I'll agree with you somewhat... Clinton has always played for sympathy -- he always is most popular when he looks beset upon. In this interview, he basically sets up that premise: "you lousy right-wingers said one thing and now you're saying another!" So this is Clinton playing politics right in the midst of the fall election season, trying to provide a backstop for his party that always looks weak on national defense and anti-terrorism.
It really is interesting to see Clinton promoting Richard Clarke as the be-all, end-all expert on the war on terror... I'm sure Clinton was very unsure on this point until he read Clarke's book (which was sure to be a success and promoted in the media as soon as the thread that it was Bush who was weak on terror and not Clinton).
It's also interesting to note: W had been in office for 8 months when 9/11 happened. We've been told by Clarke that he should have been able to prevent it.
Clinton was in office only 2 months when the WTC was first attacked in 1993. But Clinton had 8 years in office AFTER that attack and he really never developed a strategy or focused effort for dealing with terrorism in all that time. He says that he handed off a recommended battle plan -- why didn't he do anything during those 8 years???
LOL, yah, I'm betting that Richard Clarkes book is going to get a new life. I wonder if BJ made a deal with Clarke before the interview for a piece of the action?