CLARKE: Thank you, John.
(LAUGHTER)
Let me talk about partisanship here, since you raise it. I've been accused of being a member of John Kerry's campaign team several times this week, including by the White House. So let's just lay that one to bed. I'm not working for the Kerry campaign. Last time I had to declare my party loyalty, it was to vote in the Virginia primary for president of the United States in the year 2000. And I asked for a Republican ballot.
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Here Clarke lies under oath. He was talking about partisanship and wants to "just lay that one to bed" meaning that he cannot be accused of partisanship because he voted Republican in 2000 (Bush was the Republican in 2000). Clearly, he goal was to deceive the commissioners, the press, and all Americans. Deceiving others is lying. I would like to know the criminal definition for lying under oath.
As was said above, he was being intentionally deceptive to the committee, but he did not tell an untruth. The commission should make hay over it, but it won't put Clarke in jail.