More Holes Than a Block of Swiss Cheese...

With the nation's attention focused on Katrina's aftermath, the Able Danger scandal has all but evaporated. I'm guessing that members of the 9-11 Commission and former Clinton Administration officials are breathing a cynical, collective sigh of relief. Last week, just before the hurricane began dominating news cycles, two more members of Able Danger came forward and essentially confirmed the original account of Lt Col Anthony Shaffer. Colonel Shaffer, an intelligence officer assigned to Able Danger, reported that his unit identified Mohammed Atta as an Al Qaida operative more than a year before 9-11, but was barred from sharing that information by Pentagon lawyers.

Of course, the 9-11 Commission's highly-lauded report makes no mention of Able Danger. As Ed Morrissey at the Weekly Standard points out, that report neglects a number of critical points, and has more "holes" than a proverbial block of Swiss cheese. I hate to say it, but we still need another commission to determine what the 9-11 panel knew, and why they chose to ignore and omit pertinent facts.