"THE" 9/11 WIDOWS

I find it disconcerting that the families are given such pride of place in the investigations into 9/11. Their responses, for example, to particular testimony simply should not be relevant. What difference does it make if the family members are satisfied with Condi Rice's testimony? It's far more interest to me what, say, intelligence experts might have to say. The political privelaging of the families has gotten completely out of control.

But within the framework of the families responses being particularly important, the four widows the New York Times recently dubbed "the Jersey girls," (without ever asking any questions about any political affiliations the women might have, any support they might be getting), are now being even further ensconsed by some in the media as "the" 9/11 Widows, as if they represented all 9/11 Widows as a class (and the widows defined all family members) so that hearing their responses was enough to know what all the families thought, and that in and of itself was of course important.

Indeed, Kristen Breitweister, Mindy Kleinberg, and their friends, sat with Chris Matthews today and did color commentary after the testimony. I bet their affiliations and the fact that there are groups and associations backing them didn't come up in that conversation either.

Not in the partial transcript. In fact there it looks as the excerpted bits did tonight on Hardball -- they and Matthews just egged one another on to greater and greater heights of indignation.

By the way, they have every right to their beliefs, their attitudes, and their backers. But they are being presented in the press as four feisty gals doing it all alone with -- and this is the key -- no agenda, no partisan lens, no concern other than getting to the truth on our behalf.

Thanks, ladies. I'll worry it out on my own. And you do the same for yourself. I grieve for you loss -- in fact, I'm obsessed by it. But I'll be damned if I'm going to think for one second that your status as someone who suffered a loss means I'll trust your judgement on national security issues ahead of my own.

Comments

[Bryon Gill]

--"without ever asking any questions about any political affiliations the women might have,"

"Breitweiser said she voted for Bush, and considered him her 'biggest ally' but now believes he is her 'biggest adversary.' She calmly said she would 'give' the Administration the fact that they could not prevent 9/11, but was miffed because of the subsequent stonewalling, and that they should not be taking credit for their candor now because it was only after efforts by people like her to force out any of this testimony. "

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2004/4/8/13149/00469

Didn't see it myself, but even though he's probably not a marine I don't think Tom Schaller would make that up.

[Joe MacKay]

I find it even more ironic that the media did not cover the outraged 9/11 victims over Richard Clarke's apology but they bring out the same victims when they speak out against anyone in this administration.

[Christina]

Peaceful Tomorrows members perhaps? Funded by the Tides Foundation funded by the Heinz Foundation?