Posted on 03/28/2004 2:30:39 AM PST by sopwith
Edited on 03/28/2004 8:55:39 AM PST by Admin Moderator. [history]
IT IS ONLY March but the 2004 Chutzpah of the Year Award can be safely given out. It goes to Richard Clarke, now making himself famous by blaming the Bush administration for 9/11 — after Clarke had spent eight years in charge of counterterrorism for a Clinton administration that did nothing.
The 1990s were al-Qaida’s springtime: Blissfully unmolested in Afghanistan, it trained, indoctrinated, armed and, most fatally, planned. For the United States, this was a catastrophic lapse, and in a March 2002 interview on PBS’s “Frontline,” Clarke admitted as such: “I believe that had we destroyed the terrorist camps in Afghanistan earlier, that the conveyor belt that was producing terrorists, sending them out around the world would have been destroyed.” Instead, “now we have to hunt (them) down country by country.”
What should we have done during those lost years? Clarke answered: “Blow up the camps and take out their sanctuary. Eliminate their safe haven, eliminate their infrastructure. . . . That’s . . . the one thing in retrospect I wish had happened.”
In relistening to Clarke in the 9/11 commission, I noticed he said more than once, that Iraq was always known to be harboring terrorists, and also Iran, and Syria.
It seems the dems would have a problem with that sort of testimony, as they mostly project that it was a bad idea to go to Iraq, and that Iraq clearly had nothing to do with 9/11.
My understanding is that the WOT is against even states that harbor terrorists.
For some reason, I keep getting the impression that his main idea was always to cut off the head, so to speak, by pounding the rubble and blowing up tents and jungle gyms. Haven't heard much about any comprehensive plan for going after terrorists wherever they are, as our current administration does and is.
Is also sickening that he got applause several times.
Frist also brings up an Emai Clarke sent to his supervisor during the time that we're still pulling bodies out of the rubble, and Frist says it was clearly aimed at throughing any blame away from him regarding the terrible 9/11 attack.
Frist has very carefully thought out what he is doing and saying regarding Clarke.
Bravo!!!
I did look for the transcript to share, but haven't found it yet. Sorry.
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