CLARKE IN 92: BUSH WAS LAX ON IRAQ

The Washington Post (BRIEF EXCERPT ONLY, IN COMPLIANCE WITH COPYRIGHT LAW AND LAT/WP VS FR] | JUNE 5, 1992 | R. Jeffrey Smith

[Wallaby]

Memo Says U.S. Was Lax on Iraq; 'No One Was Paying Attention' to Arms [EXCERPT] The Washington Post R. Jeffrey Smith, Washington Post Staff Writer FIRST SECTION; PAGE A1 June 5, 1992, Friday, Final Edition A senior State Department official concluded in a secret memorandum after Iraq invaded Kuwait that "no one was paying attention" to blocking Iraq's purchase of Western equipment for weapons of mass destruction during the previous decade, according to a copy obtained by The Washington Post. [According to Clarke's memo,] "no one was paying attention" to blocking Iraq's purchase of Western equipment for weapons of mass destruction during the previous decade. . ." The official, Assistant Secretary of State Richard A. Clarke, made the claim in a memo declassified yesterday and provided to Congress along with 53 other State Department documents concerning U.S.-Iraqi relations that were requested by a congressional committee investigating U.S. policy toward Iraq before the Persian Gulf War. The documents, which were made available to The Post by a U.S. official, provide fresh details about the administration's monitoring of Iraq's nuclear and chemical weapons programs and the controversial U.S. pre-war push to ease controls on high-technology exports as part of an attempt to cultivate better relations with Iraq before it invaded Kuwait in August 1990.

(snip) President Bush last night defended the effort toward better relations with Iraq against this congressional criticism, saying that the United States tried to work with Saddam "on grain credits and things of this nature to avoid aggressive action. And it failed. . . . " "That approach, holding out a hand, trying to get him to renounce terrorism and join the family of nations, didn't work," Bush told a White House news conference. "And the minute he moved aggressively, we moved aggressively and set back aggression." One undated memo summarizing U.S. nonproliferation activity aimed at Iraq indicates that the Bush administration moved slowly to constrain Iraq's mass-destruction weapons programs after a Iraqi long-range missile launch in 1989 caught officials by surprise. The memo states that Clarke sought in an interagency meeting that December "to get at why U.S. intelligence didn't know Iraq had such capabilities beforehand and to galvanize the interagency community into more effective [action] against the Iraqi missile program." (snip) Clarke's memo referring to Washington's record of failure on the issue was written after the invasion. . . (snip)

[Will_Zurmacht]

That's a good rejoinder...

With this Clarke fellow, then the commission, we are in for TerrorWar coverage for a while...

Then, by summer we get soverignity in Iraq, and the Trial of Saddam Hussein FORMER dictator of Liberated Iraq ( at least a month of coverage).....hey dems, put some ice on that.

And the trifecta....OBL capture/killed.

I pray against it, but we have to also be prepared for another terrorist attack. My fears are the Athens Olympics.

In any event it's convention time, Bush, NYC, Sept. 11, 2004.
and then 50 days to victory.

Most people will have made their minds up long before any of this. The overall theme will be War on Terror, from now until Election day.....dems lose this no matter how much sauce zog puts in his polls. And we haven't even begun to "define" Kerry as soft on Terrorist...yet.

[Darlin']

"...he said a LOT more supporting Bush and making Clarke sound like a spurned lover"

Bingo. Vice President Cheney said today in a phone interviiew with Rush Limbaugh that Clarke wasn't in the loop on a lot of stuff, that he clearly missed much of what was going on. He said Clarke wanted a more prominent positon than Condi was prepared to give him but that Clarke was head of terrorisim for several years and didn't notice any great success. He questioned what he was doing for 8 yrs when he was in charge, starting with the first WTC attack in '93, Africa in '98 or the USS Cole.

The interview was somewhat lengthy for Cheney. He said prior to 9-11 terrorism was treated as a law enforcement problem. He said what the President did not want to do was have an ineffective response and he felt that up until that time what had been done was ineffective. Continuing, he said the only way to deal with the threat is to destroy the terrorists before they launch another attack on the U.S, that it is unrealistic that we should try to find out why they hate us. (LOL-- I love him.)

Near the close he said this election may be the most important presidential election ever.

[Wallaby]

Oh, look...Joe Klein is on saying that Richard Clarke FINALLY came up with a plan for AQ in...........are you ready for it? want to know when???

DECEMBER OF 2000!!!!

You can find a transcript of Richard Clarke's remarks to reporters on December 15, 2000, when he released his  "International Crime Threat Assessment Report (released December 2000). [Clarke Cites Release of International Crime Assessment

" No mention of Al-Qaeda or bin Laden to the reporters.

Here are some noteworthy passages:

Q: As far as international crimes go, what's the one largest threat to U.S. citizens right now?

MR. CLARKE: I think the largest threat is obviously posed by international narcotics smuggling, which costs a number of lives and costs an enormous amount of money. But more and more, we see that the people who are engaged in international narcotics smuggling are also engaged in other businesses, other illegal activities.

...

Q: You spoke earlier about the government of Afghanistan as a criminal organization. You said that it exports heroin, harbors terrorists and so on. Is there -- can we -- should we rule out in our minds any idea that the Clinton Administration in its last few weeks would take any kind of military action in Afghanistan either to extract the terrorists or to send a message to the Taliban about these things? I know you're taking moves in the United Nations to try and consolidate internationally.

And I would also like to, as a second half of this, ask you what would your recommendations be to the incoming Bush Administration in terms of how to handle a criminal state like Afghanistan?

MR. CLARKE: I expect that early next week the United Nations Security Council will pass for the second time a series of sanctions against the Taliban regime that rules most of Afghanistan. That resolution will be co-sponsored by Russia and the United States and we expect it to gain widespread support in the Security Council.

[cyncooper]

Has anyone else seen Jim Wilkinson tonight?

One of the spokesman for National Security and I remember him during the war giving briefings.

I saw him on Hardball and just a while ago on Hannity and Colmes (which I never watch anymore but stopped when I surfed over and saw him).

He is sharp and he told Chris that he expected to find the book in the "Fiction" section.

He said he had just found out (and he repeated this on H & C), that the original publishing date for Clarke's book was April 27, but all of a sudden it got moved up to coincide with: Clarke's 9/11 Commission appearance.

He said he'd hate to think the Richard Clarke was trying to profit off of 9/11...

I have not seen him since he had to keep correcting the media during the war and he is still a terrific spokesman.

[Mo1]

Yes, I think the Clinturd crowd is running scared about this inquiry, hence the pre-attack to discredit Rice and Bush. I hope and pray Clinturd & Co are exposed for the traitors they are.

Does anyone know when Clinton and Gore are suppose to be questions by the panel?

BTW .. I heard tonight that Clark's Book wasn't suppose to come out till April ... wonder why they pushed up the date

[Jim_Curtis]

I don't know if anyone has seen this old story that I found but it seems strange to me that Clarke was being used by Clinton to spread false information about Iraq making nerve gas which led to the bombing of the aspirin factory...or was it Clarke's theory?

http://www.villagevoice.com/issues/9910/vest.php

[jwalsh07]

BTW .. I heard tonight that Clark's Book wasn't suppose to come out till April ... wonder why they pushed up the date

To coincide with his testimony before the 9/11 commission., the basest of motives, making money off of 9/11.

[Darlin']

Also, someone from the administration, Dan Barlett I think, said today that Dr Rice had daily security meetings but that Clarke refused to attend any of them.

[MeekOneGOP]

bttt ...

[Miss Marple]

I heard that comment from Bartlett. Sounds to me like a huge ego problem.

[Wallaby]

Thanks. I'll check it out.

Here's Clarke's report. Not one mention of Al-Qaeda or bin Laden. Since the Clinton administration wrongly took terrorism to be a crime-control problem, it shows just how little significance they were placing on bin Laden during the transition period.

International Crime Threat Assessment Report

[cyncooper]

Did you catch the bit on O'Reilly where Kerry met with members of the press (New York Times, et al) at one of their homes? I'm going to have to watch that segment again to get the full details. Media not biased? HAH!

I'm sorry, but no I did not see that. I hit "View Replies" and see you did say later some of the names. When did this take place?

Do you remember there was media/Gore gathering back during the 2000 campaign.

[Wild Irish Rogue]

Interesting piece at the Village Voice. Good catch.

I liked this passage:

" the Khartoum government has been the focus of a hard-line approach by a clique of U.S. foreign policy officials: Berger, Clarke, Madeline Albright, and Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Susan Rice."
" This has been the case despite Khartoum's attempts at international outreach, through acts such as delivering Carlos the Jackal to the French and expelling Osama bin Laden for the U.S."

("The Sudanese aren't sweethearts, but, even the Taliban in Afghanistan get more respect than Khartoum does," a rueful mid-level State Department official says.)"

The Taliban got " more respect " from the Clinton Administration, well, well, well.....

[Paulus Invictus]

Clark is just another clintinoid holdover with a poor record when he was in power. I thought that Rush had a great response to the guy today with a series of 10 questions, none of which Clark could possibly answer.

[Darlin']

Yes,it does. :)

[StAnDeliver]

"To coincide with his testimony before the 9/11 commission., the basest of motives, making money off of 9/11."

Also it represents Clarke's lame attempt to innoculate himself against 9/11 Commission criticism that will be leveled at him and the Clinton administration's terrorist appeasement.

[cyncooper]

Toward the end of the thread I'm seeing yet more examples of the dark side accusing Bush of doing what they themselves in fact do.

Shameful.

[cyncooper]

Also, someone from the administration, Dan Barlett I think, said today that Dr Rice had daily security meetings but that Clarke refused to attend any of them.

Jim Wilkinson said this, too. He said Clarke was memoed about the meetings and would be a no show. Showed up once, I think.

[BlueAngel]

Thanks. I hope this is mentioned on Fox and Friends tomorrow.

Imus and Hardball has some of these guys on all the time.

[arasina]

Ewwww. Disgusting, calling it a "trial" and saying they grilled Kerry for 2 hours. Thanks for the link. I usually don't visit that place. :o)