CLARKE IN 92: BUSH WAS LAX ON IRAQ

The Washington Post (BRIEF EXCERPT ONLY, IN COMPLIANCE WITH COPYRIGHT LAW AND LAT/WP VS FR] | JUNE 5, 1992 | R. Jeffrey Smith

[Wallaby]

Memo Says U.S. Was Lax on Iraq; 'No One Was Paying Attention' to Arms [EXCERPT] The Washington Post R. Jeffrey Smith, Washington Post Staff Writer FIRST SECTION; PAGE A1 June 5, 1992, Friday, Final Edition A senior State Department official concluded in a secret memorandum after Iraq invaded Kuwait that "no one was paying attention" to blocking Iraq's purchase of Western equipment for weapons of mass destruction during the previous decade, according to a copy obtained by The Washington Post. [According to Clarke's memo,] "no one was paying attention" to blocking Iraq's purchase of Western equipment for weapons of mass destruction during the previous decade. . ." The official, Assistant Secretary of State Richard A. Clarke, made the claim in a memo declassified yesterday and provided to Congress along with 53 other State Department documents concerning U.S.-Iraqi relations that were requested by a congressional committee investigating U.S. policy toward Iraq before the Persian Gulf War. The documents, which were made available to The Post by a U.S. official, provide fresh details about the administration's monitoring of Iraq's nuclear and chemical weapons programs and the controversial U.S. pre-war push to ease controls on high-technology exports as part of an attempt to cultivate better relations with Iraq before it invaded Kuwait in August 1990.

(snip) President Bush last night defended the effort toward better relations with Iraq against this congressional criticism, saying that the United States tried to work with Saddam "on grain credits and things of this nature to avoid aggressive action. And it failed. . . . " "That approach, holding out a hand, trying to get him to renounce terrorism and join the family of nations, didn't work," Bush told a White House news conference. "And the minute he moved aggressively, we moved aggressively and set back aggression." One undated memo summarizing U.S. nonproliferation activity aimed at Iraq indicates that the Bush administration moved slowly to constrain Iraq's mass-destruction weapons programs after a Iraqi long-range missile launch in 1989 caught officials by surprise. The memo states that Clarke sought in an interagency meeting that December "to get at why U.S. intelligence didn't know Iraq had such capabilities beforehand and to galvanize the interagency community into more effective [action] against the Iraqi missile program." (snip) Clarke's memo referring to Washington's record of failure on the issue was written after the invasion. . . (snip)

[Mo1]

What time does it start?

[OXENinFLA]

9amEST

[prairiebreeze]

Is he the Dim that kept trying to say they were non-partisan and above it all? Yeah, right. Also, do you mean the DNC convention?

Prairie

[anniegetyourgun]

Most Americans won't be watching, but it should be an excellent juxtaposition of competence. Maddy and Billy will look like the sandlot team that they served on, while Rummy and Colin will look all the skilled professionals that they are.

[Mo1]

Also, do you mean the DNC convention?

Yes I did ... can you tell I need more coffee *L*

[mewzilla]

Great find, Wallaby!

And FWIW, from this link (Socialists are good for something). Here's what Clarke was talking about in 1999, right after his appointment, as AQ was planning the 9-11 attacks. Talk about being asleep at the switch. From the link:

Richard A. Clarke, recently appointed by Clinton to the new post of national coordinator of counterterrorism and computer security programs, warned of the threat of "information warfare" involving "systematic national intrusion" into computer systems, with effects comparable to the strategic bombing of World War II. "What we're concerned about is in the future, nations will have that same capability to destroy each other's infrastructure, not by bombs, but by cyber attack," he told reporters.

Clarke admitted that there had been few terrorist attacks on American soil, adding, "We do not know of any imminent attack being planned in the United States using chemical or biological weapons or using cyber attack techniques." Nonetheless, he justified the massive increase in expenditure by claiming that the absence of terrorist attacks proved that anti-terrorist programs were working and should be intensified!

[prairiebreeze]

What channel is covering it?

[maica]

C-SPAN will be there.

[mathluv]

Some guy - Meehan? - was on H&C. He said it was not Kerry's job as a Senator to do anything about security at Logan. Kerry sent the report to the FTC??? even though the reporter specifically asked that he not do that.

[mathluv]

I am glad you saw him. I did, and thought he was very effective, but I did not remember his name.

[hobbes1]

clarke was quoted extensively in another book -- the name escapes me at the moment -- criticising the clinton administration for not listening to him about al-Qaida. the book came out after 9/11.

Richard Miniters "Losing Bin Laden" they had him on one of the FOX pgms laast nite. Ironically enough I just read the book a week ago (literally).

[hobbes1]

Here is something interesting. Check out the last paragraph.

[AFPhys]

You state most critical part of the whole Clarke fiasco:

The book and attack on Rice/Bush is part of the pre-emptive strike to deflect attention away from Bill's dereliction of duty.

The Clinton administration did thirty years worth of damage to the US, most critically in the foreign policy arena.

I was saying that here on FR at least four years ago, when the events of China stealing nuke and missile technology came to light without response, and when India and Pakistan were neglected (by the first administration since 1965) and as a result "went nuclear".

I stand by that assessment. Terrorism is just another of the fruits of the 'Toon's administration. It will take us at least thirty years to undo the damage, if it ever can be undone.

[TrueBeliever9]

Great find!

[smonk]

yeah, that's the one. thanks.

[rwfromkansas]

I found several mentions of Bin Laden, but it was misspelled as Bin Ladin.

There was little discussion of terrorism, though that may be because the author seemed to separate criminal organizations and terrorists, with this document mainly focusing on criminal organizations.

[Grampa Dave]

Thanks for posting this great find.

The rats seem to forget about the capability that we have to do document/data searches re what they have said in the past.

[Grampa Dave]

"It's really over for the Dems, isn't it? Ordinary people do research on the WWW and Fox News picks up the story. No more media blackouts."

Yet, the Rats are so arrogant, they continue to lie, spin and push their BS like they could a few years ago.

Just look at the stories, fables, lies, spin and mantras that have been exposed on Free Republic in the last year re Iraq, rats in general and their new head liar John F'onda al Querry.

[mewzilla]

Rep. David Dreier just said on FNC a few minutes ago that he, Dreier, has been told by people who know that Clarke's testimony before Congressional intell committees was completely different from what he's saying now. Oooops.

[Grampa Dave]

"Rep. David Dreier just said on FNC a few minutes ago that he, Dreier, has been told by people who know that Clarke's testimony before Congressional intell committees was completely different from what he's saying now. Oooops."

OOOOOPs indeed.