John McCain insists 9/11 Terrorists Came from Canada

[JoseCuervo]

http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2009/0...anada-911.html

"Arizona Senator John McCain is the latest high-profile politician to repeat the diehard American falsehood that the Sept. 11, 2001, attackers entered the United States through Canada."

[RedHot25]

More from the story:

"Well, some of the 9/11 hijackers did come through Canada, as you know," McCain, last year's Republican presidential candidate, said on Fox News on Friday.

...

"Unfortunately, misconceptions arise on something as fundamental as where the 9/11 terrorists came from," Wilson said (Canada's Ambassador).
"As the 9/11 Commission reported in July 2004, all of the 9/11 terrorists arrived in the U.S. from outside North America. They flew to major U.S. airports. They entered the U.S. with documents issued to them by the U.S. government. No 9/11 terrorists came from Canada."

Canadian embassy officials were also in touch with McCain's office to set the record straight. McCain recently visited the Canadian Embassy and had lunch with Wilson.

[peter12]

My goodness, Fox News is just the epicenter of terrible news coverage.

[pepper24]

"The fundamentals of the economy are strong"

[Daradon]

No wonder they've got terrorism problems, they can't even get their facts straight. Everyone is looking in the wrong direction.

That's an obvious sarcastic overstatment but really, come on. How long are they going to blame other people and countries?

I seem to remember we had a high level threat and quashed it successfully.

Look at your own country, the way you treat people within it, and the way you treat other countries. Look at the holes and problems in your bloated bueracracy. Look at your corrupt and stupid politicians.

Oh, and STFU.

[MelBridgeman]

Even if this was the case, last time i checked you need to get past US customs first, so I am not sure what the big fracking deal is..

[LouCypher]

Always doubted the story but if it is true we had little to no reason to be looking for terrorists at the time due to an outstanding international reputation. Why would we be looking for terrorists? Because the US government is obviously clueless on what they are looking for and they can blame someone else like Canada when it hits the fan.

[Ford Prefect]

Meh ... with the general level of comprehension Americans have of international geography, he probably just figures Canada is part of Europe and not North America.

[wittynickname]

And people wonder why I'm not terribly patriotic.

[disco_inferno]

I think I saw this in a movie once...

[Slava]

Originally Posted by MelBridgeman

Even if this was the case, last time i checked you need to get past US customs first, so I am not sure what the big fracking deal is..

and then they trained as pilots in the US for how long?

[Azure]

Yeah, did someone forget about US Customs or what?

Just a stupid thing to say.

[Phanuthier]

I see Ol' Man McCain is still providing us with loads of entertainment, even though the election is over.

[Iowa_Flames_Fan]

Originally Posted by Azure

Yeah, did someone forget about US Customs or what?

Just a stupid thing to say.

In fairness, US customs is pretty lax for Canadian citizens coming from Canada into the U.S.--in part because of friendly relations between our countries, and I think in part because it's understood that when it comes to dangerous people from overseas, we sort of have each other's backs a little bit.

However, given that these guys weren't Canadian citizens, and didn't enter the U.S. from Canada, and more to the point DID enter the U.S. directly using U.S. government-issued documents... it's a goofy thing to say. And one wonders what the point of it is anyway. No-one had their eye on the ball on Sept 10th, 2001--there's plenty of blame to go around, but directing it North of the Border is just plain goofy.

[Vulcan]

I think it's just an excuse to implement more restrictive border crossing regulations from Canada. Doesn't matter if it's true or not, as long as it becomes embedded in the publics mind, they will be able to pass laws for a tighter border. Thank god, McCain wasn't elected.

[Canuck-Hater]

And where did the terrorists get their funding and weapons from McCain?... Hmmmmmm. *Jeopardy music plays*

[Phanuthier]

Originally Posted by Canuck-Hater

And where did the terrorists get their funding and weapons from McCain?... Hmmmmmm. *Jeopardy music plays*

[Devils'Advocate]

Well, there is an agenda here. Both McCain and Napolitano want the borders tightened. Particularly the southern one, but if they can spread the myth that the 9/11 hijackers came from Canada they can point to that and say "See. We need more funding to protect our borders." They both are from Arizona which is in desperate need of more money for border security given the drug related crime crossing over into their state from Mexico. But that is not sufficient to get federal money.... if they can somehow get the spectre of terrorism mixed in there, they might get the money they want.

Ken Dryden, explaining Stephen Colbert's word "truthiness":
Dryden defined truthiness as "something that is spoken as if true that one wants others to believe is true, that said often enough with enough voices orchestrated in behind it, might even sound true, but is not true."

[Aces High]

The pilot of AA Flight 77, Hani Hanjour, entered the USA through Canada in March of 1999. This is the plane that crashed into the Pentagon.

[Devils'Advocate]

Originally Posted by Aces High

The pilot of AA Flight 77, Hani Hanjour, entered the USA through Canada in March of 1999. This is the plane that crashed into the Pentagon.

Link please. To commit the attack, Hanjour entered the United States NOT via Canada but rather via Cincinnati with a student visa. None of the hijackers entered the United States from Canada just before the strikes.