Trust Clarke: He's right about Bush

[Wonk]

By IVO DAALDER and JAMES LINDSAY
Friday, March 26, 2004 - Page A17

This, by any measure, was Richard Clarke's week. The former counterterrorism czar roiled Washington and the nation with his accusation that U.S. President George W. Bush had failed to understand the threat al-Qaeda posed to the United States before Sept. 11, and bungled the U.S. response afterward. It was a stinging indictment of the Bush presidency, delivered with stiletto precision. And the impassioned response from White House showed that it hurt.

Mr. Clarke categorically denounced Mr. Bush's handling of the terrorist threat. He blamed the President for "continuing to work on Cold War issues" even as the al-Qaeda danger mounted. He says that National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice ignored his memo in January, 2001, "asking for, urgently -- underlined urgently -- a cabinet-level meeting to deal with the impending al-Qaeda attack."

(snip)

Why are administration officials pounding the table so hard? Because confirmation of Mr. Clarke's basic accusations comes from none other than George W. Bush himself.

Take the charge that the Mr. Bush did not make fighting al-Qaeda a priority before Sept. 11. In late 2001, Mr. Bush told the journalist Bob Woodward that "there was a significant difference in my attitude after Sept. 11. I was not on point." Mr. Bush knew Osama bin Laden was a menace. "But I didn't feel the sense of urgency, and my blood was not nearly as boiling."

more...

[opihimoimoi]

1. Bush is in Classic Pub Denial followed quickly by Anger./////

and from a fellow Pub at that... even worse.

Clarke is credible.... they are NOT.

[izzie]

3. An ex-drunk vs a MIT guy? I bet on the MIT guy.

I am willing to bet that both have egos that would put all of us to shame.

[sampsonblk]

2. Czar??

Notice the TV media has all but completely stopped referring to him as the "Terrorism Czar" and now they call him "a terrorism advisor."

How clever of them! Dm crooks and liars...

[woofless]

10. Clarke himself disliked the term "Counterterrorism Czar"

He likened the "Czar" label as in Drug Czar as connoting the authority to direct policy and act on it. He did not have that authority in the Bush administration. It was stripped from him upon their ascension. Sorry, no link. I saw him speak about it a few evenings ago but do not remember where.

woof

[MarianJack]

4. 2 Things Explain a Statement Like That From bush!

1 He believes, with good reason after the last 3 years, that nobody will call him on it.

2 The most obvious, HE'S A MORON!!!!!!

[tibbiit]

5. when woodwards book came out

And I read all the little choice nuggets like the exporting of fear and violence to the four corners of the world quote (and others as juicy)... I said to the spouse this book is going to reach back and bite this chimp in the ass one day.
That day is now. People need to mine that book for bush gold!

That book confirms Clarkes and Oneil's (and others) words.
I wonder if woodward realized it was a two edged sword of a book for bush? lol
tib

[reprehensor]

6. bump

nice!

[teryang]

7. This is the limited hangout

Political theater to make the 911 Commission to appear as something other than a complete whitewash with its numerous conflicts of interests with Saudi bin Ladin family assets and terrorist financing organizations.

If they didn't go this route, Cheney, chimp and the rest of the treasonous criminal junta would be plagued with investigations and legal fees for the rest of their lives. There were seven commissions which investigated Pearl Harbor.

Credit to www.globalresearch.ca and

http://globalresearch.ca/articles/LOU403A.html

The Disinformation of Richard Clarke
by Scott Loughrey

[Manix]

8. ...good article

[0rion]

9. dupity dupe