Wes Clark Claims Richard Clarke Allegations "not Political" (Today Show this-dog-won't-hunt alert)

[governsleastgovernsbest]

For once, let's start with the conclusion, then get to the facts. Conclusion: the allegations by Richard Clarke that the Bush administration was asleep at the switch when it came to fighting terror pre-9/11 will not have a significant negative impact on W's re-election prospects.

The Dems have given it their best shot, starting with last night's appearance by Richard Clarke on 60 Minutes, and continuing this morning with an appearance on the Today Show of Kerry surrogate Wesley Clark.

And the reliably liberal Norah O'Donnell, in her set-up piece before the interviews of Condi Rice and Wes Clark did her best to hide Richard Clarke's Clinton ties. She never mentioned that Clarke was in the Clinton administration. At very end of he piece she alluded to the fact that he was involved with anti-terror "for a decade" but didn't put that in the political context. You might say she mentioned the fact to build his credentials as an expert rather than to expose his political bias.

Here's the case against the political significance of Richard Clarke's statements: First, he presented them in blatantly political manner. The clip shown on Today this morning shows Clarke animatedly asserting that it is "outrageous" that W is running for re-election on the basis of strong leadership on national security, whereas he in fact did a poor job.

So Clarke himself immediately casts his allegations in a political context. Given that he was a long-time member of the Clinton admin who was a hold-over in the Bush administration, his bona fides as a neutral observer are very questionable.

Next, there is the Dems problem with people in glass houses not throwing stones. As Condi Rice pointed out in her interview with Matt Lauer, Richard Clarke was the anti-terror czar during the the first bombing of the WTC bombing, of the Khobar towers, the Cole, the US embassies in Africa and most of the advance planning for 9/11. Yet he and the Clinton administration did little or nothing to stop or react to any of them.

The deluded Wes Clark was interviewed by (the ditzy) Ann Curry. Clark tried to keep a straight face - and to give him credit, he certainly didn't blink ;-) - while claiming that Richard Clarke's charges were "not political."

But even the very liberal Curry clearly was not buying. She interrupted Clark on a number of occasions, repeating the charges that Condi had made to the effect that the Clinton administration shared the blame. Clark made a pitiful effort to change the subject, claiming that the Clinton admin's responsibility is "not the question."

Curry then asserted: "but you supported the war against Iraq."

A very agitated Clark shot back: "I never supported the war!" [Well, with the exception of that first statement I made on the first day of my presidential campaign when I said I did. But that was before Mary helped me.]

Curry: "But John Kerry supported the war. He voted for the resolution."

Clark: "He supported dealing with the problem, but not in the way the Bush administration did so."

[governsleastgovernsbest]

Thanks for the interesting info.

Clark's attempts to ignore the Clinton admin's pathetic anti-terror record was pathetic itself.

With friends like Howard Dean and Wes Clark, Kerry doesn't need enemies!

[TomGuy]

Still, he [Mansoor] always comes across as very authoritative, which is helpful!

He seems to have more credibility because (1) he is not a politician, so he appears to have no axe to grind, (2) he is a reporter/consultant, so that separates him from the political interests.

His denouncement of Clarke and his own admission of direct (personal) involvement in negotiating for bin Laden, etc., gives him more validity than Clarke, a disgruntled, demoted political appointee, has.

[MEG33]

Great info!

[governsleastgovernsbest]

I do like Ijaz, but I also see him as a bit of an ambitious self-promoter in the Geraldo mold. I therefore tend to take his reports with a grain of salt. Here's his bio from FNC:

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,46241,00.html

[ReleaseTheHounds]

Here's my "cut and paste" effort:

Oct. 12, 2000 - A terrorist bomb damages the destroyer USS Cole in the port of Aden, Yemen, killing 17 sailors and injuring 39.

Aug. 7, 1998 - Terrorist bombs destroy the U.S. embassies in Nairobi, Kenya and Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. In Nairobi, 12 Americans are among the 291 killed, and over 5,000 are wounded, including 6 Americans. In Dar es Salaam, one U.S. citizen is wounded among the 10 killed and 77 injured.

In June 21, 1998 - Rocket-propelled grenades explode near the U.S. embassy in Beirut. July 27, 1996 - A pipe bomb explodes during the Olympic games in Atlanta, killing one person and wounding 111.

June 25, 1996 - A bomb aboard a fuel truck explodes outside a U.S. air force installation in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia. 19 U.S. military personnel are killed in the Khubar Towers housing facility, and 515 are wounded, including 240 Americans.

Nov. 13, 1995 - A car-bomb in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia kills seven people, five of them American military and civilian advisers for National Guard training. The "Tigers of the Gulf," "Islamist Movement for Change," and "Fighting Advocates of God" claim responsibility.

April 19, 1995 - A car bomb destroys the Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, killing 168 people and wounding over 600.

February 1993 - A bomb in a van explodes in the underground parking garage in New York's World Trade Center, killing six people and wounding 1,042.

[YaYa123]

The American people are going to slice through this BS like warm buttah!

Imus sure did. Clark's book is published by a subsididary (sp) of Simon Schuster, which is owned by Viacom, which owns CBS, who got the 60 Minutes interview. (Dontcha love it when Leslie Stahl makes her eyes get real real big, like she's just heard something shocking?)

And Clark is now an ABC "consultant", and we are supposed to think that's a non-partisan position..DUH. But get this, the Clinton hold-over bastard is a Kerry advisor!

Condi Rice did a great job on all the channels I caught her, but Imus got it just right when he said Clark cared so much about the security of his country that he took the time to write a book, rather than correcting the problem.

By the way, I'm not worried one bit that this bastard will hurt President Bush with his breathless revelations. They are too nasty, too partisan, and over the top....the American people recognize a political hatchet job for political advantage and personal profit when they see one.

And one more thing....I hope this latest outrage is the nail in the coffin of any Republican holding over anyone from previous Demo administrations. Fire em all!

[bushfamfan]

It's great to see Condi reminding people that the Clintoon administration had this guy from the get-go, when the first WTC bombing happened and all the other al Qaeda actions while they openly declared war on the USA, but Bush is supposedly to blame for a mere 7 months and a few weeks. They aren't going to get away with it and it's great Condi and the administration are responding in reminding people of this. People need to be reminded.

[governsleastgovernsbest]

Great post. Dittos all around.

[mewzilla]

Thanks a lot! Best I can tell, the only thing that Clarke is/was good at is self-aggrandizement.

[MEG33]

I,too,take Ijaz with a grain of salt and he can be breathless and wrong!This morning he was furious and I have not seen him that way lately.

[TomGuy]

Clarke has ties to the Kerry campaign. Check it out:

Source url: http://www.powerlineblog.com/

Dang Internet!!!! How's a liberal supposed to hoodwink the populace now?????? Seems every time they try any more, the truth surfaces at the speed of electrons. What's a lying liberal supposed to do????? Oh agony of agonies!!!!

[Savage Beast]

Wesley Clark is the dumbest politician since Jimmy Carter.

[TomGuy]

Haag on FoxNews calling 8 years of Clinton, incompetent. lol

[governsleastgovernsbest]

Wesley Clark is the dumbest politician since Jimmy Carter.

Isn't it odd that Clark's supposed credential was that he was this "brilliant Rhodes Scholar"? What a loser.

[OXENinFLA]

Who published this new Clark book?

[MEG33]

#19 FYI

[Mo1]

Thanks for another good reporting of the Today Show ..

This happened over on the Fox & Friends show

To: OldFriend
Monsoor Ijaz just cleared up Richard Clark's lies. Richard Clark went to Sandy Burger and blocked the effort to get Osama Bin Laden, AT EVERY STEP. Monsoor will challenge him on any television show or testify anywhere he is asked. Monsoor said that Clark is completely out of control and he will see that Clark is held accountable for the lies he is telling.
57 posted on 03/22/2004 7:28:25 AM EST by kcvl

[risk]

Richard Clarke is a bitter, discredited bureaucrat who was an integral part of the Clinton administration's failed approach to terrorism...

Plus he's engrossed in the elect-Kerry machine? Works for me.

[MEG33]

There's a lot being exposed this morning!

[governsleastgovernsbest]

Thanks Mo1. Looks like this is one Dem attack that won't get traction.

"We now return you to our regularly-scheduled humorous Bush campaign attack ads on John Kerry." ;-)