http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/politics/politics-security-clarke-fallout.htmlClarke Charges on Bush Seem to Have Sticking Power
By REUTERS Published: March 29, 2004 Filed at 12:34 p.m. ET
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House may have mishandled accusations leveled by their former counterterrorism adviser Richard Clarke by attacking his credibility, keeping the controversy firmly in the headlines into a second week, political analysts said.<snip>
"The administration's attempts to discredit Clarke have backfired. They have merely given the story legs and hurt the administration. The issue of whether Rice should testify should keep the story alive for several more news cycles," said University of Chicago political scientist Robert Pape.<snip>
Clarke accuses Bush, who is running for re-election on his record of fighting terrorism, of being obsessed with ousting Iraq's President Saddam Hussein at the expense of fully focusing on the war against terrorism.<snip>
The White House at first questioned an assertion by Clarke that President Bush asked him immediately after Sept. 11 to investigate whether Saddam was involved but on Sunday it confirmed that the conversation had taken place.<snip>
When Republicans said they would seek to declassify testimony Clarke gave to Congress in July 2002 to demonstrate differences to what he is saying now, Clarke told them to go ahead. If that occurs, the issue will remain in the headlines even longer.
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As DU poster "goclark" posted today - - "Candy Cowley says Bush is Not Hurt By Clarke -- She is saying that the Clarke stuff is pretty much not important because most people have there minds made up.--She also had a Washington Post reporter on."
BUT CANDY CROWLEY MAY BE WHORING FOR BUSH WITHOUT FULL MEDIA (Media as in NBC) SUPPORT!
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4623066/Today Show:March 29: John Lehman and Jamie Gorelick, members of the 9/11 commission, explain why they think Condoleezza Rice should give public testimony in their investigation.
Rice urged to ‘rise above principles’
Her ‘60 Minutes’ interview doesn't sway Republican on 9/11 panel
March 29, 2004WASHINGTON - Two Sept. 11 commission members, a Republican and a Democrat, on Monday urged national security adviser Condoleezza Rice to reconsider her refusal to testify in public and under oath about President Bush's counterterrorism strategies.<snip>
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4616750/The Insider
The Town Crier: He came, he bore witness and he sent Washington into a frenzy. How Richard Clarke fueled a firestorm over who's to blame for 9/11, why two presidents missed the warning signs—and what we can learn to keep it from happening again <snip>
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4602094/Clarke gives Kerry a leg up
Ex-counterterrorism chief’s shots at Bush give Democrat the edgeMSNBC
Updated: 3:13 p.m. ET March 25, 2004White House Derby rates this a good week for Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry and a bad one for President Bush. <snip>