Cheney: Clinton 'Totally Ineffective' in Terror War

Newsmax ^ | 3/21/04 | Newsmax

[NotchJohnson]

Vice President Dick Cheney said Monday that the Clinton administration's strategy for dealing with the al-Qaida threat under the stewardship of terrorism czar Richard Clarke was "totally ineffective."

"The only thing I can say about Dick Clarke," Cheney told radio host Rush Limbaugh, "is he was here throughout those eight years going back to 1993, and the first attack on the World Trade Center in '98 when the embassies were hit in east Africa, in 2000 when the USS Cole was hit.

"And the question that ought to be asked is, what were they doing in those days when he was in charge of counterterrorism efforts?"

Cheney said that when President Bush took office, he did not want to repeat the mistakes of the 1990s.

"The fact is what the president did not want to do is to have an ineffective response with respect to al-Qaida, and we felt up till that point much of what had been done vis-à-vis al-Qaida had been totally ineffective."

Without mentioning Clinton by name, the vice president complained that the previous administration's August 1998 cruise missile attack on bin Laden's encampment in Khost, Afghanistan, "basically didn't hit anything, and it made the U.S. look weak and ineffective."

Bush, he said, "wanted a far more effective policy for trying to deal with that, and that process was in motion throughout the spring [of 2001]."

As for Clarke's motivations, Cheney said that his attack on the White House was likely rooted in personal animosity toward National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice, who had demoted him to chief of cybersecurity.

"I suppose he may have a grudge to bear there since he probably wanted a more prominent position than she was prepared to give him," he told Limbaugh.

[NotchJohnson]

I take it that Clarke felt his job was more important to national security and that like in government he should not have been demoted.

[maro]

Maybe he didn't like taking orders from a black woman who was a lot smarter than him.

[Howlin]

Retired General Wayne Downing said on MSNBC tonight to Keith Olberman that Clarke hired him, brought him into the government.

And he said that Clarke was probably upset because he didn't have the access in this White House that he had in the Clinton White House.

He also said EGO was involved.

[Howlin]

Let's leave race out of this.

[NeonKnight]

Cheney is awesome. He ripped Clarke a new one.

[coloradomom]

I just saw the very end of Downing's comments, where he said Clarke had an ample opportunity to push his agenda in the Bush White House. Did he say anything else?

[Ruth A.]

Gotta-love-straight-talking-Cheney bump.

[Howlin]

Much more......much more.......with a velvet glove. I'll try to catch it on the rerun and post it here!

[Windsong]

Too late buddy boy. Its a factor whether ya like it or not :)

[hometoroost]

I would agree that we should leave race out of this. But, if a conservative were taking shots a black female in a liberal administration how long do you think it would take for that angle to be in the press, on TV, and out of Al Franken's mouth (or whatever orifice it his he talks through these days)?

[Howlin]

Only to people who want it to be.

And in light of your comments about it, I'd like the world to know that I am NOT your buddy.

[rodguy911]

"black woman... smarter than him"--very true--if Clarke is as biased as I think he is, and as left leaning, he would like to slime Rice to head off a possible 08 bid by her at least as VP--she is nothing short of genius, she should have just fired his ass.

[Howlin]

Ah, isn't that just the point: we're better than they are?

[VOA]

He also said EGO was involved.

This is just another sad chapter...when another of the very few Clintonistas that
I thought had a sliver of respect and morality is revealed to a weasely book-deal
chasin' prostitute.

Clarke came off sounding at least well-motivated in "Losing bin Laden" as he appeared
to be just about the only Clinton Admin. poobah ready to take hard action on
Al-Quida/ObL after the USS Cole near-sinking.


Let's leave race out of this.

I'm with you on that one.
I suspect EGO/Power/Respect is the operative factor in Clarke shaming himself
so publically and unapologetically.
What a sad note in the history of American public servants.

[sinkspur]

I wouldn't discount gender or race for this whack-job's sudden change in attitude.

Personally, I think he's just a middle-aged white guy who got demoted, and is still pissed that he doesn't have Tom Ridge's job.

[coloradomom]

Excellent! I'll look for it.

I saw Bill Cohen with Wolf Blitzer. He said Clarke was very passionate and had strong ideas, some of which were not very good.

[Howlin]

He's a registered Republican.

[Howlin]

I agree. Catch the beginning of Keith Olberman is you can when it gets to your time zone.

[hometoroost]

Absolutely. Why lower ourselves?

[Hillarys Gate Cult]

Once again, most of the Clinton administrations anti terror effort was to go after the "angry white guy", and they didn't even stop him.