Clarke on CNN: "The book was finished last fall ..."

[Bozita]

... "The White House took months and months to clear it."

"I wanted it to come out last year."

time was approximately 7:05am ET

[LittleApple81]

1. He said the same thing in Charlie Rose last night. n/t

[gWbush is Mabus]

10. that fuck-head Dan Bartlett on cable news actually said

"Why did Clarke relase the book now and not 3 months ago if he wasn't playing politics?"

Clarke never got a chance to respond.

IT was because the WHITE HOUSE HELD UP THE BOOK FOR 3 MONTHS.
THESE PEOPLE CONSTANTLY MISLEAD, INSINUATE, EXAGERATE, AND LIE.

[bryant69]

2. In a way

That's a wierd response--obviously if it had been released last year it would be less damaging to the campaign. Or if they could hold off, why not wait till next year when it will not affect the campaign at all. I suppose the risk there is that he would start hitting the talk show circuit anyway. Oh well.

Bryant
Check it out --> http://politicalcomment.blogspot.com

[DarkPhenyx]

6. By holding it till now...

...they are able to use the "partisan election year politics" card more easily. Had it come out then the damage might have healed, but it might also have gotten much worse. I think it's a calculated risk on thier part.

[maddezmom]

3. just airing the interview on CNNI now

seems to be a tactical error by bushco*, they should have released the info earlier in the year. Oh well, better for our side. :)

[swag]

4. They're good at tactical errors

Apparently, they don't even know how to classify documents.

[robbedvoter]

5. Soo much truth to snuff out - so little time....

Besides, Clarke who? it's all Hamas today!

[murielm99]

7. Pardon my ignorance....

but just what in the hell does the White House have to clear?

He can't just write the book and have it published?

Given its' explosive content, why clear it at all? And why now?

[NuttyFluffers]

8. federal rules for retiring employees of high gov't positions. n/t

[Media_Lies_Daily]

9. Anyone that's involved in the intelligence world must have any...

...written materials destined for reading by the general public reviewed to ensure that no means of collection or current/recent operations revealed. I think you have to sign papers to that effect before you're hired into that world.

Why was it cleared at this point? I'm not positive, but I'm guessing that Junior may have made too many internal enemies at this point and may have run out of ways to stop Clarke's book.

[murielm99]

11. Thanks for the info.

[Penndems]

14. They had to make sure that the transcript didn't contain anything

that would compromise our national security.

But, it shouldn't take THAT long to clear.

[TNDemo]

12. Is this why Dennis Hastert has been so eager to get the

commission's results out early? Trying to get the report done befor the book came out?

[TomNickell]

13. Traditionally....

after a major disaster, the President would appoint a respectable commission to investigate which department heads had failed. Then a few people would be loudly fired.

This protects the President-- the staff failed, not the boss.

But none of that happened after 9/11. Part of the blame falls on the Democrats who controlled the Senate.

Without the normal accountability, the information drips out in an uncontrolled way. By blocking investigations, the president got to look god-like for a while. But now the blame falls on him.

They've been playing a delay game for 2 years.