Did Clarke Play the Players?

[Beetwasher]

Clarke was their go to guy when the Time article came out. He went out there and gave the background breifings to try and limit the damage about the ignored warnings. With that in mind I see the possibility of the following scenario:

Clarke leaves the admin. on "good" terms, but is actually really pissed off at how these morons are bumbling the ball. He's always APPEARED as a team player to them, especially because of his spinning to Time and no one in the admin. suspected how pissed off he really was. So he quits and he writes this book and approaches the admin. saying "Look, you guys are gonna need some cover for these missed warning allegations that appeared in Time. You know the Dems are gonna bring it up during the election. I'm going to write a book and address it and we'll use it as a limited hang out. I won't press it too much or make a big splash and in my interviews I'll lay most of the blame on Clinton. That way, we get it out of the way and I'll continue to defend you and spin it like I did w/ the Time allegations."

He writes his book, they clear it with all of the above in mind and then Clarke turns around and fucks 'em good because he actually cares about the security of the country and knows these fuckers are up to no good. What are they gonna do? Say "He lied to us! He told us he was gonna blame it all on Clinton!"

That's my take anyway.

[HFishbine]

1. Umm

To clear his book, the read it. I don't think this came as much of a surprise.

[Beetwasher]

3. That's My Point

They read it, but weren't prepared for this firestorm. The only way I can see them not being prepared for it is either they were in complete denial about it's impact or he played them.

[Cary]

2. It is odd that they cleared it first. Isn't it?

The timing is odd, too. They knew the book was coming out. They knew about the 9/11 commission. Yet they start their campaign playing to their "strength"--a perceived advantage of being tough on terrorists.

Now Rove is scrambling to smear Clarke. They're backpeddling instead of focusing energy on smearing Kerry.

The best they could muster on CNN last night was to criticize Kerry for snowboarding on his vacation. They compare that to images of shrub hunting on his ranch. Shrub is more a man of the people, right?

Anyway it's almost surreal. Isn't it?

[Beetwasher]

4. I Just Find it Odd How Unprepared They Were

They're really scrambling like a bunch of amateurs and they had the book for months before it came out. Either they were in total denial about it's impact or Clarke told them not to worry about because he'd cover for them and they believed him...

[asjr]

5. Probably no one at the WH

even read the book. Either that or someone read it who favored Clarke. Not everyone in the WH can be a wingnut. We know the president doesn't read.

[Mandate My Ass]

6. As someone pointed out a few days ago

If Bush had had his way the commission would have been finished by now and the impact would have been muted by the whitewash.

Their arrogance suggests they don't care what people say about them, only the public's response which to date has been fairly low on the outrage scale. In any event, they are scrambling in a manner that suggests they don't know what hit 'em. }(

[havocmom]

7. Greedy, petty people think everyone is like them

and they are truly surprised when confronted with people who place integrity above greed. They seem oblivious to the fact that many thousands of government employees (at all levels) are actually doing it because they feel service to the nation is honorable.

They have pissed off those many thousands of people who serve and feel it is right to do so. There are a lot of folks out there who are annoyed at the treatment of Ms Plame, the military, and all the unsung heroes who work quietly and get the business of the people done.

There are probably a lot of budding whistle blowers and tipsters. They are patriots, and they know it. They are being laughed at and threatened, and they know it. The America they serve is being shredded and used to feather the nests of a very selected few, and they know it.

Look for a lot of wooden clogs slipping into the machinery of government.

[Beetwasher]

16. Yup, they Thought Clarke Would Play Ball

That he had just as much to lose as them if the truth came out.

Clarke did nothing to disabuse them of that notion and in fact, may have actively cultivated the notion that he was STILL a team player who would look out for his own skin and defend the admin.

I suspect they expected a totally different Clarke to appear before the commission and in all the interviews regarding his book. I suspect that Clarke told them he would spin for them and blame Clinton or at the very least he lead them to believe he would do that.

[Robin Hood]

11. People don't snowboard?

Old WW2 Republicans enjoy brush clearing, everyone else would rather go snowboarding.

[pacifictiger]

19. I count a minimum of 7 books

right now that are decidedly antibush based on scandals etc.
Does anyone know how this compares to anti-clinton or anti any other president at the 3+ year mark of a presidential term?

[LadeJarl]

8. Wait a minute, wait a minute...

Did you say "they cleared it" as in "the current adminsitration cleared his book prior to release"-clearing?

If that is so, then they are in really deep doo-doo!

Erik

[leftchick]

9. Yes indeedy...

Clarke said he gave thema draft of the book when he finished it in October. he expected it back by December for it to be published. They had all of this time! I bet no one even read it, that is how arrogant they have become.

[gemlake]

10. Or even better

They read it and didn't comprehend, due to their arrogance and warped view of public opinion, that people would actually want to read the book and find it credible.

[Beetwasher]

12. That's One Possibility

They were just in complete denial about it's impact...Personally, I just can't see them being that clueless (though it's possible), that's why I'm thinking Clarke assured them that he would continue to spin for them when the book came out. He presented his book as a limited hang out to address the charges that they figured would be coming from the Dems as a result of the 9/11 hearings and the earlier Time piece; the charges being that they ignored terrorism before 9/11. Clarke presented himself and his book as cover for the admin. He would address those charges but go to bat for the admin., or at least that's what he told them he would do and up until now they had no reason to doubt him because up until now he gave them no indication how he really felt.

[Catherine Vincent]

13. They cleared it thinking the media was going to jump

on Clarke's criticism of the Clinton administration and not Bush. But it backfired on them. A lot of people seem to forget that the book criticizes Clinton too but apparently more harsely on Bush. They (the bushies) thought otherwise.

[Beetwasher]

14. Right, and I Have A Feeling that Clarke PUSHED this Notion

He told them (the admin.) that he would push the "Blame Clinton" angle and they bought it. He sold his book to them as a limited hang out for the pre-9/11 warnings and they thought he would continue to cover and spin for them, thinking he was out to protect his own hide just as much as they were...I think he played them but good. It would explain why they were so incredibly unprepared. They expected a totally different Clarke to appear in interviews and expected a totally different story from him.

[Catherine Vincent]

18. I sure hope Tom Clancy is paying attention.

Clarke should be Clancy's next book. And then the movie....

[Beetwasher]

20. Screw Clancy! I'll Write The Book!

;-)

[sadiesworld]

15. My take is that Bushco tried to hang on to the book hoping to run the

clock on the hearings. When the commission deadline was extended, they went ahead and released the book. I would imagine that there was some pretty serious wrangling behind the scenes. As bad as the impact of the book has been, it would have been much worse if it had been presented as "the story the administration won't let you hear".
Also, the misadministration wasn't entirely passive in the face of the anticipated onslaught--I feel fairly confident that the release of the predator tape of UBL(?)taken during the Clinton administration was no coincidence. I think the release of the book immediately prior to Clark's testimony would have been the publisher's idea (and yes, Clarke's as well).

[Beetwasher]

21. Yeah, This Fits W/ My Scenario Actually

If Clarke lead them to believe that he was still going to cover for them, they would have expected his testimony to be completely different. Then after the hearing ended, his book would come out and they would expect more of the same when he discussed the book.

[Junkdrawer]

17. Well, it's a nice steathy title...

"Against All Enemies" - rubberstamp

"Bush is a Screw-Up Who Did Less Than Nothing" - scour every word

[Zan_of_Texas]

22. You forgot one

No, make that two.

In the display of books.

American Dynasty, by Kevin Phillips

Bushwomen, by Laura Flanders

Also, Hans Blix got some play with his new one, Disarming Iraq

Clarke said in an interview that he wanted the book to be a Christmas book, turned it in, I believe it was October. The White House sat on it for months. He said the point of the review is to make sure no confidential/classified material is in there. He said if there is, they make you take it out. Presumably someone on the staff actually read it.

I think, while Clark is remarkable as a whistleblower, the difference is that the media seem to have finally turned. It's like turning the Titanic -- ain't nearly quick enough, and should have been done long ago. But, it just feels like they are not going to give out endless free passes to the Bushies now.