Numbers May Indicate Media Bias on Richard Clarke Story (SURPRISE!)

CNSNEWS.com ^ | 3/26/04 | Susan Jones

[kattracks]

(CNSNews.com) - While hundreds of news reports mentioned Richard Clarke's criticism of Bush administration, relatively few of those reports also mentioned documents contradicting key elements of what Clarke said.

A search of the NEXIS news database shows that from March 24 through March 26, there were 872 news reports mentioning the name Richard Clarke.

Clarke is the former counterterrorism official who expressed support for the Bush administration when he worked at the Bush White House -- then blasted the Bush administration when he left.

Clarke's new book, saying that terrorism was not a priority for the Bush administration, came out this week, apparently timed to coincide with Clarke's appearance on Wednesday before the commission investigating the events leading up to 9/11.

Hundreds of news reports from March 24-46 discussed Clarke's contention that the Bush administration did not do all it could have done to protect the American people from the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

A NEXIS search of "Richard Clarke/Fox" and "Richard Clarke/Fox News" turned up only 130 stories, however.

A search of Richard Clarke/Chris Shays and Richard Clarke/Christopher Shays turned up 10 stories.

And a search for Richard Clarke/Fox/Chris Shays turned up only 2 stories.

The two-day search of the NEXIS news database was conducted at 7:10 a.m. EST Friday.

Fox News transcript

Fox News on Wednesday -- with White House permission -- released a transcript of an August 2002 White House background briefing, at which Richard Clarke described the handover of intelligence from the Clinton administration to the Bush administration.

"There was no plan on Al Qaeda that was passed from the Clinton administration to the Bush administration," Clarke told reporters in August 2002.

Clarke also said the Bush administration, in its first eight months in office, adopted a "new strategy that called for the rapid elimination of Al Qaeda." He said the Bush administration ordered a five-fold increase in money for covert action before Sept. 11, 2001.

And Clarke told reporters that in March 2001 -- months before the 9/11 attacks -- President Bush had directed his staff to "stop swatting at flies and just solve this problem" -- that problem being how to deal with al Qaeda.

On Wednesday, in his testimony before the 9/11 commission, Clarke seemed to contradict what he said at the August 2002 background briefing: "[M]y impression was that fighting terrorism in general and fighting Al Qaeda, in particular, was an extraordinarily high priority in the Clinton administration. Certainly, there was no higher priority," Clarke said on Wednesday.

Clarke also testified on Wednesday that terrorism was "an important issue but not an urgent issue" for the Bush administration.

Shays letter

In a letter to the 9/11 commission on Wednesday, Rep. Christopher Shays (R-Conn.) told panel members that "Clarke was part of the problem before Sept. 11 because he took too narrow a view of the terrorism threat."

Shays said that before the Sept. 11 terror attacks, a House panel held twenty hearings and two formal briefings on terrorism -- and Richard Clarke "was of little help in our oversight."

"When he briefed the subcommittee, his answers were both evasive and derisive," Shays said in his March 24, 2004 letter.

Shays noted that "no truly national strategy to combat terrorism was ever produced during Mr. Clarke's tenure."

Shays also released a copy of a letter he wrote to Clarke on July 5, 2000, telling Clarke that Shays' subcommittee found the information Clarke had given them "less than useful," and asking him to answer additional questions.

And Shays released a January 22, 2001 letter he wrote to National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice, complaining that Clarke had not answered the subcommittee's questions. "During a briefing to this Subcommittee, Mr. Clarke stated that there is no need for a national strategy," Shays wrote to Rice.

"This Subcommittee, and others, disagree with Mr. Clarke's assessment that U.S. government agencies do not require a planning and preparation document to respond to terrorist attacks," Shays wrote.

[Just mythoughts]

The Clarke Book was not published yet, needed more time!


U.S. Senate approves 9/11 commission extension (2 months)
Reuters ^ | 2/27/04


Posted on 02/27/2004 10:32:41 AM PST by areafiftyone


WASHINGTON, Feb 27 (Reuters) - The Senate on Friday approved a two-month extension for a commission investigating the Sept. 11, attacks but the measure is still opposed by the top Republican leader in the House of Representatives.

The Senate approved a proposal passed by the intelligence committee on Thursday to give the commission an additional $1 million and extend its deadline to July 27 from May 27.

The National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States wants extra time to follow leads from its review of documents and its interviews about circumstances around the 2001 hijacked plane attacks that killed about 3,000 people.

House Speaker Dennis Hastert, an Illinois Republican, does not want an extension, saying it would delay recommendations and potentially politicize the findings as they would be released at a critical time in the presidential campaign.

The White House initially opposed the congressionally created commission and later resisted the two-month extension. But it has cooperated with the panel and says it favors giving it two months more time.

Al Felzenberg, the commission spokesman, welcomed the Senate vote."This is a very positive step. The commission is very appreciative of the Senate's action," he said. "We're very hopeful that the House of Representatives will see fit to do the same."

If the House does not pass the extension, the commission would complete its work by the late-May deadline, but it would hold fewer public hearings, he said. "We would probably not be able to pursue as many late-breaking leads as we would like."

The commission would explain in its report which areas it was unable to fully investigate because of time constraints, Felzenberg said.

He said commission staff continued to negotiate with White House staff about the parameters within which President George W. Bush would be interviewed about the Sept. 11 attacks.

Bush has agreed to meet privately with the commission's chairman and vice chairman for one hour, while the commission is asking that all 10 members be allowed in the meeting.

"We would hope that he would reconsider and be willing to meet with the entire commission," Felzenberg said.

Asked about the one-hour time limit, Felzenberg said that Kean has pointed out that "it's extremely unusual going back in history for a sitting president to meet with any investigative body such as ours."

Felzenberg noted that when the Warren Commission was investigating the 1963 assassination of President John F. Kennedy, then-President Lyndon Johnson submitted a brief statement but was not interviewed. (Additional reporting by Caren Bohan)

---

[jwalsh07]

They don't care. It can be pointed out from now until doomsday that they are biases, they simply don't care.

Country is headed for a breakup. Sad.

[andy58-in-nh]

I am shocked - shocked - to discover that bias is taking place here!!

[KentTrappedInLiberalSeattle]

Numbers May Indicate Media Bias on Richard Clarke Story

Complete and total absence of sunlight during evening hours may indicate night.

[Arrowhead1952]

No doubt the media is liberal and biased against Republicans.

(Proof of media bias)

[Clint Lippo]

I'm "very concerned" and "deeply saddened".

[truthandlife]

The interesting thing about the media is they have made the Conservative base very mad. The media thinks they are helping the Democrats but I truly believe they are helping the Republicans during this election. The more bias they show, the more riled up the conservative base will rally to GWB.
I was one of those who was luke warm on Bush with the bloated federal budget and not vetoing CFR. If the media played it fairly I would have been pretty cool to Bush. Now with the unfair attacks on the Bush admin., I am fired up and want to be a foot soldier again for Bush.

I don't think the media knows what they are doing to the Republican base. The key in this election will be who can get their base out. If conservative Republicans are mad in November like they are now, Bush will win a a landslide.

[PISANO]

Come on......is anyone on this board the LEAST bit surprised?

[StriperSniper]

Great link.

[jcb8199]

Sounds like something our local papers need to hear about...

[hoosiermama]

ANother good article on "news bias" against Bush.

[OXENinFLA]

OMG!! You guys, you guys, you gotta see this!

[catch]

Forget about Clarke and all the other distractions. The failure here is the Bush Administration's inability to communicate a simple, clear, concise messsage along the lines of:

Islamic militants have three stated goals:
1. Kill all Christians and Jews
2. Eliminate the state of Israel from the face of the earth
3. Establish an Islamic empire from Morocco to the Philippines

Establishment of a free and democratic Iraq is one of the most effective steps that can be taken to defeat the ambitions of Islamic militants.

QED

[Bahbah]

The media are on an all out push to get GW out of office. I am more and more certain he is doing something right for our country. GO GW.

[badmrbunny]

We should be congratulating the demos and the media for stirring up our base. These people think the American people can be manipulated ( see 1992 )once again. There is a voice of truth that didn't exist back in 1992, and lies don't go unchallenged anymore. We need to buck up, because I am sure this is just the tip of the iceberg in the sleaziest campaign ever run...

[Peach]

And Shays released a January 22, 2001 letter he wrote to National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice, complaining that Clarke had not answered the subcommittee's questions. "During a briefing to this Subcommittee, Mr. Clarke stated that there is no need for a national strategy," Shays wrote to Rice. "This Subcommittee, and others, disagree with Mr. Clarke's assessment that U.S. government agencies do not require a planning and preparation document to respond to terrorist attacks," Shays wrote.

[Peach]

And Shays released a January 22, 2001 letter he wrote to National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice, complaining that Clarke had not answered the subcommittee's questions. "During a briefing to this Subcommittee, Mr. Clarke stated that there is no need for a national strategy," Shays wrote to Rice. "This Subcommittee, and others, disagree with Mr. Clarke's assessment that U.S. government agencies do not require a planning and preparation document to respond to terrorist attacks," Shays wrote.

[FlipWilson]

No, not the least. But it does not make it any easier to take. The Clarke testimony was concocted from soup to nuts. From Daschle working the Dems on the 9/11 panel to leak information to stacking the audience at the hearings so applause would register on que, this has been entirely loathesome.

I don't know why I did, but I watched Chrs Matthews last nigt. I can honestly say that if I ever run into this guy on the street, it will be difficult to restrain myself from caving his face in with my fists. A 9/11 family member was on and expressed outrage that the panel had become politicized. Not happy with this answer, Matthews tries to put words in her mouth, i.e. "oh, you are angry at the Republicans?" She refused to bite, but Matthews was undettered.

Bush's campaign spokesman was on and Matthews did his famous, "You sit there, I'll ask the questions and then provide the answers" trick (O'Reilly uses this one as well). Chris had just come back from a visit to Walter Reed and was outraged that Bush had made jokes about WMD's. Whatever Chris, it just annoys the hell out of you that most Americans supported and still support that war. . .how stupid of us, don't why don't we get it like you do? Even worse, most of our troops in the field fully support Mr. Bush. . they are clearly stupid as well. . right?

[Peach]

National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States
301 7th Street, SW
Room 5125
Washington, DC 20407


Washington Office*
Tel: (202) 331-4060
Fax: (202) 296-5545 info@9-11Commission.gov


New York Office
Tel: (212) 264-1505
Fax: (212) 264-1595
info@9-11Commission.gov