FORMER WHITE HOUSE TERRORISM ADVISOR: BUSH ADMIN WAS DISCUSSING BOMBING IRAQ FOR 9/11 DESPITE...

DRUDGE ^ | 3/19/04 | Drudge

[Tumbleweed_Connection]

Former White House terrorism advisor Richard Clarke tells Lesley Stahl that on September 11, 2001 and the day after - when it was clear Al Qaeda had carried out the terrorist attacks - the Bush administration was considering bombing Iraq in retaliation. Clarke's exclusive interview will be broadcast on 60 MINUTES Sunday March 21 (7:00-8:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network.

Clarke was surprised that the attention of administration officials was turning toward Iraq when he expected the focus to be on Al Qaeda and Osama bin Laden. "They were talking about Iraq on 9/11. They were talking about it on 9/12," says Clarke.

The top counter-terrorism advisor, Clarke was briefing the highest government officials, including President Bush and Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, in the aftermath of 9/11. "Rumsfeld was saying we needed to bomb Iraq....We all said, 'but no, no. Al Qaeda is in Afghanistan," recounts Clarke, "and Rumsfeld said, 'There aren't any good targets in Afghanistan and there are lots of good targets in Iraq.' I said, 'Well, there are lots of good targets in lots of places, but Iraq had nothing to do with [the 9/11 attacks],'" he tells Stahl.

Clarke goes on to explain what he believes was the reason for the focus on Iraq. "I think they wanted to believe that there was a connection [between Iraq and Al Qaeda] but the CIA was sitting there, the FBI was sitting there, I was sitting there, saying, 'We've looked at this issue for years. For years we've looked and there's just no connection,'" says Clarke.

Clarke, who advised four presidents, reveals more about the current administration's reaction to terrorism in his new book, "Against All Enemies."

Developing...

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Moderator note: Be sure to read the related story on Richard Clarke:

FORMER WHITE HOUSE TERRORISM ADVISOR RICHARD CLARKE'S LEGACY OF MISCALCULATION

[Tumbleweed_Connection]

FORMER WHITE HOUSE TERRORISM ADVISOR: BUSH ADMIN WAS DISCUSSING BOMBING IRAQ FOR 9/11 DESPITE KNOWING AL QAEDA WAS TO BLAME

[RetiredArmy]

Iraq had nothing to do with 9-11??? They trained the bad guys for YEARS! So, they had nothing to do with it? Why after over two years is this fool just now coming out with this tale?

[lasereye]

, I was sitting there, saying, 'We've looked at this issue for years. For years we've looked and there's just no connection,'" says Clarke.

The day after 9/11 he had been looking at the Iraq connection to 9/11 for years?

[Rutles4Ever]

There is no loyalty left in America.

[oceanview]

maybe he should have read Laurie Mylorie's books, or talked with James Woolsey.

[Rightone]

Gotta sell a book!

[leadpenny]

Because Clarke also worked in the Klintoon White House, Begala was screaming about this upcoming 60 Minutes piece when he was on the Imus program this morning.

Clinton is behind this.

[Stew Padasso]

There are lots of targets in France too.

[oceanview]

and let's not forget the anthrax.

[cwb]

Did we even know that AQ was responsible the day after 9/11?

[WL-law]

Well, My suspicion sensor goes up when someone leaves an administration and then writes a book with some stories and tales hostile to the administration and guaranteed to excite the lib press. It guarantees the author lots of publicity (and instant hero status) and it allows the writer to get even with the people who fired him.

That's not to say that his story MIGHT be true -- it's just to say that I start out very suspicious.

[Robert_Paulson2]

because he himself is a terrorist.
he is the guy who sided with the muslims over the christian orthodox serbs in kosovo right?

[Michael.SF.]

'We've looked at this issue for years. For years we've looked and there's just no connection,'" says Clarke.

Gee, I guess they missed this interview with an officer in the Iraqi Intelligence unit:

Interview of Mr. Khodada on Salmon Pak Training facility

[Williams]

OK, let's turn on the FACT o meter. Fact, we attacked Afghanistan first, not Iraq. Fact, Iraq was an enemy and it was already US policy to get rid of Sadaam Hussein. fact, this guy could not have known on September 12 that we knew "for years" that Sadaam had no connection to September 11. Final fact: The administration never justified the Iraq war on a direct connection with 9-11.

SoI ask again, should we give Iraq back to Sadaam?

[george wythe]

Let's see.

Did Iraq have anything to do with the bombing of the World Trade Center the first time?

Were some of the WTC bombing in 1993 Iraqis or traveled with Iraqi passports?

Did some of the WTC bombing in 1993 flee to Iraq and were protected by Hussein?

Would it not be reasonable to assume that Iraq had something to do with the second bombing of the World Trade Center in 2001?

[buffyt]

no

[Shermy]

"They were talking about Iraq on 9/11. They were talking about it on 9/12," says Clarke.

So what? They were probably "talking" about a lot of places. More word games.

What's Clarke's history with the Iraq Liberation Act in the '90's?

[Rutles4Ever]

What the -- this is what angers me about the White House -- not only do they have Mary Matalin running around (Hello -- she's MARRIED to Carville!), they absolutely failed to vet guys like O'Neil and Clarke before putting them into important positions. Grrrrr....

Give someone enough rope and this is what happens...