***
The Post, analyzing the Justice Department's database, found 361 cases defined as terrorism investigations by the department's criminal division between Sept. 11, 2001 and September 2004. (The analysis did not include about 40 cases filed since September, accounting for Bush's total of 400.) The Post was able to analyze 330, as the others were sealed.
Of the 330 cases analyzed, only 142 had connections to Al Qaeda or other terrorist groups, according to court records, official statements, the 9/11 commission report or news accounts.
Of those, 39 were convicted of crimes related to terrorism or national security. Of those, 14 were linked to Al Qaeda.
In truth, 14 Al Qaeda convictions is noteworthy, and should be trumpeted by the Bush administration. Would those 14 have been convicted without the Patriot Act? That's unclear. But certainly Bush and his administration should be telling us about those 14, and the 25 other convictions of individuals tied to non-Al Qaeda terrorist groups.
But that's not what the administration is doing.
Apparently unhappy with the truth, Bush and others in the administration push an "alternate" number of terrorism convictions — a number that plays better before partisan crowds, and is harder for the average local (or perhaps even national) journalist to fact-check. The alternate number is easier for the conservative noise machine to repeat. It sounds better on press releases. It makes for a more convincing argument in Congress.
But in spite of all that, it's still wrong.
***
When Bush and others in the administration imply there have been 200 terrorism convictions, exactly who are they talking about?
According to the Post analysis, they include:
-- Hassan Nasrallah, a Dearborn, Mich., man convicted of credit-card fraud who has the same name as the leader of Hezbollah, or Party of God.
-- Abdul Farid of High Point, N.C., was arrested on a false tip that he was sending money to the Taliban and was deported after admitting he lied on a loan application.
-- Moeen Islam Butt, a Pakistani jewelry-kiosk employee in Pennsylvania, spent eight months in jail before being deported on marriage-fraud and immigration charges.
Article comments
1 - Nancy
Bush talks out of both sides of his mouth; always has. His take on 'whatever' depends on what he's pushing at the moment: at 9 a.m. we're "safer than we ever have been because of the war on terror"; by 10, we're beseiged by the unrelenting enemies of democracy, blah blah blah. I got a bumper sticker that shows W in a typical pose: with his big mouth wide open, and the legend, "If he's talking, he's lying". That pretty much says it all. What is astounding is that he will literally push both contradictory messages almost at the same time, and apparently expect us to have forgotten what he said just a few hours ago, thereby demonstrating the utter contempt by him and his admin buddies for the public he's supposed to be serving instead of conning.
2 - gonzo marx
remember the Boy Scout official that was busted using parts of the Patriot Act for having illegal porn on his home computer?
that was a Warning, folks
once Big Brother gets his hands on tools to enlarge the perogatives of a police state, he very rarely lets it go
the fact that it is a GOP Administration that is touting all this should make any decent "small government" conservative, or any Libertarian, cringe...
our civil Liberties are under assault, and most folks either don't care, or don't notice...let your elected Representatives KNOW how you feel...call, fax, send carrier pigeons
trivia Question...who said the following..
"those who would sacrifice Liberty for Security, deserve neither"
"contemplate that upon the Tree of Woe"
Thulsa Doom
Excelsior!
3 - Dave Nalle
I believe that if you look closely at Bush's specific statement he said that over half of the 400 people charged under the act had been convicted. He did not specify if the conviction was in a regular trial, or just in an immigration hearing, and he didn't specify that those charged and convicted were actual terrorists. If the act's designed to get rid of foreign undesirables it's at least marginally successful and what he said isn't incorrect.
Fortunately it may all be moot, since it looks like Congress isn't going to renew the retarded act, or is at least going to let various provisions expire.
Dave
4 - david r. mark
The quote is accurate. Bush is implying that half of the 400 alleged terrorists were convicted as alleged terrorists. The Justice Department database says otherwise.
I stand by my presentation of the facts.
5 - Dave Nalle
'Implying' is a good word. By putting the word 'terrorist' in close proximity to the information about arrests, he makes it sound like he's talking about terrorists, when what he explicitly says isn't actually about terrorists.
Dave
6 - David R. Mark
It's similar to when he talks about how Social Security is going to be "bankrupt" unless we make changes, then talks about privatization. The only conclusion that people listening can make is that privatization will provide solvency.
But the White House has admitted that's not the case. Privatization is "revenue net neutral" for 75 years. But that won't stop Bush from making his presentation, with its obvious implications.
7 - Dave Nalle
Wouldn't it be nice if the administration could just come out and say "social security is like throwing your money in a dark well. we're just going to keep that money and let you start all over again with an actual fair private system so you won't continue to be screwed in the future."
Wouldn't the AARP have a field days with that.
Dave