[governsleastgovernsbest]

Again, my sense is that this political dog just won't hunt for the Dems. It's such an obvious set-up. Clarke's trying to sell a book, the Dems are trying to get off the issue of Kerry's weakness on defense, Clarke is an old Clinton admin hand, the Clinton admin's anti-terror record is pathetically weak.

When the Today Show hosts show signs of skepticism about an attack launched on W, you know the Dems are in trouble!

[Quilla]

Fabulous post, presented beautifully. Thank you for watching and sharing your observations. You do us all an incredible service.

I was worried that only Fox was presenting the administration's response to Clarke's ludicrous charges. Dr. Rice did a wonderful job combating these lies this morning.

[Peach]

Bob Woodward in his book Bush at War was given unprecedented access to the president and his administration, including Clarke. Clarke did not mention his concerns about a "focus on Iraq."

The Bush administration was continuing the Clinton administration's foreign policy which called for regime change in Iraq.

Iraq's involvement in supporting terrorists is longer than I can post her but some of the more obvious: Abdul Rahman Yasin, the one conspirator from the 1993 WTC bombing, had fled to Iraq and was harbored by Saddam Hussein for years. Paying Palestinian bomber's families. Salmon Pak where terrorists used a real airplane to learn how to hijack OUR planes.

Clarke claims that Condi Rice didn't even know who Al Qaeda was. I'm nearly falling on the floor laughing. The entire world knew UBL was a threat when he was interviewed in a world exclusive interview, by CNN's Nic Robertson in August of 1998, televised in it's entirety to the world via CNN and CNN International and when he famously repeated his jihad against America.

Just a year ago Clarke was singing a different tune, telling reporter Richard Miniter, author of the book "Losing bin Laden," that it was the Clinton administration - not team Bush - that had dropped the ball on bin Laden.

Clarke, who was a primary source for Miniter's book, detailed a meeting of top Clinton officials in the wake of al Qaeda's attack on the USS Cole in Yemen.

He urged them to take immediate military action. But his advice found no takers.

Reporting on Miniter's book, the National Review summarized the episode:

"At a meeting with Secretary of Defense William Cohen, Director of Central Intelligence George Tenet, Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, Attorney General Janet Reno, and other staffers, Clarke was the only one in favor of retaliation against bin Laden."

The list of excuses seemed endless:

"Reno thought retaliation might violate international law and was therefore against it.

"Tenet wanted to more definitive proof that bin Laden was behind the attack, although he personally thought he was.

"Albright was concerned about the reaction of world opinion to a retaliation against Muslims, and the impact it would have in the final days of the Clinton Middle East peace process.

"Cohen, according to Clarke, did not consider the Cole attack 'sufficient provocation' for a military retaliation."

And what about President Clinton? According to what Clarke told Miniter, he rejected the attack plan. Instead Clinton twice phoned the president of Yemen demanding better cooperation between the FBI and the Yemeni security services.

Clarke offered a chillingly prescient quote from one aide who agreed with him about Clinton administration inaction. "What's it going to take to get them to hit al Qaeda in Afghanistan? Does al Qaeda have to attack the Pentagon?" said the dismayed Clintonista

[solo gringo]

If this Clarke was so good he would still be working for Condi Rice.IMHO

[roses of sharon]

Funny how this Clarke guy has been commentating all over since 9/11, with Nightline ect.

And he suddenly has "new revelations"?

The Dem and their media are like the Arab media. They lie to incite hate.

BTW, WHERE ARE THE CRIES OF NEGATIVE CAMPAIGNING BY MCCAIN?

Shouldn't he be on every channel defending Bush as he does Kerry?

[hgro]

Wesley Clark, living proof of the fact that the West Point's system is faulty when a bird brain can graduate at the head of his class. Just goes to show what an Arkansas education can do for you.

[prairiebreeze]

Thanks for the recap. I actually tuned in to Today at one point to see if Al Qaeti Couric was wearing black but she wasn't on at that moment. I quickly returned to Fox.

Prairie

[verity]

That pathetic bunch is in dire need of a group *itch slap!

[Red Barr]

Who is the terrorist in this article?

After the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, which killed six and injured 1,000; President Clinton promised that those responsible would be hunted down and punished.

After the 1995 bombing in Saudi Arabia, which killed five U.S. military personnel; President Clinton promised that those responsible would be hunted down and punished.

After the 1996 Khobar Towers bombing in Saudi Arabia, which killed 19 and injured 200 U.S. military personnel; President Clinton promised that those responsible would be hunted down and punished.

After the 1998 bombing of U.S. embassies in Africa, which killed 224 and injured 5,000; President Clinton promised that those responsible would be hunted down and punished.

After the 2000 bombing of the USS Cole, which killed 17 and injured 39 U.S. sailors; President Clinton promised that those responsible would be hunted down and punished.

Maybe if President Clinton had kept his promises, an estimated 3,000 people in New York and Washington, D.C. that are now dead would be alive today.

There are two men, both extremely wealthy. One develops relatively cheap software and gives billions of dollars to charity. The other sponsors terrorism.

Why was it that the Clinton Administration spent more time and money chasing down Bill Gates during his eight years than he spent chasing down Osama bin Laden?

[mrtysmm]

Thank you for a great post. It appears that this "clarke" thing may just backfire on the dems especially in light of the Klintooon record of "do nothing" when it came to terrorism.

[nutmeg]

read later bump