Clarke to 9/11 families: Your government failed you

[ChavezSpeakstheTruth]

www.cnn.com

[Kahuna]

1. This is powerful. Bushco is dry heaving right about now.

:evilgrin:

The statement is on msnbc's homepage too.

[ButterflyBlood]

2. GO CLARKE!

He's completely right on. Not afraid to tell the truth. BUSH IS THE REASON YOUR LOVED ONES ARE DEAD.

[ChavezSpeakstheTruth]

3. Hell yeah, Man (n/t)

[colonel odis]

4. that is one man who needs to stay off airplanes. n/t

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

5. People with political agendas don't take personal responsibility

Clarke just shoved it up everyone's ass. I have a ton of respect for this man right now.

[ChavezSpeakstheTruth]

8. me too

[dArKeR]

6. 'Your Government Failed You' - CBS

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/03/21/terror/main607659.shtml

I'm waiting for someone to ask the question: 'With all of your resources, the $500,000,000,000,000 you spend, can you tell me what the 'terrorists'' gripe are? Like we all found out the Palestinians wanted a home state; And the IRA wanted Enlgand out of their homeland; Now please tell me what the Al Qaeda wants?'

-------------------

"Clarke, whose new whose new book accuses President Bush of dropping the ball in advance of Sept. 11, said Mr. Bush didn't see al-Qaida as an urgent threat."

So:
Bush was more concerned about who took the 'W' from the keyboards, who split coffee on the White House carpeting, whether a Clinton gift belonged in thw WH or in Clinton's home, who's desks scratched the walls, who's chocolate finger prints were on the light switches...

What gets me is America is supposed to have the greatest minds and thinkers of current day. So why do so many top Government officials and Media Whores forget so easily? Are they in fact really stupid and we've been bamboozled? Lucky for taped media. Why doesn't MoveOn make a commercial about these facts.

[wabeewoman]

14. They are...

I just got an email asking for money from Moveon.org so they can put on a commercial which they have ready to go. I obliged! Anything to get this scrum out of our White House.

[dArKeR]

21. I'm not much of a TV watcher and I honestly haven't read anything

on it. The closest I've seen on TV to ask what 'terrorists' or the other side wants was Secrectary of Defense Robert McNamara talking before a panel on his parts in the Fog of War. McNamara said 'empathy'.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/inatl/longterm/fogofwar/fogofwar.htm

[Just Me]

31. The "greatest minds and thinkers of current day" don't FIT,...

,...into or play the "game" which has evolved as "politics". What great mind or thinker would sacrifice, not only his/her soul, but also his/her great mind in that power-grabbing game? Frankly, I know of no truly great mind which impactfully contributed to humanity being intimately involved with the damning game of power-seeking politics. To the contrary, it seems to me that the greatest contributors were always "bucking" the 'power of the day'.

[calimary]

36. The greatest minds and thinkers of current day

were forced to hand the keys to the White House front door to the bushies in January 2001. The greatest minds and thinkers of current day were persecuted because of some stains on a blue dress.

Guys, I'm sorry, but I smell a big whitewash coming. It looks like a slam-dunk to us. But these bad guys won't EVER do the correct and proper thing - to admit they were wrong, that they've made things worse, that they've botched it from stem to stern, and that they need to resign. Or that others around them will REALLY, vigorously hold them accountable.

Hence my sig line...

DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT! MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD!!!

I don't CARE if they say CONdi doesn't have to testify. SHE OWES ALL OF AMERICA AN EXPLANATION, IF NOT AN APOLOGY AND A LETTER OF RESIGNATION. NO ONE has dropped the ball quite as remarkably as she has. And on MORE THAN ONE occasion. What exactly IS she doing with bush when they go into those closed-door huddles, and further that "unusual relationship" observers speak of? I'm just really suspicious right now. Something smells REALLY bad. I think there may be forces at work trying to set Richard Clarke up as the fall guy. He, after all, is the only one to have been noble enough to issue an apology and say the fault was probably his, too. I'd bet they're gonna try to hang him with it.

[Just Me]

38. As a "public servant", Rice does OWE us all,...big time,...

,...as does this administration which has demanded so much sacrifice by the bottom 90% and kissed the asses of the wealthy. This man serves only those who serve him,...and he abuses the rest of us. He has no heart or spirit that will empower "the people". He only has money and power,...neither of which he earned with sweat or muscle or tears.

[Malva Zebrina]

39. In an interview with Howard Zinn this morning by Ray Talliaferro

Zinn said, to paraphrase, that politicains will always take the easiest road, that they will also be inclined to cater to the powerful and the rich and that bucking the system is not the way that any savvy politician will go. So we are all herded into that mentality. And we must vote for someone who is also inclined toward that mentality.

We are in effect, herded like cattle on a 2000 acre Texas faux ranch.

His solution was that we cannot rely upon politicians to right things that are wrong. They simply will not do it. They only thing that will do that is the people--and the revolt of the people refusing to accept it any longer.

In a democracy, supposedly, this is possible. We saw in during the Viet Nam era.

But where is it now? How did we ever let Bush take over this country like a bull headed moron in a china shop? It happened and NO ONE saw fit to challenge it, except for the black caucus.

[Wilber_Stool]

7. He seems............

to have taken off the gloves now.

[Tippy]

9. I sure hope he has some good people watching his back...n/t

[rodbarnett]

10. Clarke also said there was no plan on Al Qaeda that was passed

The following transcript documents a background briefing in early August 2002 by President Bush's former counterterrorism coordinator Richard A. Clarke to a handful of reporters

Um, the first point, I think the overall point is, there was no plan on Al Qaeda that was passed from the Clinton administration to the Bush administration.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=103x41483

[mac56]

11. Clarke answered that.

"I was told to highlight the positive steps the administration took, and downplay the negatives.."

No issue there.

[rodbarnett]

13. does this mean clarke lied??? or just embellished the truth

basically I was asked by President to accentuate the positive and minimize the negative. Have been asked that by several presidents I worked for.

sound less than fouthcoming to me.....creates a credibility gap.

i wonder what viacom is asking him to say now?

[mac56]

15. It sounds quite forthcoming to me.

He took the King's shilling, he had to sing the King's song. That's why he apologized for his role in it all.

[Just Me]

19. I thought that represented the epitome of "forthcoming".

It was probably one of the most honest and truthful answers ever given by any witness. Hence, it left his examiner speechless and his audience feeling inspired.

[Just Me]

20. My observation was that there WAS a plan passed forward.

And that, the plan was essentially adopted AFTER it was too late. Moreover, Richard was clear that he was actually pushing a more aggressive approach that was pushed aside entirely by the Bush administration.

[Just Me]

32. No offense, but,...I find myself questioning your integrity, rodbarnett.

Is your intention to seek the truth or bend it? I am curious about you and all your posts.

12. letter he wrote 9/4/2001

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=578&e=1&u=/nm/20040324/ts_nm/security_commission_clarke_dc

- Former counterterrorism official Richard Clarke sent a letter to national security adviser Condoleezza Rice (news - web sites) one week before the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks urging Bush administration aides to imagine how they would feel if hundreds of Americans were killed in a terrorist strike.

The existence of the letter came to light in testimony on Wednesday to the national commission investigating the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon

[Tuttle]

16. When does Clinton tesify?

I was thinking today that Prince Bunnypants may have to testify in public to avoid 'checkmate'... will Al Gore's and Bill Clinton's testimony be televised? I sure hope so!

Tut-tut

[liberalnurse]

27. I was unaware that they were going to testify.....

Are you just funning around?

[LifeDuringWartime]

29. i think theyll testify in private

before the whole commission. bush will only testify in front of two of them

[boobooday]

17. Thank you, Richard Clarke

For having the courage and the class to take responsibility. You are a patriot.

And,

:yourock:

http://www.wgoeshome.com

[Just Me]

18. I have never been so impressed by any individual in my life.

The man is brilliant, knowledgeable, compassionate, fair-handed, articulate, focused and ethical. If I could ever choose a mentor, he would be mine. His testimony was absolutely outstanding!!!!

[Just Me]

22. Complete A-hole Armitage is being questioned right now,...

,...and he comes off as the worse than the chest-thumping gorilla that he is (no offense to gorillas which don't go out and consume the earth).

I mean, just look at the man and what he projects,...arrogant, indignant, bullish, anti-democracy, pro-totalitarian, close-minded attitude. Add a couple of horns, and he would be the perfect addition to a movie about human evil infiltrating the world. He's disgusting.

[AlCzervik]

23. Uncle festa Armtiage

He strikes me as unprofessional. he has no business being there today as he doesnt have access to the same high level info as Dr. Rice. Also Faux fing news should have their license revoked.

[rexcat]

24. I heard the majority of Clarke's testimony...

All I can say is he spoke plainly and truthfully. A true patriot.

[Rebel_with_a_cause]

25. I was happy to hear a question about the Bin Ladin family flown out

of DC when all flights were in "lock down."

I'm sorry Clarke couldn't provide more information on that count. I hope that "someone" in the State Dept. and/or WH will.

How can Clarke say he doesn't think the Saudis who left on the flight were a security risk when he doesn't have a manifest of who left or even their numbers? His trusting the FBI to handle that is rather blind considering his otherwise uncomplimentary comments about that organization. Does he honestly feel we should buy into the argument that these Saudis' security was compromised, so it was reasonable to fly them out ASAP, no questions asked? Get real.

[rexcat]

35. Of interest, he said that the request to fly Saudis out...

while all air traffic was locked down could have come from DOJ or DOS. Me thinks Powel could be asked to come back or Asscroft could be asked to appear!

[liberalnurse]

26. This man is a true hero for all Americans.

You can tell he did his job because he truly loves this country....has honor.

[JNelson6563]

28. Remarkable.

A moment that weighed a ton. May Team Bush be crushed under the weight of it.

Julie

[skippysmom]

30. I heard his apology on the radio this afternoon

What a class act. He really shows how classless this administration is.

[DeepModem Mom]

33. "Panel Member Challenges Clarke's Credibility" is the headline

I get on this CNN link. Why????

[DeepModem Mom]

41. Headline changed!

CNN changed the online headline, according to a poster in GD, because of user complaints; now reads, "Clarke: White House Lacked Urgency on Terrorism."

[hyphenate]

34. Re: Clarke

Ah, but will that kind of integrity survive the attack over time that the WH will give him? More importantly, what will be the impact on the general voting public in terms of opening their eyes? Let's face it--we have idealists (read: freepers) who will sing the praises of the Bush (mis)administration even when this kind of proof is presented in their terms of pure black and white. And the study coming from the 9/11 panel which also suggests mounting evidence that the lies the regime told were concocted even before the 9/11 tragedy sure makes the smell of fish predominate in D.C. We can "babble on" as much as we want to--we're more capable of seeing the whole forest simply by our desire to follow politics more carefully, but the average "Joe" probably watches Faux News, reads the New York Post, the Herald or other Murdoch or Hollinger owned newspaper, and listens to Rush on the radio. The mindset in this country is often "decisions aren't affecting me, so why should I bother to even care?" without any true reason for many to look at the situation with any kind of personal stake in it.

We need to find a way to reach that majority, whose political views are still an unformed mass, and show them the actual links between unemployment, the truth about the tax cuts, the stake that the wealthiest 5% in the country have in this (mis)administration, and the environmental and scientific messes that these assholes are perpetrating. I honestly don't know how to do it without being a shill for the Democrats, though if we could show the truth without alluding to political party, simply by virtue of the actual scientific and obvious truths, then we might have the means to make those "swing" votes count.

I AM a Democrat, I am a liberal, but when we fight a battle such as this, it is more important to frame it in those so-called "moral absolutes" that the Republicans like to think they "own." The ordinary citizen, regardless of political affiliation, can only absorb so much and glean only so much insight into the subject, because politics is one of those subjects which is conveniently far away and appearing to be less than of consequence in their daily lives. It's only when events touch people in some personal way that they begin to see the facts and the ambiguities on a level they can understand more closely.

[Just Me]

37. I am absolutely disgusted at how all media is proving the mouthpiece,

for the "ruling" governance. I am (doing a rare) channel surfing and witnessing the demolition of an incredibly credible public servant who clearly was/is incredibly intelligent, well-informed, apolitical, and proved over decades his sincere service to the American people.

This totally breaks the straw for me. Corporatism is f*ckin' up this country. We are screwed!!! Integrity, intelligence, knowledge and ethics are "FOR SALE"!!! We now live in the pit of greed and gadgets and "stuff". Human worth is zero. So sad, too bad, get over it and adapt to the "real" world. We have to take a stand against very dark, self-serving, devoid of compassion, predators!!!

:cry:
:cry:
:cry:

[Name removed]

40. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Spazito]

42. rofl, you obviously didn't watch the testimony...

that "backgrounder" was very well explained and Fox news took a big hit!

[gristy]

43. Hey, Mozam, you got a link?

Huh? A link, man, a LINK. BTW, you finished his book already? That's great. Just great.

[Robbien]

44. Again? Again you are posting this GOP smear campaign?

You are working hard, how many times are you going to be posting this at DU to try and discredit Clarke. I know that Bush&Co will be happy with all your work today.

[Moderator]

45. Locking

go here

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x441952