By Mannix Porterfield
Jay Rockefeller’s office says the senator cannot divulge precise details on “sensitive” intelligence briefings, but the West Virginia Democrat says those in the know have warned of another terrorist strike on the homeland.
As the seventh anniversary of 9/11 dawned, Rockefeller is faulting the Bush administration for maintaining its gun sights on Iraq when the real threat is from al-Qaida along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border.
“As chairman of the (Senate) Intelligence Committee, I am stunned that President Bush still refuses to focus on the terrorist threats facing America,” the senator said in a statement from his office.
An aide wouldn’t say whether Rockefeller’s remarks could be interpreted as meaning a second attack was imminent.
“Sen. Rockefeller and the Intelligence Committee are regularly briefed and receive daily intelligence reports regarding terrorist activity around the world and developments in Afghanistan and Iraq,” communications director Jamie Smith told The Register-Herald.
“Obviously, he cannot share the details of this sensitive information, but Sen. Rockefeller believes it is incontrovertible that the base of operations for terrorist groups who seek to harm America is, and has been for many years, in and around the Afghanistan-Pakistan border region.”
Today, Rockefeller will accompany the family of Dr. Paul Ambrose to the formal dedication of the official memorial for those who perished at the Pentagon and on American Airlines Flight 77.
Ambrose was aboard Flight 77 when it crashed into the Pentagon on Sept. 11, 2001. He was a senior clinical adviser for the U.S. Surgeon General and a graduate of the Marshall University Medical School and the Harvard University School of Public Health.
Seven years after the attacks , Rockefeller said, al-Qaida maintains “a safe haven” along that border and intelligence experts have warned the terrorist group is “plotting to strike the American homeland.”
“Instead of eliminating this growing threat, President Bush’s attention remains locked on Iraq,” the senator said.
“No one disputes there is ongoing work to do in Iraq, but the president’s announcement of minor troop withdrawals demonstrates that he is dangerously ignoring the most serious threats we face.”
— E-mail: apridemore@register-herald.com
