[cookcounty]

"Bizarre? Nothing is as bizarre as Clarke's statement that he thought Condi Rice had never heard of Al Qaeda. And that he could tell this by the expression on her face."

Maybe it's the Democrats' attiitude of condescension toward folk of darker hue that explains it. Clarke just knew she wasn't up to speed, so he interpreted "her facial expression" as indicating unfamiliarity with AQ, even though the record shows that she was very aware of AQ, and (on tape) had warned that they were menace #1..

[Shermy]

even though the record shows that she was very aware of AQ

Good analysis, but let's face it, almost everyone heard of Al Qaeda. Cole? 1998 incidents?