McKinney first read her remarks on March 25, 2002 on KPFA's "Flashpoints" (advance to the 30 minute mark). Her remarks were published on March 28 in Truthout.org under the headline, Thoughts On Our War Against Terrorism.

On April 15, McKinney provided additional details in an editorial in the Atlanta Journal Constitution, under the headline Bush Must Answer September 11th Questions.

Since she made her remarks, McKinney has been viciously attacked in the media. We are tracking each attack in Democrats.com News.

McKinney made numerous points, but two of them were selected by the media for mass distribution - and distortion.

1. War Profiteering

"Persons close to this Administration are poised to make huge profits off America's new war. Former President Bush sits on the board of the Carlyle Group. The Los Angeles Times reports that on a single day last month, Carlyle earned $237 million selling shares in United Defense Industries, the Army's fifth-largest contractor. The stock offering was well timed: Carlyle officials say they decided to take the company public only after the Sept. 11 attacks. The stock sale cashed in on increased congressional support for hefty defense spending, including one of United Defense's cornerstone weapon programs."

These facts have been widely reported in the mainstream media, and have not been challenged. See Democrats.com .comments on the Carlyle Group.

2. September 11 Warnings

"Now is the time for our elected officials to be held accountable. Now is the time for the media to be held accountable. Why aren't the hard questions being asked? We know there were numerous warnings of the events to come on September 11. Vladimir Putin, President of Russia, delivered one such warning. Those engaged in unusual stock trades immediately before September 11 knew enough to make millions of dollars from United and American airlines, certain insurance and brokerage firms' stocks. What did this Administration know, and when did it know it about the events of September 11? Who else knew and why did they not warn the innocent people of New York who were needlessly murdered?"

The mainstream media has published numerous articles about warnings of an impending terrorist attack that went unheeded. For more details, visit Carolyn Kay's excellent MakeThemAccountable.com.

Rep. McKinney is not the only Member of Congress who wants an open and thorough investigation of the September 11 warnings that went unheeded. Senators Joe Lieberman (D-CT), John McCain (R-AZ), and Robert Torricelli (D-NJ) have all called for a thorough public investigation of the events and intelligence failures that led up to September 11. George Bush, Dick Cheney, and Trent Lott have adamantly opposed any public investigation. See Democrats.com .comments on September 11 Investigations.

The Smear Campaign

On April 11 2002, the Washington Post's Julie Eilperin took these two points and twisted them into a pretzel in order to accuse McKinney of blaming the Bush Administration for the September 11 attacks.

Democrat Implies Sept. 11 Administration Plot 

As the text of Rep. McKinney's remarks shows, she did NOT imply September 11 was an "Administration Plot." She did not say it, she did not suggest it, and she did not even obliquely hint at it. In other words, Juliet Eilperin is LYING.

Rupert Murdoch's right-wing New York Post twisted the Washington Post's story even further.

She is demanding an investigation into her charge that Bush may have done nothing because his rich friends stood to profit from the military build-up, The Washington Post reported 

McKinney did NOT charge "that Bush may have done nothing because his rich friends stood to profit from the military build-up." And since she did NOT make that charge, she is NOT "demanding an investigation into" that charge.

We Believe Cynthia!

The Washington Post, New York Post, AP, and NY Times have variously suggested that Rep. McKinney is a conspiracy theorist, crazy, pro-Iraqi, or an irresponsible publicity-seeker.

In fact, Rep. McKinney is a leading champion of human rights for blacks and all people of color, both at home and abroad. She is best known for working with conservative Republican Chris Smith (R-NJ) to enact a "code of conduct" for selling arms to dictatorial regimes. She is serving her fifth term in Congress, representing a district that was only 33% black in 1996.

The media's attempt to portray Cynthia McKinney as crazy is a repeat of the media's character assassination campaigns against Anita Hill and Lani Guinier. In all three cases, outspoken black women have been attacked for daring to express ideas that challenge the white male establishment. History has shown that both Anita Hill and Lani Guinier were telling the truth. History will also show that Cynthia McKinney is telling the truth. We believed Anita Hill and Lani Guinier - and we believe Cynthia McKinney too.

And we're taking action! We invite you to join our "We Believe Cynthia!" campaign.

1. Write letters to the media - especially those who smeared Cynthia McKinney - telling them "We Believe Cynthia!" Write to eilperinj@washpost.com and letters@nytimes.com. Send a copy to public@democrats.com and we'll publish the best ones here. 

2. Post our campaign button (at the top of this page) on your Web site, with a link to this page (http://www.democrats.com/display.cfm?id=270). 

Thanks for your support!!