**Richard Clarke Takes Position as ABC News Consultant**

ABC News | March 25, 2004

[Howlin]

I don't do this very often, so forgive me.

I was watching the ABC program tonight on Donald Rumsfeld at 8 P.M. EST.

Right in the middle of the show, here appears Richard Clarke, and down in the corner is the little ABC logo with the words ABC (SOMETHING) CONSULTANT. (Not sure what TYPE of consultant, but definitely CONSULTANT.

[Just mythoughts]

"The idea that Clarke was the leaker to Novak during a "long (boozy?) conversation is plausible since Clarke could have been fairly described, then, as both a "senior administration" and "no partisan gunslinger.""

May be, I have no way of knowing.

[PhilDragoo]

Apparently Fox reports Clarke was "too busy to get married".

Who else was "too busy to get married?"

Right, Janet Reno.

But Clarke was not too busy to be Rand Beers' shoulder to cry on when Beers bailed:

In the end, Beers was arriving at work each day with knots in his stomach. He did not want to abandon his colleagues at such a critical, dangerous time. When he finally decided to quit, he drove to a friend's house in Arlington. Clarke, his old counterterrorism pal, took one look at the haggard man on his stoop and opened a bottle of Russian River Pinot Noir. Then he opened another bottle. Clarke toasted Beers, saying: You can still fight the fight.

Published on Monday, June 16, 2003 by the Boston Globe
Former Bush Intelligence Insider Assails Counterterrorism Tactics
Beers says enemy is underestimated
by Laura Blumenfeld

Spinning Dick was not given Tom Ridge's job.

Apparently the only thing to match the fury of a woman scorned is Too-Busy-To-Marry Spinning Dick--but now he's home.

[Mitchell]

I never called you a liar; I said I thought that you jumped to the conclusion that he was just hired. It's a natural mistake to have made in the heat of the moment when you saw him identified as a consultant, and the thought was exacerbated by Stephanopoulos' misleading remark.

When I pointed out that he had been employed by ABC back in August, you even said, "I bet they let him go and hired him back."

If I misunderstood you, I apologize. Looking back on the thread, I'm certainly not the only one who interpreted what you wrote in that way. Since you didn't mean that he was newly hired, maybe you could write the Admin Moderator and request that the headline be changed (from "Clarke Takes Position..." to, say, "Clarke Holds Position...") and also that the thread be removed from Breaking News.

I had no idea that other people could place a thread in Breaking News; I thought the poster had to do that.

I'm sorry that this seems to have gotten personal; I didn't intend for that to happen. As conservatives, I just think we have the facts on our side and so should be scrupulously accurate.

[Just mythoughts]

""...During a long conversation with a senior administration official,.....""


"When he made this statement he was, in his way, trying to cover himself, and protect his viability as a confidant. That is, the fear no one would talk to him any more...damage control, just like his lame statement that the CIA official who confirmed that Plame was an agent should have urged him more strongly not to reveal the name."


Yes, I do agree Novak certainly tried to cleanse himself with "ignorance". May well be Clarke or could be another "mole" within the administration yet to be forced above ground.

[BOBTHENAILER]

Newsmax story:

http://www.newsmax.com/archives/ic/2004/3/26/143826.shtml

[Grampa Dave]

You may be on target with this comment:


"May well be Clarke or could be another "mole" within the administration yet to be forced above ground."

[Mitchell]

I wrote: She posted it in Breaking News, implying again that the hiring had just happened.

You responded: That's a damn LIE.

Don't you call me a liar.

Someone put the story in Breaking News; normally it's the original poster who does that. Certainly you, as the original poster, didn't object.

[Shermy]

Given the "June 16, 2003" story in the Boston Globe, @ 322, I'm wondering if the intelligence "officials", plural, are Beers and Clarke?

"...Intelligence officials confirmed to Newsday yesterday that Valerie Plame, wife of retired Ambassador Joseph Wilson, works at the agency on weapons of mass destruction issues in an undercover capacity - at least she was undercover until last week when she was named by columnist Robert Novak..."

BTW, in the Vanity Fair piece about Joseph Wilson there's also wine drinking recounted...maybe a message to overseas...hmmmm...

:)

[Howlin]

This IS a lie:

You made up the headline, as well as the whole story that ABC had just hired him (presumably based on his recent accusations). You posted no link or other documentation.

You made that up. If you had bothered to actually READ what I wrote, you would have known that.

And if you had bothered to read the FIRST POST I made

I was wondering if anybody else noticed this. Looks like Mr. Clarke won't be out of view and/or power for very long!!!! 1 posted on 03/25/2004 11:47:39 PM EST by Howlin [ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies | Report Abuse ]

Maybe YOU wouldn't have gone off halfcocked.

[Shermy]

I don't think it's a popular theory but consider whether the "senior administration officials" who told Novak had any intention of him publishing the info. They may have just had some candor with a long term friend. And Novak couldn't resist revealing it.

[Howlin]

You made it personal when you characterized MY posts -- and used the words "made it up."

[Cindy]

SURPRISE, SURPRISE she said in her best Gomer Pyle voice.

[maica]

Hi, Howlin, a little change of topic on this excellent thread, since I have no idea how to start one, I don't even have the category "Breaking News" on my home page.


Dr Rice is on Hannity right now! Maybe she is going to do the Friday at 4:15 "document dump" on her former employee now.

[hershey]

The rotten little self-promoting sleaze.

[hershey]

Every time he shows up onscreen, ABC should run this on the bottom: Liar, Liar, Pants on Fire!

[Just mythoughts]

"I don't think it's a popular theory but consider whether the "senior administration officials" who told Novak had any intention of him publishing the info. They may have just had some candor with a long term friend. And Novak couldn't resist revealing it."


You could very well be correct, I simply do not know enough at this point to know. Remember it is not what is "popular" that counts in finding truth, being "popular" wins elections.

[eleni121]

Somebody should send the teaching assistants email about the lying F-ing instructor.

[plain talk]

It's no surprise. ABC needs to balance out its pro Republican news staff. (/sarcasm)

LOL!

[ladyinred]

So IT IS true? I was hoping this was just some nightmare computer glich that was posted yesterday during FR's down time! But since the thread is still up, I guess it wasn't! :-)

[Mitchell]

You made it personal when you characterized MY posts -- and used the words "made it up."

I apologize for the choice of words, which I see could be taken the wrong way. What I had meant by "made it up" was that you had written the headline yourself, based on your understanding of events. In other words, you made the headline yourself. I did not mean "made it up" in the sense of having intentionally lied; I think I've made it clear that I thought it was a misunderstanding.

Moving away from the personal to something of wider interest, what do you think Stephanopoulos' role in this is? Why do you think he brought out Clarke's affiliation with ABC?