Clarke told reporters different story in 2002 background briefing (CNN)

CNN ^ | 3/24/04 | John King & Dana Bash

[finnman69]

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- In August 2002, then-White House counterterrorism czar Richard Clarke told reporters that the Bush administration -- from day one -- told him to "vigorously pursue" the Clinton administration policy that allowed the United States to kill Osama bin Laden if the opportunity arose.

[jackbill]

Bill Plante of CBS admitted tonight that he was at the briefing. So we have Fox News (Angle), and Andrea (Mitchell of NBC or Koppel of CNN - who is the State Dept. Correspondent - and unlikely).

So, who was there from ABC? Was it Mitchell? If so, who was there from CNN?

They are all most likely very closely related to the White House, since it was a WH briefing.

[Mo1]

http://www.andreasenforcongress.org/


A message from Steve about the 2004 election
Dear First District DFL'ers:

Greetings. Over the past few months, many of you have encouraged me to consider a second run for Congress in the First Congressional District. I am convinced a Democrat can win in the First, and I believe 2004 can be a good year for Democratic candidates in Minnesota, and across the nation.

Together in 2002, we made a strong showing across the District. It was a difficult year for Democrats, especially here in Minnesota where we were also in mourning over the loss of Paul and Sheila Wellstone. The issues we championed in our campaign -- strengthening our national and economic security, improving education and health care, protecting worker's rights and revitalizing our rural economy -- garnered over 92,000 votes and important endorsements, including from the Rochester Post Bulletin and the Minneapolis Star Tribune. Today, these issues remain at the forefront of the political debate.

That said, having run full-time in 2002, I also understand that it will take a candidate who can devote all of his or her energies to a full-time campaign beginning in January 2004 in order to beat an incumbent member of Congress. With great reluctance, I have concluded that I am not in a position to seek your endorsement this election cycle. I remain committed to seeing the DFL take this seat and will do everything I can to help our endorsed candidate win next November.

Representing First District DFL'ers on the 2002 ballot was a tremendous honor. I hope to continue to see and hear from you in the months ahead. I'll be continuing my teaching at the Humphrey Institute as well as consulting on national security issues. Please stay in touch.

All the best,

Steve

[OldFriend]

Yes, Brit was referring to John Kerry.

This was before the stuff hit the fan.

Altho, Brit may have had an inkling of what was to come.

[Jorge]

The headline still remains Clinton was tough on terror, Bush was not.

Who would believe such a ridiculous headline?

Anyone alive for the past 3 years has heard repeatedly that Bush's response to terrorism has been overdone, too trigger-happy.....he's a cowboy.
That's ALL we've heard.
NOW they're trying to say the exact opposite.

Who do they think they're fooling?
Anyone over 15 years old knows Bush is the ONLY leader to get tough on terrorists, and that his approach to the war on terrorism has been FAR more aggressive than Clinton's.

Anyone who says they don't know this has either been in a coma for a decade or they are flat out lying. The truth is far to obvious.

[cyncooper]

I wonder why the media is piling on him now? It's weird, not like it's normal operating procedure for them. He must have pissed em off somehow.

Odd, I don't consider reporting--even dragged kicking and screaming to do it--facts, "piling on".

"Piling on" is making crap up and "reporting" rumor as fact, like the Bush AWOL story.

This administration has truth on their side and they are being attacked by evil lying creeps and they aren't going to take it anymore. The media has no choice but to report it when it becomes obvious.

[VOA]

"Clarke told reporters different story in 2002 background briefing (CNN)"

The Clarke episode is sad and liberating.
Sad, because he appears to be a hollow version of the ONE Clinton official who was for
kicking OBL's butt after the USS Cole incident (as shown in "Losing bin Laden")...
Liberating, because I now fully accept that I can simply ignore just about anything
a former Clinton Admin. appointee says.

[StarCMC]

I can't believe CNN actually picked it up!

[lainde]

Wow...CNN. I'm gobsmacked. Guess they couldn't sit on it anymore.

[Howlin]

So now we know that Bill Plante at CBS knew that Clarke was lying and still said nothing.

[GOPrincess]

"Brit Hume commented last evening that Kerry had been faxing excerpts from Clarke's book to all the media outlets.
He wondered why Kerry jumped on the bandwagon so quicly and without forethought."

Missed that, very interesting info. It's also kinda interesting that Kerry just happened to take his vacation right NOW during the book brouhaha. Coincidence? I think not...

I REALLY want to know which reporters/networks were sitting on this briefing info after the White House released them from confidentiality...

[GOPrincess]

Plante was there? That is fascinating considering that his attack line today at the WH briefing was to blame the White House for "holding up" Clarke's book during the security screening process. We sure know the side Plante's working for now, without a doubt (not that there was much of one to begin with).

[ladyinred]

Oh well, we KNOW Larry will drag the truth out of old tricky Dick don't we? LOL! Sheesh! Will he be on "The View" in the morning?

[BigSkyFreeper]

Re my #77, I was being sarcastic. Several FReepers on the thread seemed excited that CNN and AP had carried stories of Clarke's — ahem — credibility problems. I was pointing out that most people get what little news they consume from the so-called mainstream media, their local news channels, late-night comedy shows, and the like. I have zero faith that any of those news outlets will tell the truth about Clarke. I am one of the harshest FR critics of the media, with good reason since I was one of them earlier in my career.

No problem! I was one like you. I spent 16 years in radio, and I know the kind of media you're talking about. I had to deal with the copy editors of the AP who literally would chop my submitted news articles down, even after I spent long moments doing it myself. (In radio your news copy either had to conform to 1 minute or 15 second news copy, depending on which format you wanted your news story to appear in).

It was almost as if the copy editors could tell I was conservative, and sometimes tweaked my story with a liberal slant.

I loathe the media as much as you do, and I know liberal journalism like the back of my hand.

[BigSkyFreeper]

I don't know when Terry Moran (ABC) started working in the White House. I suspect when Bush was elected.

[AnAmericanMother]

[BigSkyFreeper]

Clarke will probably be on Living It Up with Jack and Ali. LOL

Making the rounds to all the daytime gabfests.

[BigSkyFreeper]

It's also kinda interesting that Kerry just happened to take his vacation right NOW during the book brouhaha. Coincidence? I think not...

Rush mentioned that on his radio program, and I had thought about that even before Rush had mentioned it. It's ironic that Kerry was going to wrap up his Sun Valley, ID vacation on the day after Clarke was going to testify. Kerry probably had Clarke out there bashing the president, so he wouldn't have to play a bunch of catch up (ketchup?) in the polls.

[BigSkyFreeper]

Yeah, right after he slips his tongue into Clarke's ear, and whispering, "I have a secret". LOL

[ladyinred]

Now THAT is an ugly picture in my head! :-)

[BigSkyFreeper]

oops! Sorry :) LOL