'The People' Caused 9/11? [WaPo Columnist Zaps Clarke]

Washington Post ^ | Sunday, March 28, 2004 | Jim Hoagland

[aculeus]

SNIP ...

Clarke is "stunning continuity" in human form. He led White House counterterror teams for both administrations and worked in others as well. He in fact had the greatest bureaucratic responsibility of any single individual to prevent 9/11. He now exploits his failure in a brilliant marketing campaign of media synergy: Clarke's kiss-and-tell memoir is published by the same conglomerate (Viacom) that owns the television network that promoted the book so relentlessly last weekend.

Clarke is a clever operator. His blanket apology to the families of 9/11 victims at the opening of his testimony did not lead to his accepting responsibility for any specific planning or operational failures that he then identified. These failures unerringly turned out to be the fault of others. Challenged repeatedly on why he did not warn the nation publicly or Congress privately of Bush's glaring deficiencies, he finally slipped into candor to note: "It is a question of politics."

[leadpenny]

Clarke is a clever operator.

Can't be that clever if the WP is on his case. However, Hoagland is a pretty straight shooter.

[sirchtruth]

Just when you start to think everybody's insane, BAM! An unexpected source sneaks up and blindsides you!

Clarke's 15 minutes are offically OVER.

[visualops]

He doesn't zap Clarke much, he's zaps both administrations for passing the buck to the public for not being supportive of preemptive action against terrorists (which is of course nonsense). The President must lead the nation, and may have to do things that are unpopular but necessary. I think it's amazing he can say this and not acknowledge the Bush administration has done exactly that.
The Dems are trying to have their cake and eat it too, and he fails to point that out. He does make a few accurate comments about Clarke though.

[Solamente]

Maybe he should apologise to the victims of the F.A.L.N. that Bill Clinton pardoned as well.

[syriacus]

Tin foil hat on:

Has Clarke been a "mole" or useful dupe for some nefarious group all along?

Tin foil hat off.

[MoralSense]

I get so d**n tired of these Beltway "wise men" talking about how the Bush administration and the Democrats are equally reprehensible. It's a crock. Bush has made some mistakes, but he's really doing the job. The Dems -- well, there aren't words bad enough to describe them.

[mewzilla]

Maybe the Compost is just worried about what they're going to look like if Clarke's testimony on the Hill is declassified and they're still shilling for the guy.

[RippleFire]

bump

[sirchtruth]

Maybe the Compost is just worried about what they're going to look like if Clarke's testimony on the Hill is declassified and they're still shilling for the guy.

The fact that anyone (Kerry)would shill for this guy shows exactly what kind of character you must have...

You're right.

[Falcon4.0]

That raises an excellent point. If Jethro Clinton was so concerned about terrorism, why did he pardon the F.A.L.N. terrorist.

[verity]

"the public for not being supportive of preemptive action against terrorists (which is of course nonsense)."

IMHO, the public [electorate] must share the burden in that it elected and reelected Clintoon.

[TexasCajun]

Damn it!
Every time President Bush has an administration problem, it turns out to be a Clinton hold-over!

Clinton never had these type of problems, because he and Hillary fired all the Bush41 people, including every single federal prosecutor!

[visualops]

True, but that does not absolve the Clinton administration for its failures. It's also deceitful to blame the public, at the time largely ignorant of the machinations of bin Laden & Co., for a lack of action against terrorists.

[visualops]

I have to agree, that is one factor of the "new tone" within the Beltway that backfired grievously. I think Bush's people felt that keeping some Clinton folks would show good faith and bipartisanship, not realizing the true nature of the Left and how viscious they are.

[WL-law]

Damn it! Every time President Bush has an administration problem, it turns out to be a Clinton hold-over! Clinton never had these type of problems, because he and Hillary fired all the Bush41 people, including every single federal prosecutor!

Can you spell "Linda Tripp"? She was a holdover from the Bush-41 administration!

[verity]

Please note that I am not absolving the 'Toon.
The electorate also did this country a huge disservice when it elected Carter who appointed Stansfield Turner to emasculate the CIA.
The public shares the blame!

[Milligan]

It really not fair to blame Bush Administration for 9-11 because they were in office for eight months and still treating terrorism as a law enforcement problem except they wanted to be more aggressive with their policies. I'm trying to read 9-11 Commission very objectively. Clinton wanted Osama to be captured to be brought to justice and Bush wanted Osama killed. Clarke was trying make both administration aware of the urgency but his ideas were snagged by bureaucracy, budget restraints with congress, lack of information between organizations and the Ameircan public. Our government branches were operating as usual. It had to take 911 to change the structure of our bureaucracies and go on the offense with terrorism. Madame Albright may take the credit for thwarthing the millennium bombing but that was by chance when the border patrol decided to take a closer look. But they didn't use force when USS Cole was bombed. They had to wait for final paper work from Yemen investigators to prove it was Osama. Remember when Clinton had the wrong information about a chemical weapon's plant which turned out to be a asprin plant, our government got sued! We had to pay a million dollars or so to the person who died in that building. This waiting for evidence went on until the Bush Administration and still no word! Bush Administration tried to kill Osama but they never had exact location or Osama hid with women and children. CIA had problems getting accurate information which was time sensitive. Read #8 www.9-11Commission.gov. Clarke was being so hot headed, maybe his bad attitute towards others caused 911? Kerry thinks this a good way to get Bush out of office. Personally, I think people like Kerry who down graded our National Defense caused 9-11. If Kerry gets elected into office, he will go back treating terrorism as a diplomatic and law enforcement problem. We will have to wait for evidence, world opinion and UN approval. I'm staying with Bush.

[Fiddlstix]

[q_an_a]

hogland manges to talk out of both sides of his mouth. In one paragraph alone he says, "Bush has no economic plans or the ones he has are divisive." then he manages to make everyone to blame including the public. Does it ever occur to jerks like this that part of the failure of "the public" to understand is the crap they manage to put in their fishwrap without helping people see the truth?