Richard Clarke and Rand Beers...?

[Grins]

Remember this guy? Rand Beers? Anyone know if he has been called to testify in front of the 9/11 Commission?

Heard a bit of Laura Ingram’s’; show today. Her guest was Byron York. Both of them tearing into the Richard Clarke segment on “60 Minutes last night. (In case you were wondering, it was Clinton’s fault. And Laura wanted to know that, if Clarke was so concerned, and so great an American, why didn’t he bring the pending threat to the attention of the administration? Go public? Scream your head off?)

Wouldn’t be great to have Rand Beers at the 9/11 Commission? Let him be interviewed right after – or with - Richard Clarke. Instead of just Clarke, have Dubya, Condi, Wolfie, and the RW media try to argue against two long-serving insiders!

And what can they say? “When asked about Beers, Sean McCormack, an NSC spokesman, said, "At the time he submitted his resignation, he said he had decided to leave government. We thanked him for his three decades of government service.”

(Snips)
"The administration wasn't matching its deeds to its words in the war on terrorism. They're making us less secure, not more secure," said Beers, who until now has remained largely silent about leaving his National Security Council job as special assistant to the president for combating terrorism. "As an insider, I saw the things that weren't being done. And the longer I sat and watched, the more concerned I became, until I got up and walked out."

“… He is an unlikely insurgent. He served on the NSC under Presidents Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton and the current Bush. … "Counterterrorism is like a team sport. The game is deadly. There has to be offense and defense," Beers said. "The Bush administration is primarily offense, and not into teamwork."

“ Beers will say that the administration is "underestimating the enemy." It has failed to address the root causes of terror, he said. "The difficult, long-term issues both at home and abroad have been avoided, neglected or shortchanged and generally underfunded...The Homeland Security Department is underfunded. There has been little, if any, follow-through on cybersecurity, port security, infrastructure protection and immigration management. Authorities don't know where the sleeper cells are, he said. Vulnerable segments of the economy, such as the chemical industry, "cry out for protection."


Lost the link, but the above is from, “Former Aide Takes Aim at War on Terror”, By Laura Blumenfeld, Washington Post, Monday, June 16, 2003; Page A01

[RhodaGrits]

1. here's the link:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn?pagename=article&node=&contentId=A62941-2003Jun15¬Found=true

[RamboLiberal]

2. Your going to love this

When Clarke went over to his pre-requested cyber-terrorism job originally scheduled for October 1st but delayed by 9-11.

Former General Wayne Downing took his place. Within months he quit in disgust claims Clarke.

John Gordon and Randy Beers took Downing's place. Months later Beers quit telling Clarke "They still don't get it. Insteada goin' all out against al Qaida and eliminating our vulnerabilities at home, they wanna fuckin' invade Iraq again. We have a token U.S. military force in Afghanistan, the Taliban are regrouping, we haven't caught bin Laden, or his deputy, or the head of the Taliban. And they aren't going to send more troops to Afghanistan to catch them or to help the government in Kabul secure the country. No, they're holding back, waiting to invade Iraq. Do you know how much it will strengthen al Qaeda and groups like that if we occupy Iraq? There's no threat to us now from Iraq, but 70 percent of the American people think Iraq attacked the Pentagon and the WTC. You wanna know why? Because that's what the administration wants them to think!"

Beers also told Clarke how pissed he was at them using the War on Terror politically, the Karl Rove memo and what they did to Cleland. Beers is a Vietnam vet who lost his hearing in one ear there. "I can't work for these people, I'm sorry I can't."