Is The U.S. Ready For Iraq-Style Attacks?

(CBS/AP)  Dozens of high-level officials joined in a White House drill Saturday to see how the government would respond if several cities were attacked simultaneously by bombs similar to those commonly used against U.S. troops in Iraq.

A White House spokesman stressed that the exercise focused on a fictional bombing in the U.S. and is not based on any new information or threats, reports CBS News White House correspondent Mark Knoller.

White House homeland security adviser Fran Townsend presided over the three-hour exercise that brought the government's highest level homeland security officials to the Eisenhower Executive Office Building next to the White House. All Cabinet agencies were represented by their secretaries or other high-ranking officials, with a total of about 90 participants, said Scott Stanzel, a White House spokesman.

Stanzel said the drill revealed gaps where the government needs to work to improve its response, but also showed progress since Hurricane Katrina exposed federal inadequacies when it devastated the Gulf Coast in 2005. For instance, coordination with state and local authorities and the ability to get federal resources in place quickly — key missteps after Katrina — appeared much better now, Stanzel said.

President Bush went on a bike ride not far from the White House Saturday morning, and did not take part in the test.

Townsend and the Homeland Security Council that she heads mapped out in advance a massive disaster involving improvised explosive devices, or IEDs, detonating in 10 U.S. cities at the same time, using a combination of large and small towns, said a senior administration official, speaking on condition of anonymity.

IED attacks are being used by insurgents in Iraq with regularity to kill hundreds of civilians and soldiers in Iraq. Recently, the Bush administration has said that IEDs and other weaponry in Iraq are coming from Iran.

But Stanzel said the test was not inspired by new intelligence or any increased chatter about terrorists' desire to use IEDs inside the United States. He noted that both the World Trade Center bombing in 1993 and the Oklahoma City bombing in 1995 involved homemade bombs.

"The threat of an IED goes back 14 years," he said. "It's important for the administration to prepare for any eventuality, just as we have prepared for a pandemic flu, a smallpox outbreak or a major hurricane."

Indeed, this was the administration's fourth such "tabletop" exercise since the first in December 2005 on a bird flu or other pandemic outbreak.

Townsend's scenario envisioned requests pouring in from state and local authorities, and also assumed many local abilities would be diminished by the large scale of the disaster. The discussion began with the period immediately after the attacks, then moved to circumstances gamed out for weeks later. At each point, the agency representatives were directed to detail what they would do, the official said.

The next step is for the Homeland Security Council to study the role play and report on what gaps were revealed and should be addressed, Stanzel said.

[bobebenson]

After 9/11 we had the WHOLE WORLD on our side, and we SQUANDERED IT!

When Katrina hit the whole world wanted to come to our aid--even poor countries; because we have helped so many other countries in the past. What happened? WE SQUANDERED ALL THE MONEY AND NOTHING HAS BEEN RE-BUILT!

With this unecessary Iraq war, we have SQUANDERED almost HALF a TRILLION DOLLARS! For What?

With our fiscal policy, we are soon going to have a depression (not 'Recession', or 'Downturn") a DEPRESSION! Oh they won't call it that, it's just that one day your ATM will be out of order and your check card won't work at the store anymore...must be a computer virus or something. Why do Bush and Cheney need to make (steal!) Billions of dollars? So they can enjoy their two-hundred dollar cup of Starbucks coffee. I am ASHAMED of our government. All three branches. I think we should throw them ALL out, but I fear that it's too late for that to do any good now. Barter system anyone?

[gunownerdan]

The CONCEALED CARRY DATABASE
www.packing.org
Terrorists Prefer Unarmed Victims!

[lars008-2009]

Appeal for Redress

Sign this Appeal.

This site is an Appeal For Redress in support of our mission in Iraq.

An Appeal For Redress is an authorized means for active duty military to submit a grievance to Congress. It can be signed by Active Duty, Reserve, or National Guard military personnel.


It is authorized by DoD Directive 1325.6 and DoD Directive 7050.6.

The wording of the Appeal for Redress is:
As an American currently serving my nation in uniform, I respectfully urge my political leaders in Congress to fully support our mission in Iraq and halt any calls for retreat. I also respectfully urge my political leaders to actively oppose media efforts which embolden my enemy while demoralizing American support at home. The War in Iraq is a necessary and just effort to bring freedom to the Middle East and protect America from further attack.
If you are active duty, reservist or national guard, please Sign this Appeal.

Most service members fully support the war in Iraq and feel calls to retreat by Congress and attacks by our media on our conduct and mission act to motivate our enemy while demoralizing our support at home, directly increasing the threat we face and resulting in greater American casualties. This Appeal for Redress provides a way in which individual service members can appeal to Congress to fully support us and actively oppose media attacks on our mission and our morale.
http://www.appealforcourage.org/

[hsmagst]

To usadvisor101: So you fault the President of the United States for doing exactly what he is required to do in times of emergency. Obey the Secret Service. What the heck did you want him to do? Jump up and start shouting orders in front of a bunch of grade school kids? How about waiting a few minutes to see what his security team wanted him to do? Nobody there knew exactly what was going on....they weren't watching tv.....they were in radio contact only. Do you also fault the mayor of New York for his actions or lack of at that instant? Did he run down to the trade centers and start guiding people out? Bush was a thousand miles away and talking to children. HE DID EXACTLY WHAT SECURITY RULES SAY HE IS TO DO

[annd2302]

Posted by MichelleM99 at 12:48 AM : Feb 25, 2007
"I was born and raised in the US and this is not the greatest nation in the world. I heard this for years. Not true. "


Just for my clarification, and simplicity of it all:

Number One 1. Are you saying The U.S. is the greatest nation in the world?

Number Two 2. Are you saying The U.S. is NOT the greatest nation in the world?

[gunownerdan]

The best way to stop terrorists and other dangerous criminals is to have responsible civilians carry CONCEALED WEAPONS legally and safely.
Terrorists prefer unarmed victims!
www.a-human-right.com

[hsmagst]

To usadvisor101: You said "we seen bush sit with a panic stricken look on his face and was unable to get up and do something. in front of a class of kids, he showed me he was incapable of operating....."

You are really a very uniformed person when it comes to reality. When Bush was informed about the 9-11 attacks, NOBODY had any idea what the situation was. Under Secret Service procedures, the President is to do nothing until they have assessed the situation and determined what THEY want the President to do to ensure his safety and his ability to maintain control. HE did exactly as he was supposed to do until accurate information was assessed. You can't take a thing Michael Moore says as truth.

[olgreyghost]

After the Boston/Cartoon Network fiasco we can see our government is ready for such bombings - they can't prevent them, they won't be able to catch most of the bombers, and they'll blame the wrong people (again) - but they can certainly clamp down on our civil and Constitutional rights with Sovereign Immunity because everything they need to do so is already in place. Anyone starting to feel like a chess piece on the wrong side of the board?

[j-whitman]

Lars,,,, The rhetoric used today "They will invade America", "Hating democracy" -- Came from Hitler's Soviet Spy Chief Reinhard Gehlen, a war criminal who developed much of our Cold War Policies from a GOP comitee office in D.C. --- The same rhetoric was used against Americans in Viet Nam & now ---- 90% of Reinhard Gehlen's intell was deliberatly wrong...... You should learn something about WW 2 before you use it.

[j-whitman]

Lars,,, The Discovery Channel is coming out with a new documentary -- They found the real Tomb of Jesus,, in it where his bones & the bones of both Mary's, his little known brother & his son Judah.