Condi Rice's editorial response to Richard Clarke's accusations

www.IowaPresidentialWatch.com ^ | 3/22/2004 | Condoleezza Rice

[IPWGOP]

Clarke: White House’s response

Condoleezza Rice's editorial, written in response to Richard Clarke's accusations. The full editorial is also www.iowapresidentialwatch.com

"The al Qaeda terrorist network posed a threat to the United States for almost a decade before the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. Throughout that period -- during the eight years of the Clinton administration and the first eight months of the Bush administration prior to Sept. 11 -- the U.S. government worked hard to counter the al Qaeda threat.

During the transition, President-elect Bush's national security team was briefed on the Clinton administration's efforts to deal with al Qaeda. The seriousness of the threat was well understood by the president and his national security principals. In response to my request for a presidential initiative, the counterterrorism team, which we had held over from the Clinton administration, suggested several ideas, some of which had been around since 1998 but had not been adopted. No al Qaeda plan was turned over to the new administration.

We adopted several of these ideas. We committed more funding to counterterrorism and intelligence efforts. We increased efforts to go after al Qaeda's finances. We increased American support for anti-terror activities in Uzbekistan.

We pushed hard to arm the Predator unmanned aerial vehicle so we could target terrorists with greater precision. But the Predator was designed to conduct surveillance, not carry weapons. Arming it presented many technical challenges and required extensive testing. Military and intelligence officials agreed that the armed Predator was simply not ready for deployment before the fall of 2001. In any case, the Predator was not a silver bullet that could have destroyed al Qaeda or stopped Sept. 11.

Full story ...

[Moomah]

Thank God for Condi Rice.

[ken5050]

Remember, Slick was busy launching "cruise missiles" into Monica..

[alisasny]

It still is hard to believe he had time for that.

[Keith]

Is there an Freeper here who doesn't think that if Clarke were a Republican, and Rice a Democrat, that the usual race-baiters would be out saying that Condi's intelligence was being insulted because she is black?

[Keith]

Easy to believe when you learn he was getting "serviced" while he was on the phone lobbying a congressman for support for troops in Bosnia...

...it's in the Starr report...don't hear that a lot, do ya?

[ken5050]

Remember, he was on the phone in the Oval Office talking with someone ( forget who?) about launching an attact, and she's on her knees under the desk doing her thing..good thing the "launch" button wasn't on the desk, eh?

[Keith]

It was Sonny somebody...I'm sure some Freeper knows...

[ravingnutter]

We pushed hard to arm the Predator unmanned aerial vehicle so we could target terrorists with greater precision. But the Predator was designed to conduct surveillance, not carry weapons. Arming it presented many technical challenges and required extensive testing. Military and intelligence officials agreed that the armed Predator was simply not ready for deployment before the fall of 2001. In any case, the Predator was not a silver bullet that could have destroyed al Qaeda or stopped Sept. 11.

I am glad she included this info...that was the basis of their accusation, which I debunked last week here and here. Go Condi!

[January24th]

Fox News had Mansoor _____(last name?) on this morning, and asked him about it. He had done a lot of the footwork in the negotiations to get Bin Laden back in '97. The guy was livid and basically called Clark a liar. He was extremely agitated that Clark was selling out national security, lying about the Clinton AND Bush administrations, AND publishing a book...all to feather his own nest. He openly challenged him to serious cross-examination of the facts. He wants a face-to-face with the man that single-handedly and repeatedly thwarted efforts to bring in Bin Laden.

Clark wouldn't have opened this can of worms unless he's got some big assurances that the media will give him a "bye" on this.

What ever happened to media curiosity?

[goodnesswins]

"President Bush revived the practice of meeting with the director of the CIA every day -- meetings that I attended.

NOTE that!

[jveritas]

There should be no mercy for this liar Richard Clarke. The White House must crush him and crush the entire liberal Democrats who are behind him in this most outrageous lie.

[rewrite]

...that would be Sonny Callahan of the great state of Alabama.

[Texagirl4W]

Mansoor challenged Clark to a face-to-face this morning on Fox And Friends. Another event that surely won't happen.

[Far Right Of Left]

This POS Clark should have thought first before he picked a fight w/Condi.He's really screwed now that Mansoor has joined in.

[middie]

If this expose' came from someone with a political background or a future political agenda it would worthy of a dismissive attitude. Coming from the Chief of Counter terrorism traversing G. Bush The Elder, Clinton and G.W. Bush it is not so easy to treat it cavalierly. It brings to mind a recollection of Dean's testimony before the Watergate Committee when he said that he told Pres. Nixon that the break-in and cover-up "...[W]ere becoming a cancer on the Presidency." That comment illustrated the reality that the Pres. knew of the act and was engaged in a conspiracy to hide it. Further inquiry showed that to be true. Yet, at the time, it was denounced with remarks similar to those at large today on talk radio.

It's time to take a step back and listen rather than jump in with conclusory accusations of Clarke's nefarious intent. What would be his motive? Other than to report things as he witnessed them--and thus not be a part of the contrary spin of which he speaks, that is a mandatory question.

[ZULU]

Ricahrd Clarke is a lying viper in the employ of the Democratic Propaganda Machine.

The ultimate solution to America's problems is to rstructure the two party system so it excludes an effective Democratic Paty - PERIOD.

They are all lying, treasonous, socialists.

[Quilla]

His motive? A position in Kerry's cabinet. I don't have to step back too far to identify a liar, I simply have to follow recent events - precisely what Dr. Rice is reiterating.

[ServesURight]

Nevertheless, Bush has got to be smarting from holding over Xlinton officials. These people have no loyalty to America. They have allegiance to the RAT party and the evil socialism it espouses.

[LibFreeUSA]

-"Remember, Slick was busy launching "cruise missiles" into Monica.." Sadly, the only one that hit its target!