Rice decimates Clarke's testimony

[TitanTiger 21,241]

Rice forcefully rebuts Clarke testimony

Releases e-mail she says contradicts his charges

From John King, CNN

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- National security adviser Condoleezza Rice said Wednesday that administration records -- including former White House counterterrorism official Richard Clarke's own words and actions -- prove false his "scurrilous allegation that somehow the president of the United States was not attentive to the terrorist threat."

Forcefully rebutting Clarke's testimony Wednesday to the 9/11 commission, Rice called reporters to her West Wing office and said that on July 5, 2001 -- two months before the terrorist attacks -- she personally ordered Clarke to alert domestic agencies that they needed to be on alert for the possibility of a terror strike.

Rice said she did so because of a "threat spike" in U.S. intelligence. While the intelligence suggested al Qaeda attacks in the Persian Gulf region or Israel, Rice said she and White House Chief of Staff Andrew Card decided to ask Clarke to take some precautions domestically.

Clarke testified Wednesday that the administration did little in the spring and summer of 2001 to prepare for possible attacks in the United States. To rebut that charge, Rice released unclassified portions of an e-mail Clarke sent to her on September 15, 2001, four days after the attacks.

"When the era of national unity cracks in the near future, it is possible that some will start asking questions like did the White House do a good job of making sure that intelligence about terrorist threats got to FAA and other domestic law enforcement authorities," Clark wrote.

He then went on to detail the steps he said were taken to put the nation on a higher alert footing:

In late June, an interagency counterterrorism security group, which Clarke chaired, warned of an upcoming "spectacular" al Qaeda attack that would be "qualitatively different."

On July 5, representatives of federal law enforcement agencies were summoned for a meeting at which they were warned "that we thought a spectacular al Qaeda terrorist attack was coming in the near future," Clark wrote. Among the agencies represented were the FBI, Secret Service, Federal Aviation Administration, Customs Service, Coast Guard, and the Immigration and Naturalization Service.

"We asked that they take special measures to increase security and surveillance," he wrote.

Summarizing his thoughts to Rice, Clarke wrote, "Thus, the White House did insure that domestic law enforcement (including FAA) knew that the [counterterrorism security group] believed that a major al Qaeda attack was coming and it could be in the U.S. ... and did ask that special measures be taken."

Clarke's initials -- "rac" -- are typed at the end of the e-mail...

http://www.cnn.com/2004/ALLPOLITICS/03/25/...ttal/index.html

I think this guy is out of his depth. Funny thing is, the Dems who are supporting him keep talking about "personal attacks" or "character assassination" when all the administration is doing is releasing memo, after email, after report, after interview from Clarke himself contradicting just about every assertion he makes in his book and before the commission. If that's a personal attack, then Clarke is the one attacking himself. He's hung himself with his own words.

[rexbo 104]

For those Americans that are paying attention, they are seeing that Bush and his administration were actually giving much more attention to al Queda than we originally thought. This attempt to discredit GWB is back firing big time on Clarke and the Democrats...

[Tigermike 3,717]

I still say Clarke's every move since leaving has been to increase book sales. In August 2002 he praised the Bush administration and their efforts.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,115085,00.html

Call me cynical, but I think he made the statements in Aug 2002 to set himself up as a good guy. Now that the book is out VIACOM, 60 Minutes, Simon & Schuster, CBS and the rest of that corp. are merely making money. The dems are only too ready willing and able to keep that boat floating.

[Ranger12 53]

The only personal attacks are the ones against Bush. Again, a lie against Bush is being proven wrong.

[Tigermike 3,717]

[DKW 86 7,899]

3-25 POST OF THE DAY!

[AUloggerhead 2,516]

I was in a Borders bookstore up here and they had a display table set up with Clarke's book facing directly in front of the two swinging doors. It was impossible to miss. In fact, you literally had to walk around the display to get into the store. Talk about blatantly pushing the book. Funny thing is, ... there were plenty of copies available.