We all remember the hubbub several months ago regarding the Bush White House’s "ho-hum" response to the August 6, 2001 PDB ("Presidential Daily Briefing") — the one with the headline saying: "Bin Laden Determined To Strike In U.S.". As you may recall, Condaleeza Rice dismissed the August 6 PDB as an "historical document" that said "nothing new". She and the administration did not consider it a "warning".

Well, it looks like the 9/11 Commission, in their report to come out this week, is going to talk about that PDB, as well as an earlier PDB that went before Clinton’s eyes.

Dated December 4, 1998, the earlier PDB was entitled: "Bin Laden preparing to hijack U.S. aircraft and other attacks."

The 9/11 commission will not only declassify the December 1998 PDB, but the commission’s report will "describe an energetic response to that (1998) report," says Philip Zelikow, executive staff director at the commission, including "efforts to determine if the plot reports were true". (Source)

Not that it would have prevented a tragedy (but who can say for sure?), but don’t you just WISH that the Bush White House had responded to the August 2001 PDB with the same "energetic response" that the Clinton White House did when confronted with the December 1998 PDB . . . rather than being so dismissive, wimpy, and unconcerned?