Free Republic

By 1999, Massoud was seen by some at the Pentagon and inside the Clinton Cabinet as a spent force commanding bands of thugs. An inner circle of the Cabinet with access to the most closely guarded secrets was sharply divided over whether the United States should deepen its partnership with him. Secretary of State Madeleine K. Albright and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Henry H. "Hugh" Shelton -- reflecting the views of professional analysts in their departments -- argued that Massoud's alliance was tainted and in decline. But at the CIA, especially inside the Counterterrorist Center, career...

The Author of this hatchet piece: Daniel Benjamin, co-author of "The Age of Sacred Terror" (Random House, 2002), was on the National Security Council staff from 1994 to 1999. Now to the excerpts: === In reporting for our book, "The Age of Sacred Terror," Steven Simon and I found that Clarke was not alone. Several top U.S. government officials agreed in interviews that the new administration had been unwilling to revise its understanding of America's security position and too slow to recognize the danger of Al Qaeda. A three-star general, Kerrick had served at the end of the Clinton administration...

<p>Retired Gen. Henry H. Shelton, former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, says Democratic presidential candidate Wesley Clark was recalled from his NATO command after the Bosnian war because of "integrity and character issues."</p> <p>Mr. Shelton said he would not vote for Mr. Clark.</p>

Prominent Democrats have wasted no time accusing President Bush of using doctored intelligence about Baghdad's weapons of mass destruction to justify the Iraq war, while like-minded pundits have already begun hinting darkly about the possibility of impeaching Bush if the WMDs don't turn up soon. But there was no similar outcry five years ago after the Clinton administration came up empty on evidence that Sudan was producing weapons of mass destruction, a claim the White House used to justify slamming some 20 cruise missiles into Khartoum's Al Shifa pharmaceutical plant - a facility it also claimed had ties to...