CLARKE PRAISES BUSH IN RESIGNATION LETTER! (Dems blow it again)

Associated Press ^ | JENNIFER LOVEN

[Pukin Dog]

WASHINGTON - The White House, seeking to cool criticism from a former top anti-terror adviser, said Tuesday that Richard Clarke's resignation letter praised President Bush's "courage, determination, calm and leadership" on Sept. 11, 2001.

"It has been an enormous privilege to serve you these last 24 months," said the Jan. 20, 2003, letter from Clarke to Bush. "I will always remember the courage, determination, calm, and leadership you demonstrated on September 11th."

The letter was stamped "the president has seen" the next day.

Clarke, who left the Bush administration in March 2003 after 30 years in government service and 11 years at the White House, has written a book in which he criticizes the president and his administration for ignoring repeated warnings about al-Qaida before the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and acting ineffectively afterward, primarily because of a preoccupation with Iraq (news - web sites).

On Monday, the day Clarke's "Against All Enemies: Inside America's War on Terror" hit stores and the day after he promoted it in an interview with CBS' "60 Minutes," the White House went to great lengths to dismiss Clarke's accusations. Administration officials, including Vice President Dick Cheney (news - web sites) and national security adviser Condoleezza Rice (news - web sites), appeared on television and radio to argue that Clarke was inaccurate, politically motivated, disgruntled over bureaucratic changes that reduced his influence, merely trying to sell books — or all four at once.

That White House campaign continued Tuesday with the release of Clarke's letter announcing his intention to step down.

White House spokesman Scott McClellan suggested Clarke's praise belies his later criticism of Bush's handling of the crisis.

"At this time period, when he was leaving, there was no mention of the grave concerns he claims to have had about the direction of the war on terrorism, or what we were doing to confront the threat posed by Iraq, by the former regime," McClellan said.

But the letter contains no praise of Bush's anti-terror actions before or after the attacks — only on the day of. Clarke does commend Bush for his "intuitive understanding" of the importance of cybersecurity.

Clarke's job as the White House's counterterrorism chief was split in two early in the Bush White House, with Clarke put in charge of cybersecurity and others brought in for the anti-terror role.

"You had prescience in creating the position of Special Adviser to the President for Cyberspace Security and I urge you to maintain that role in the White House," Clarke wrote.

Also, even though the White House argued that Clarke's memoir was released to do the maximum political damage to Bush in a presidential election year, McClellan would not say when the required national security review of the book was completed, allowing its publication to proceed. Publications by administration officials are routinely vetted to make sure that nothing is released that compromises classified information or national security.

[KC_for_Freedom]

I'd say it looks more like Karl Rove is paying a bunch of morons to go and work for the Kerry campaign.

LOL, it does look like they will come away from this wet rather than dry.

[homemom]

Good!
:-)

[rwfromkansas]

I am going to have a bunch of questions to ask clarke when I call his office tomorrow (may not until Thursday since I believe he is supposed to testify tomorrow). I bet he will decline to answer any questions of course.

[Amelia]

Also, even though the White House argued that Clarke's memoir was released to do the maximum political damage to Bush in a presidential election year, McClellan would not say when the required national security review of the book was completed, allowing its publication to proceed.

Is the implication here that the WH delayed on the national security review, forcing the book to be released in an election year, or that the WH could have delayed the publication if they'd wanted to?

[potlatch]

Yep, I won't take you up on that bet, LOL!!

[Samwise]

Hope you don't mind me picking up a new tagline.

It's all in the family--so to speak. :^)

[CalKat]

Hasn't anyone here ever resigned from a job? The parts of the letter read on the news were boilerplate resignation letter.

[evad]

oops!!

gotcha

[murdoog]

I hope I'm wrong but it seems to me that this letter can be easily explained away by saying he was being polite, professional, and trying not to burn any bridges.

That was my impression too. Don't get me wrong. I think Clarke is a liar, a Clinton syncophant, a cad, and a poltroon. But if I didn't already have an opinion of him, this wouldn't discredit him in my eyes. It reminds me a bit of the Kathleen Willey letters that Clinton released.

There's better ways of discrediting Clarke. The whole "Condi Rice had never heard of Al-Qaeda" bit is enough, IMHO.

[lonevoice]

Based on what has transpired over the last 48 hours, I'd say it looks more like Karl Rove is paying a bunch of morons to go and work for the Kerry campaign.

LOL! Another winner. This thread gets the award for the most fun on FR today.

[gswilder]

NBC covered the letter, but didn't show any of the really good stuff. Its all about being selective in what they tell, isn't it?

[rwfromkansas]

The letter is more than just courteous, but glowing and almost fawning on the President.

[pepperdog]

I read earlier that Clarke had 30 years of govt service. That means that he was eligible for retirement and retirement pay. Therefore his "resignation" letter was nothing more than a notification of retirement. Any extra statements, other than notifying management of his retirement, were of his own doing.

He probably made the statements hoping to hired as some sort of govt consultant at a later date. The book deal came when someone convinced him he could make big bucks "exposing" the current administration.

The guy is a professional brown noser, probably made his whole career climb based on brown nosing. He's obviously been only concerned for himself, if he had an ounce of real integrity he'd have made a name for himself when Clinton was ignoring OBL.

[bray]

Too bad they didn't hold this little club until The wicked witch of NY held up her "Bush Knew" fishwrap in the Senate Chamber!! Rats sometimes are like dumb puppies, you wack them across the nose and they just come back wagging their tails again???

Pray for W and The Truth

[AF68]

"This guy, Clarke, must be on the take from the Dem Party."

It's much worse than that. There seems to be active collusion between a corrupt political party, it's selected candidate, and a debauched mainstream media to take down a sitting president through lies and deceit. It borders on sedition. Actually, I wouldn't be surprised if one or more foreign entities are involved, also. To quote Jabba the Nadler, "There's a whiff of fascism in the air".

[ducks1944]

Where was they when Clinton Gave reporter the letter from K. Willy?????

[newzhawk]

"better stick with throwing the elderly out in the street"LOL I wonder if Gephardts mother is still alive so he can parade her around

[Victoria Delsoul]

And while you're at it, Clarke -- why don'tcha get yer head out of yer @ss, too?

You got that right.

[Victoria Delsoul]

Rats sometimes are like dumb puppies, you wack them across the nose and they just come back wagging their tails again???

I know what you mean...

[Constitutionalist Conservative]

Someone left the cake out in the rain
I don't think that I can take it
'Cause it took so long to bake it
And I'll never have that recipe again
Ooooh nooooo!