Clarke says Rice acted as if she never heard of Al-Qaida

[RamboLiberal]

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story2&cid=544&u=/ap/20040322/ap_on_go_pr_wh/terrorism_adviser_18&printer=1

President Bush (news - web sites)'s national security adviser, Condoleezza Rice (news - web sites), "looked skeptical" when she was warned early in 2001 about the threat from al-Qaida and appeared to never have heard of the terrorist organization, according to Bush's former counterterrorism coordinator.

"Her facial expression gave me the impression that she had never heard the term before," wrote Richard A. Clarke in a new book that is scathingly critical of Bush's response to the 2001 terror attacks against New York and Washington. The Associated Press obtained a copy of Clarke's book before its Monday publication.

Clarke said Rice, who previously worked for Bush's father, appeared not to recognize post-Cold War security issues and effectively demoted him within the national security council. He said Rice has an unusually close relationship with Bush, which "should have given her some maneuver room, some margin for shaping the agenda."

<snip>

Clarke added: "One shudders to think what additional errors (Bush) will make in the next four years to strengthen the al-Qaida follow-ons: attacking Syria or Iran, undermining the Saudi regime without a plan for a successor state?"

<snip>

"We believe the timing is questionable," Bartlett said. "When (Clarke) left office, he had every opportunity" to make any grievances known.

[Ilsa]

1. My husband was reading that to me.

Absolutely unbelieveable! The level of incompetence was unbelievable. Instead of learning from her new subordinates about what was going on for the last eight years, she demoted the one guy who could have gotten her up to speed.

[Kathy in Cambridge]

2. Don't forget to rate the article

so it stays on Yahoo's front page

[Hand]

7. Yes--DO IT....

It's only got a 3.45 rating right now--this needs to be kicked up ASAP.

[mike1963]

12. I did rate it 5, but do those ratings actually do anything? I really wond

wonder...
:eyes:

[SoCalDem]

3. She was a SOVIET UNION "specialist"

She has NO serious credentials to perform her assigned duties..She's a Bush crony and he job was pure patronage..

[nostamj]

9. uh.... she was an OIL EXECUTIVE

the ONLY thing that mattered for a bushco apppointee

[SoCalDem]

13. That too, but she was touted as a "fabulous" foreign policy expert..

Maybe she WAS, but the operative word is....WAS.. The Soviets were long extinct, as a world power.... before they stole the white house, and her expertise was worth ZIP..ZILCH...

Kind of like having a vet who specializes in Mastodons, do-do birds, and saber-toothed tigers..

[SpaceCatMeetsMars]

18. I know someone from academia that served with her

on an advisory panel for Bush Sr. and his wife told me in early 2001 that he laughed when he heard she had been placed in such a high position. He said that Rice never even showed up and none of the academics was impressed with her in the least.

[Terran]

4. As a DUer famously pointed out years ago...

...Dr. Rice is an expert on a country that no longer exists. She's an incompetent and should never have been picked for the job in the first place. She is little more than window dressing.

[WoodrowFan]

16. but she insists on being called "Dr" Rice.

she gets really really pissy I am told if you call her anything but "DOCTOR Rice." Hey, I'm entitled to the "Dr" in front of my name too but I only use it in particular professional circumstances. It's bad form to use it all the time.... I bet she's one of those people who put the "Dr" on her checks!!! LOL


(Thanks for sharing the article BTW)

[underpants]

19. Condi Rice is as relevant as a typewriter repairman

If that is what you are referrring to.

Yes she is a "Sovietologist" trained on the politics, propaganda, and military of the cold war. Clarke's comments last night about how W&Co. came into office still concerned with Cold War matters adds justification to what was clearly obvious before.

If Condi was the National Security Adviser and national security failed why wasn't she fired? And her claims (see my talking points thread from last night) that Clarke must not have been a very good counterterrorism czar if we had all those attacks on US interests in the 90's are behold hypocritical.

[Malva Zebrina]

5. She got where she is at by exactly those methods

obviously she has nothing else and that is really a tragedy. I wonder how it is that such an incompetant has been so lauded at all. To the point where a huge oil tanker is named after her. She is certaily not up to this job. What has she done and what has she contributed to us tax payers who pay her salary: Nothing.

[JohnyCanuck]

11. SS Condi Rice is no more

To the point where a huge oil tanker is named after her

Marianne, they removed Condi's name from the oil tanker some time ago. The optics of it all didn't make for great PR, (having an important personage within the Bush administration so prominently linked to a big money grubbing oil company) so the oil tanker got renamed.

[robertpaulsen]

6. Wow! Didn't think it was possible to be as dumb as Dumbya. n/t

[Hand]

8. Kick--Remember to rate this article!

:kick:

[kentuck]

10. An incompetent advising an incompetent...

It's worse than we thought.

[maggrwaggr]

14. isn't it just sick how these Yahoo stories get freeped?

It disgusts me to no end to realize that there are people out there who wish to hide the truth.

The truth is their enemy. What the FUCK is wrong with these people?

[Kimber Scott]

15. They're sheep going to slaughter.

Most of them aren't in any better position that you, or I. Probably a lot of them are a lot worse, but sticking their nose up the rich guys' asses make the feel in some way superior. Never mind while their nose is up the ass the rich guy is stabbing them in the back.

[jeanmarc]

17. "No one could ever think that they could use planes as weapons"

Condi is either a liar or incompetent. Wait, she's both incompetent and a liar!