Kristen Breitweiser, 9/11 widow and activist, is known for pressuring official Washington to provide a public accounting to the American people of what went wrong on the morning of September 11 and in the months leading up to the disaster that claimed the life of her husband and more than 3000 others.

Breitweiser did not seek to be an activist. She was a stay-at-home mother in suburban New Jersey and a George Bush supporter. Yet Breitweiser and the other so-called "Jersey Girls" transformed by their grief and outraged by a lack of accountability are widely credited with forcing the creation of the 9/11 Commission and were instrumental in insuring the passage in Congress of the national security reforms it recommended.

She testified before the Joint Inquiry of Congress in September 2002 and the Senate Governmental Affairs Committee in August 2004 with regard to national security reforms. She campaigned as a primary surrogate for the Kerry-Edwards Presidential Campaign in 2004 and actively supported Hillary Clinton for President in 2008.

Breitweiser currently resides on Long Island, NY with her nine-year old daughter, Caroline Whitney and their two retrievers, Cooper and Scout.

Blog Entries by Kristen Breitweiser

Torture Twister: Why Democrats Own Torture, Too

1 Comments | Posted April 24, 2009 | 02:40 PM (EST)


Once again, it would seem that the Bush Administration and their minions will be permitted to wipe the slate clean of their past criminal acts. This time around it will be for torture.

Republicans are not stupid, folks. When they intend to stretch the parameters of...

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Just Desserts -- Sweetening President Obama on Why We Need a Truth Commission

6 Comments | Posted February 23, 2009 | 10:30 AM (EST)


Last month, 9/11 families were invited to the White House by President Obama to discuss the prosecution of alleged al-Qaeda operatives and Obama's intention to close GTMO within one year.

At the meeting, President Obama couldn't have been nicer. He was both accommodating and understanding. He...

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Our Meeting With President Obama

18 Comments | Posted February 9, 2009 | 11:48 AM (EST)


Last Friday, I and other 9/11 family members and victims' families from the USS Cole met with President Obama to discuss issues surrounding the status of GITMO.

As many of you know, I have been an outspoken critic of GITMO from the beginning. I believe that we must never abandon...

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Dialing Back Dick: It's Time to Look Back and Scale Back the Enhanced Powers of the Bush Oval Office

58 Comments | Posted January 13, 2009 | 08:31 AM (EST)


For many, like me, torture is illegal. It is not effective in garnering credible information that keeps us safe from terrorism. It ruins our reputation in the world. It foments anti-American sentiment and violence. It actually creates new terrorists by furnishing recruiting propaganda for groups like al-Qaeda.

Similar arguments...

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Regarding Panetta: Let's Not Forget About Gates

112 Comments | Posted January 6, 2009 | 01:44 PM (EST)


Choosing Leon Panetta as the new Director of the CIA is foolish and dangerous.

Thanks to 8 years of the Bush administration's squandering resources abroad in Iraq, our homeland security remains woefully inadequate and stunningly vulnerable. Ports of entry, airline security, airport security, chemical and nuclear plants, mass transportation, biological...

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Worse than 9/11

Posted September 17, 2008 | 08:13 AM (EST)


When Barack Obama says that there is no need for a 9/11 Commission to investigate Wall Street, he is wrong.

Senator Obama states in part, "this is not 9/11 where we didn't know who did it." By saying this, Obama seems to reveal a lack of understanding for the...

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It's Time to Ignore The Moose In the Room

Posted September 10, 2008 | 10:23 AM (EST)


If I get another email ranting about how Sarah Palin is the devil, I am going to scream. This is precisely what some people cannot stand about the Democrats. The panic in the trenches. For god sakes, with all the hysteria about Sarah Palin, you would think that Reagan himself...

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The New Moose on Obama's Back?

Posted August 30, 2008 | 09:50 AM (EST)


My immediate reaction to Palin was dread. I figured that the Republicans no longer needed the "experience" argument against Obama. I worried that perhaps they had the goods on Obama elsewhere on issues such as "character" and "judgment" so that they now could enjoy the luxury of being able to...

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Oh, Yes She Can

Posted July 9, 2008 | 10:36 AM (EST)


Here's what is scary. It's not August. There aren't any Republican attack ads.

And yet, Obama is getting swiftboated... by himself.

Admittedly, as someone who will remain a Clinton supporter to the very end, I have been enjoying the rude awakening that many Obama supporters have recently received...

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You Broke It, You Own It -- Obama Style

Posted May 14, 2008 | 10:37 AM (EST)


Those who are responsible for putting Democrats in the broken place we are in right now with regard to Barack Obama had better own it to the end. Leave those bumper stickers on and wear those campaign pins until the bitter end folks because YOU OWN IT. And people are...

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9/11: Where Barack Obama and Condi Rice Sound Alarmingly Alike

Posted April 3, 2008 | 10:53 AM (EST)


Barack Obama appeared on MSNBC's Hardball last night and was asked about the way he would handle the 3 a.m. phone call.

The transcript:

MATTHEWS: Let me give you a scene that may face you in the next year or two, where the national security adviser calls you at 3:00...
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Barack the Politician With a Smokescreen to Block

Posted March 19, 2008 | 01:20 PM (EST)


Barack Obama's speech was amazing, mesmerizing, and historical. Indeed, it did tackle an issue in very blunt, honest terms. No doubt, Obama was speaking from his heart. Undeniably, race is an issue worthy of our attention. It requires a strong and robust dialogue. And the time for that dialogue is...

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Where Were You in '02? Bush's War and the Prince of Darkness

Posted March 11, 2008 | 11:51 AM (EST)


Back in September 04, I had a meeting in the Senate Intelligence Committee offices. I was there to discuss 9/11 issues. The war in Iraq came up in our discussions. I clarified and said, "Oh, you mean Bush's war?" The republican staffer said, "The president? The president isn't responsible for...

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The Ringing Red Phone and The Runaway Train

Posted March 7, 2008 | 09:40 AM (EST)


Initially I intended to write a very different blog, but while researching that blog I came across the following quote that rocked me into reality:

While the nation was having a good laugh at the expense of Florida's hanging chads and butterfly ballots, Mohammed Atta and Marwan al Shehhi were...
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This One's For the Girls

Posted February 29, 2008 | 04:33 PM (EST)


Let's face it, somewhere deep down inside, even Michelle Obama believes that in a more perfect world she would be the Obama running for President.

Come'on. We've all read Michelle's comments about Barack: He doesn't pick up his dirty laundry; can't make a bed better than a five-year old, while...

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Reality Bites: Swing-State Math

Posted February 14, 2008 | 12:14 PM (EST)


In '04, I traveled as a surrogate for the John Kerry campaign. I was sent to places like Iowa, Ohio, Nevada, Colorado, Wisconsin, New Hampshire, and Florida. Quite the roadtrip.

In the beginning, I wondered why I kept getting sent to these random "swing states." Iowa (a state in 2004...

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Flip It Quick! Could Somebody Please Give Howard Dean A Coin?

Posted February 8, 2008 | 10:46 AM (EST)


We learned late yesterday that Mitt Romney dropped out of the Republican race "for the good of the country." Romney noted that we are a "nation at war" and that Republicans need to "work together" to ensure victory in November. It sounds to me like a deal might be in...

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What Giuliani Should Do Once He Drops Out of the Race

Posted January 25, 2008 | 10:13 AM (EST)


First, let's lay out 5 reasons why nobody should/will vote for Giuliani:

1. His Deadly Judgment: Before 9/11, Giuliani is the person responsible for deciding to locate NYC's emergency command center in the World Trade Center complex along with a diesel fuel tank (against the advice of FDNY officials). The...

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That's the Ticket! Clinton-Obama Unity after Super Tuesday

Posted January 14, 2008 | 10:32 AM (EST)


First, apologies to all the political strategists, pundits, consultants, and media personalities who will undoubtedly hurl tomatoes at this column since it threatens their lucrative empire that thrives on political drama and divisiveness.

Second, apologies to everyone else for my being so naïve and, dare I say it, hopeful.

Lately,...

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Stunt or Statesmanship? Ahmandinejad Goes to Ground Zero

Posted September 20, 2007 | 01:45 PM (EST)


This morning I was bombarded by a series of phone calls from the press. Breathlessly, they all asked how I felt about Ahmandinejad, the president of Iran, visiting Ground Zero.

Wasn't I outraged?

Didn't I want to protest such a flagrant act of disrespect by this world outcast toward one...

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