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Hardball Tonight: Clarke - 9/11 Might Have Been Prevented
MSNBC ^ | Updated: 3:35 p.m. ET March 31, 2004 | Alex Johnson

Posted on 03/31/2004 1:03:36 PM PST by ironman

NEW YORK - Richard Clarke, President Bush’s former chief counterterrorism adviser, said Wednesday that it was possible that he and his team could have prevented the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks if the Bush administration had paid more attention ahead of time to Osama bin Laden and his al-Qaida terror network.

Clarke’s comments, in an hourlong interview on MSNBC’s “Hardball,” were a departure from the testimony he gave last week before the independent commission investigating the attacks, when he answered no to the question of whether there was “the remotest chance that it would have prevented 9/11” even if everything he had called for had been implemented.

But Clarke told MSNBC’s Chris Matthews that he hoped he and his team would have been able to take action to quash the attacks, which killed about 3,000 people in New York, Washington and Pennsylvania, had the CIA and the FBI sufficiently coordinated the bits and pieces of information they had about the 19 Saudis who hijacked four planes and crashed them in the worst attack on U.S. soil.

Acknowledging that he was indulging in “20/20 hindsight,” Clarke said it was likely that he could have made a difference had he known that some of the hijackers were in the country ahead of time and had drawn suspicion. The full interview is scheduled to air today at 7 p.m. ET on MSNBC-TV.

(Excerpt) Read more at msnbc.msn.com ...


TOPICS: Announcements; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: bushknew; richardclarke
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To: ironman
And .. didn't that info from Weekly Standard come from paperwork we found in Iraq after the war ..??
421 posted on 03/31/2004 9:36:58 PM PST by CyberAnt (The 2004 Election is for the SOUL of AMERICA)
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To: dirtboy
OMG, I saw this! One more reason NOT to watch PMSNBC.... (ok, know thy enemy), but how do you say: "This made me hurl" in Arabic? People like Clarke... hell... at this point, almost ALL the democrats are precisely WHY I left the Democrat party. I have a brain that actually works, and NOT by being fed a bunch of worthless crap from people who SAY they are for America, but are, in fact, attempting to tear this country down, one constitutional line at a time! Grrrrrrrrrrr!
422 posted on 03/31/2004 9:44:48 PM PST by Just Lori (I used to be a democrat. Now, I'm an American!)
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To: GOPrincess
According to Dick Morris - he would conduct polls before every action - and if the polls weren't with him - he wouldn't do anything. That's not a leader - that's a coward.
423 posted on 03/31/2004 9:49:21 PM PST by CyberAnt (The 2004 Election is for the SOUL of AMERICA)
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To: Southflanknorthpawsis
Maybe we will eventually see the little guys in the white coats escorting Dickie-Poo away, mumbling incoherently and talking back to those "voices".


I don't know if you're old enough to remember......"They're coming to take me away, ha ha" It's pretty funny stuff. Fits this guy to a tea!
424 posted on 03/31/2004 9:56:46 PM PST by Just Lori (I used to be a democrat. Now, I'm an American!)
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To: Arrowhead1952
Seems like Clarke and F'ing Kerry have a common problem:

FLIP FLOP!

I believe that this tendency to "flip-flop" is due to a lack of core beliefs. When one KNOWS that something is intrinsically wrong, one acts accordingly. These Dims show a distinct lack of core beliefs in their continued inability to take a stand on, seemingly, ANY issue.

When one lives by polls, one dies by polls.

425 posted on 03/31/2004 10:06:37 PM PST by GunnyB (Once a Marine, Always a Marine)
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To: Howlin
Yeah, He disputed Clarke's assertion about Bush pulling Clarke aside and practically yelling at Clarke that he wanted him to find someting on Iraq. This guy says it didn't happen that way, and that the President was not at all heavyhanded about it.

Then I think somebody else has come forward and talked about the situation room the day of 9/11. Clarke's assertion he was in charge is not a reality.
426 posted on 03/31/2004 10:28:46 PM PST by CyberAnt (The 2004 Election is for the SOUL of AMERICA)
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To: Wolfstar
"if someone approached him and offered a fat deal"

As soon as I found out it was Simon & Schuster - I knew it was Hillary. Viacom is Hillary's largest donor. CBS is her biggest apologist. She has the most to gain.

I can't figure out if she wants to damage Bush OR Condi OR both. If she wants to run this year it's Bush - but if she wants to run in 2008 it's Condi.
427 posted on 03/31/2004 10:36:23 PM PST by CyberAnt (The 2004 Election is for the SOUL of AMERICA)
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To: Howlin
I've been thinking that too for several days.
428 posted on 03/31/2004 10:46:22 PM PST by CyberAnt (The 2004 Election is for the SOUL of AMERICA)
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To: Timeout
And/or he could have said he would brief the President and was told no by Condi.

It's my understanding that under Condi, he did not have that authority any more.
429 posted on 03/31/2004 10:53:18 PM PST by CyberAnt (The 2004 Election is for the SOUL of AMERICA)
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To: Miss Marple
What was the question?
430 posted on 03/31/2004 11:08:15 PM PST by CyberAnt (The 2004 Election is for the SOUL of AMERICA)
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To: Wolfstar
I don't think it's been determined yet who recommended Wilson for the trip to Niger .. maybe it was Clarke .. and maybe it was planned in order to try to stop the war.

I just don't trust these people. If Clarke was reporting to Hillary about what was going on - and Hillary was touring Europe and finding out about the oil for food stuff they didn't want exposed - it's just so easy seeing her involved in having Clarke recommend Wilson for a pre-planned event - to go to Niger and claim there was no PROOF of yellowcake.

I'm glad I have my tinfoil hat on .. LOL!
431 posted on 03/31/2004 11:14:06 PM PST by CyberAnt (The 2004 Election is for the SOUL of AMERICA)
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To: prairiebreeze
He had a column just last week - I think!

At least I remember one recently .. because I sent him an email and ask him directly if Clarke was the snitch who outed Plame. Of course he never answered me.
432 posted on 03/31/2004 11:17:21 PM PST by CyberAnt (The 2004 Election is for the SOUL of AMERICA)
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To: MNJohnnie
Well .. I think he should resign for revealing parts of Condi's private meeting with the Commission.
433 posted on 03/31/2004 11:20:53 PM PST by CyberAnt (The 2004 Election is for the SOUL of AMERICA)
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To: GOPrincess
Yep! I think so too.
434 posted on 03/31/2004 11:21:46 PM PST by CyberAnt (The 2004 Election is for the SOUL of AMERICA)
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To: McGruff
But .. evidently the FBI knew some of that flight stuff and never told NSC or the President - which I find disgusting.
435 posted on 03/31/2004 11:22:56 PM PST by CyberAnt (The 2004 Election is for the SOUL of AMERICA)
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To: nutmeg
find later bump
436 posted on 03/31/2004 11:37:05 PM PST by nutmeg (Why vote for Bush? Imagine Commander in Chief John F’in al-Qerry)
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To: Timeout
I saw somewhere that Saddam sent Usama a message congratulating him on 9/11. If that's true - then Saddam knew about it - even if he didn't personally participate in it.
437 posted on 03/31/2004 11:46:38 PM PST by CyberAnt (The 2004 Election is for the SOUL of AMERICA)
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To: GunnyB
"Seems like Clarke and F'ing Kerry have a common problem:
FLIP FLOP!"

The only reason these people flipflop on every subject under the sun......is the snakedncmedia ALLOW them to. They never question their outright lies. They allow them to perpetuate them. So they will continue to flipflop on every issue, in every interview, on every alphabet channel.
438 posted on 03/31/2004 11:47:18 PM PST by bornintexas (..Release your military records, John F'n Kerry!)
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Comment #439 Removed by Moderator

To: A Navy Vet
Lighten up.
440 posted on 03/31/2004 11:54:21 PM PST by Texasforever (I can’t kill enough brain cells to become a democrat just by drinking.)
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