"The Threat Is Real"

President Bush, speaking to reporters at the White House today, called the threat that al Qaeda operative might once again try to hijack commercial passenger jets and turn them into guided suicide weapons, "very real." The president's remarks came just two days after reports that the TSA had issued an urgent memo to airlines and law enforcement agencies, warning of an al Qaeda plot drawn along the same lines as the September 11th, 2001, attacks.

Asked how real is the threat and what can Americans do about it, this was the president's response:

BUSH: Yeah. Well, first of all, the war on terror goes on, as I continue to remind people. In other words, there are still Al Qaida remnants that have designs on America.

The good news is that we are, one, dismantling the Al Qaida organization and, two, we're learning more information about their plans as we capture more people.

And the threat is a real threat. It's a threat that--you know, we obviously don't have specific data. We don't know when, where, what.

But we do know a couple of things. We do know that Al Qaida tends to use the methodologies that worked in the past. That's, kind of, their mindset. And we've got some data that indicates that they would like to use flights--international flights, for example.

Now, what we can do is we can be--obviously at home, continue to be diligent on the inspection process of baggage, as well as making sure those who board aircraft are properly screened.

And obviously we're talking to foreign governments and foreign airlines to indicate to them the reality of the threat. We're conscious of folks flying--you know, getting lists of people flying into our country and match them now with a much improved database. International flights coming into America must have hardened cockpit doors, which is a positive development.

Being on alert means that we contact all who are responsible, who've got positions of responsibility. And so we're focusing on the airline industry right now, and we've got reason to do so. But I'm confident we will thwart the attempts.

You know, let me talk about Al Qaida just for a second. I made the statement that we're dismantling senior management, and we are. Our people have done a really good job of hauling in a lot of the key operators. Khalid Shaikh Mohammed. Abu Zubaida. Ramzi--Ramzi alshibh or whatever the guy's name was.

(LAUGHTER)

Sorry, Ramzi, if I got it wrong.

(LAUGHTER)

Binalshibh. Excuse me.

Swift Sword is dead thanks to the Saudis. Abu Bakar (ph) is now captured by the Saudis.

BUSH: We're dismantling the operating decision-makers.

We've got more to do. And the American people need to know we're not stopping. We've got better intelligence gathering, better intelligence sharing. And we're on the hunt. And we will stay on the hunt.

The threat that you asked about reminds us that we need to be on the hunt because the war on terror goes on.

Bush Says "No" To Saudis

On a related topic, the president told reports that he has indeed met with Saudi Arabia's foreign minister, who demanded that the administration declassify 27 or 28 pages of the 9/11 commission's report. The blacked-out pages supposedly refer to the role of Saudi intelligence operatives in the 9/11 attacks:

QUESTION: Mr. President, you met yesterday with the Saudi foreign minister who wants the administration to declassify these 27 or 28 pages about his government in this report on 9/11. Many members of Congress, including several Republicans, say they see nothing, or at least most of the materials in their view could be made public.

Can you tell us, is there any compromise inside on this? And could you at least summarize the material in that classified documents? Is there, as some members of Congress say, material that you could read and have an incriminating view of the Saudi government when it comes to 9/11?

BUSH: The foreign minister did come and speak to me. And I told him this. I said, "We have an ongoing investigation about what may or may not have taken place prior to September the 11th. And therefore it is important for us to hold this information close so that those who are being investigated aren't alerted."

I also told him in the document that if we were to reveal the content of the document--by the way, 29 pages of a near-900 page report--it would reveal sources and methods. By that I mean, it would show people how we collect information and on whom we're collecting information, which, in my judgment and in the judgment of senior law enforcement officials in my administration, would be harmful on the war against terror.

I just described to you that there is a threat to the United States. And I also said we're doing a better job of sharing intelligence and collecting data, so we're able to find--you know, able to anticipate. And what we really don't want to do, it doesn't make sense to me--seem like to me--is to reveal those sources and methods.

Now at some point in time, as we make progress on the investigation and as the threat to our national security diminishes, perhaps we can put out the document.

But in my judgment, now is not the time to do so.

And I made that clear to him, and I will be glad--and I'm making clear to members of Congress.

I want to remind you that, sure, some have spoken out, but others have agreed with my position, like the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee. So it's a different point of view.

My point of view, however, since I'm in charge of fighting the war on
terror, is that I it won't reveal sources and methods that will compromise our efforts to succeed.

FMI: www.whitehouse.gov