-setting up the unprecedented constellation of war-game exercises
-changing hijack procedures and personnel
-assigning contracts for the Middle East military effort
-even getting $498,000 for Urban Moving Systems

It probably would have been a lot better if they really had done nothing.

I thought I was well informed but haven't heard about those preparations. Would like to know more.

What keeps popping up in my mind is that fact that they were taking Cipro prior to the anthrax attacks which only targeted Dems and media people.

The best listing and discussion I can find right now for the war-games is www.oilempire.us/wargames, I'm not so sure about the rest of the site, but that part is pretty good: it links to the authoritative History Commons timeline just few paragraphs down, and it devotes a whole page to the N.R.O. exercise (that one is weird - they successfully run an evacuation drill before 9am, 3000 military and intel staff are standing out in the parking lot, and they send everyone home, rather than yell "MAN YOUR STATIONS!" So, that one shift's study of satellite and communications info is non-standard and worrisome, at least.)
But it's not the pages I was studying a few years ago, because they emphasized the scheduling changes that happened that Spring, and this timeline only mentions them in passing. And they had a tally of NorthEastSector intercept aircraft and pilots available, and this one doesn't even seem to mention the (small) group sent to Iceland. It mentions the three F-16s that left Andrews at 8:30 for North Carolina, for instance, but it lacks the enumeration of what's left, that I remember. Maybe some of that is in Rupert's "Crossing The Rubicon", which these guys do quote and cite. (amazing book, he had so much info, so early on
The early mobilization is in the timeline, mostly inferred from their early arrival in the region.
The biggest contract was the $15B to Halliburton.
Now, I haven't found it again, but I spent a big hunk of Sunday catching up, saw a slew of YouTube clips, and one had a scrolling display of FOIA documents, and one was riveting: a Small Business Administration form showing $498,750 to Urban Moving Systems. Not clear if it was a grant or a loan, and no individuals or officials named, but it was for 2001. 'should have bookmarked it, but just strained my eyes backing up, stopping, and trying to read that very small print. Sorry, try again later.

Cipro is creepy, it makes you over-sensitive to sunlight, and can cause neuropathy! I heard it was Jerome Hauer who made that recommendation. He gets around, spent '96 to 2000 in NYC setting up the Office of Emergency Management in WTC7 (seems he was against that location, never could get the FDNY and NYPD to cooperate with each other or the office, left in frustration, but was well paid), then somehow goes to advising the Whitehouse and then gets to be part of the Amerithrax investigation.

shines in there somewhere.

http://www.historycommons.org/timeline.jsp?timeline=complete_911_timeline&day_of_9/11=complete_911_timeline_training_exercises

At certain times in the past, these people sometimes got some bunk bircher Alex Jones bs mixed into their good info, but they are not Infowars Prison Planet types. In fact, Jones' whole function is to allow their good info to be dismissed as 'truther' conspiracy. Like Mark Lane's function in '60's assassination investigations.

9/11, al Qaeda & Afghanistan were the distraction.

Enough to make me vomit.

Very important story on repug foreign policy and 'national security' credibility. Should get big national attention.