Daschle: Bush admin. aims to defame Clarke (TDIDS)

AP ^ | 3-25-04 | DAVID ESPO

[Indy Pendance]

WASHINGTON -- Senate Democratic leader Tom Daschle accused the Bush administration Thursday of making former terrorism aide Richard Clark the latest target in a campaign of "character assassination" against those who stand in President Bush's way.

"They've known for months what Mr. Clarke was going to say," Daschle said in a Senate speech one day after the former White House aide sharply criticized the president's stewardship of the war on terror.

"Instead of dealing with it factually, they've launched a shrill attack to destroy Mr. Clarke's credibility," Daschle said.

The senator said Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., former Sen. Max Cleland, D-Ga., and retired Amb. Joseph Wilson had suffered similar treatment at the hands of Bush's aides. "I saw the White House ferocity first hand," added Daschle, whom Republicans often depict as the Democrats' obstructionist-in-chief in Congress.

The South Dakota Democrat spoke after Clarke appeared before the bipartisan commission that is investigating the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. Clarke, the author of a new book critical of Bush, testified that the administration accorded a lower priority to combatting al-Qaida when it came to power than the outgoing Clinton administration had shown. He also said the invasion of Iraq undermined the war on terror.

The White House has mounted a furious counterattack, dispatching Vice President Dick Cheney, National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice and other officials to challenge Clarke. "He needs to get his story straight," said Rice, Bush's national security adviser, as the White House identified Clarke as the senior official who had praised Bush's anti-terrorism efforts in an anonymous briefing for reporters in 2002.

Bush defended his handling of the war on terror in a trip to New Hampshire during the day, without mentioning Clarke by name.

"Had I known that the enemy was going to use airplanes to strike America, to attack us, I would have used every resource, every asset, every power of this government to protect the American people," he said.

The commission held two days of public hearings this week and is to hold additional public sessions next month.

Daschle urged the White House to reverse course and permit Rice to answer questions in public, saying she "seems to have time to appear on every television show."

Republican and Democratic members of the commission also have urged the administration to abandon its refusal to allow her to testify. Some GOP members of Congress, speaking on condition of anonymity, said they, too, believed Rice should appear, at least in part to offer a rebuttal to Clarke.

"Some things are more important that politics, and Sept. 11 ought to be at the top of the list," Daschle said. "We need the facts on Sept. 11, not spin and character assassination."

Daschle's comments extend the controversy ignited by Clarke's criticism, but they went well beyond the White House's response to the case of the former aide.

Referring to the Bush campaign's attacks against McCain in the 2000 Republican primaries, he said, "I will never forget the distortions, the recklessness, and the viciousness of those attacks. They were wrong and they impugned one of our great patriots." McCain spent several years as a prison of war in Vietnam.

Daschle said Cleland, a triple amputee Vietnam war veteran, had his "reputation and patriotism smeared" in a losing campaign for re-election in 2002. His rival ran an ad including images of Osama bin Laden and Saddam Hussein and accusing him of voting against Bush's plan to create a new Department of Homeland Security.

Daschle also said that when Wilson challenged a key claim Bush made about Iraq's efforts to seek weapons of mass destruction, the White House "put his wife in danger by disclosing publicly that she was a deep cover agent for the CIA."

[teletech]

LITTLE Tommy is deeply DEEPLY saddened.

[CasearianDaoist]

WHy should they bother? He is foing a good enough job himself. Clarke was played for a patsy and in a few days his Democrat pimps will leave him twisting in the wind.

[Argus]

It's been awhile since we heard from the crepe-hanging shrimp - I was beginning to wonder what happened to him. Now we know. His brain was at the dry cleaners and just got back, all shiny, wrapped in plastic, and shrunk even smaller.

[Indy Pendance]

Isn't it ironic? The democrats specialize in character assination, not once did the GOP stoop to their level. But, when FACTS are presented, it's 'character assination'. I wish the democrats would move to Europe.

[TomGuy]

Senate Democratic leader Tom Daschle accused the Bush administration Thursday of making former terrorism aide Richard Clark the latest target in a campaign of "character assassination"

No, TommyD. Clarke's own mouth/words is Clarke's own worst enemy. Just like Kerry's voting record is Kerry's own worst enemy. Just because someone calls attention to their discrepancies, that is not character assassination if it is true.

Clarke has contradicted his own book many times over. Those contradictions have been recorded on print and video over the years. Changing facts for his book is Clarke's own problem.

Kerry has flipflopped on some 350 pieces of legislation. Those flipflops are in the Senatorial record. That is Kerry's doing. He has to explain that.

No, pointing out the truth is not character assassination, TommyD. Sorry. That accusation won't fly.

[Solamente]

"crepe-hanging shrimp..." BWAAAHAHAHAAAAAAA!

[Montfort]

The Democrats are used to being able to lie and not have anyone call them on it, except perhaps on talk radio where many of the listeners are political junkies who know how they are going to vote anyway.

Now that their lies are exposed on Fox News, which is on in the background at many bars and other semi-public places, as well as millions of homes, they cannot get away with the lies so much.

[watchin]

So ... quoting a man's own words is "character assassination"?

But calling a woman trailer trash is not?

[gorush]

"LITTLE Tommy is deeply DEEPLY saddened."

Clearly!

[hobson]

I wish SOMEONE would point out that character attacks by the Dems ended up costing the taxpayer money. Linda Tripp, Billy Dale both won their law suits.

The White House is simply using the man's own words and they call it character assassination? I certainly hope our public education system hasn't failed to the point that people will not get this.

[No!]

""Instead of dealing with it factually, they've launched a shrill attack to destroy Mr. Clarke's credibility," Daschle said."

OH stuff it shorty! (I sure hope he loses HIS election this timw) shrill? what a dwebe!

[grellis]

Character assassination? Clarke put the bullets in the gun by not keeping his story straight. Should anyone be surprised that the trigger was pulled?

[ladyinred]

"Some things are more important that politics, and Sept. 11 ought to be at the top of the list," Daschle said. "We need the facts on Sept. 11, not spin and character assassination."

Careful Little Tommy, your nose is going to grow longer than the rest of your body!

[Let's Roll]

Well, little tommy, I guess little dicky should have stayed out of the kitchen then, shouldn't he?

[Indy Pendance]

[jackbill]

I sent a FAX to Mr. Dashole's office (202-224-6603) expressing my opinion that Mr. Clarke destroyed his own credibility.

[Fledermaus]

Shove it Tommy boy...like you left wing jerks don't defame conservatives and Republicans daily.

But we aren't calling Clarke a "murderer" like you guys do in every election towards your opponents.

[Fledermaus]

The Democrats are used to being able to lie and not have anyone call them on it, except perhaps on talk radio where many of the listeners are political junkies who know how they are going to vote anyway.

Now that their lies are exposed on Fox News, which is on in the background at many bars and other semi-public places, as well as millions of homes, they cannot get away with the lies so much.

O-72...BINGO! We have a winner!

[Right_in_Virginia]

"Instead of dealing with it factually, they've launched a shrill attack to destroy Mr. Clarke's credibility," Daschle said.

Hey, Tiny Tim...Dealing with the facts have destroyed Mr. Clarke's credibility. Deal with it.