off such a plot, not one would feel morally outraged enough to speak out, "gag orders" notwithstanding.

No. The Bush administration is guilty of criminal negligence because it ignored the warnings, and because of lying and duplicity when it blamed Osama bin Laden (probably true), then attacked Saddam Hussein (who had nothing to do with it). There is more than enough guilt that can legitimately be laid at the Bush administration's door without having to make up improbable and overly complicated conspiracy fantasies. George W. Bush (including members of his administration, such as Cheney, Rumsfeld, and several others) will go down in history as one of the worst, if not the worst president this country has ever had.

Rosie O'Donnell has been a severe critic of the Bush administration all along. But she completely blows any credibility she ever had by embracing this ridiculous conspiracy theory. And furthermore, conspiracy theories like this one not only distract from the true charges that can be brought against the Bush administration, but they undercut those charges by making all critics of the Bush administration look like a bunch of brainless twits.

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In an episode of "All In The Family," Edith had accidentally dented someone's fender in a grocery store parking lot, and much to Archie's upset, she left a note with her name and address under the windshield wiper of the dented car. The owner of the car, a priest, showed up at the Bunker's door. Wanting to avoid any responsibility, Archie tried to blow him off with a bunch of ridiculous arguments. The priest finally became exasperated and quoted the Bible:

"'Answer not a fool according to his folly, lest thou also be like unto him.' Proverbs 26:4."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean!??" asked Archie.

The priest answered, "Don't waste your time arguing with an idiot!"

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But there is a small controversy about that. Here is a commentary on a seeming contradiction in the Book of Proverbs:

Prov. 26:4 Answer not a fool according to his folly, lest thou also be like unto him
.
Prov. 26:5 Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own conceit.

"Among alleged contradictions charged, this one wins a major award for silliness. What we have here is not contradiction, but dilemma -- an indication that when it comes to answering fools, you can't win -- because they are fools, and there is no practical cure for foolery (as this citation demonstrates). So:    It is unwise to argue with a fool at his own level and recognize his own foolish suppositions, but it is good sometimes to refute him soundly, lest his foolishness seem to be confirmed by your silence."

So although I feel it is a waste of time to engage in arguments like this one, I will probably continue, feeling that an obligation to add my own voice to the voices of Reason.

Don Firth