Dick Clarke smackdown
From
National Review Online comes an article asking Mr. Clarke to talk about seven things. The author, Mansoor Ijaz, negotiated Sudan's offer of counterterrorism assistance on al Qaeda and Osama bin Laden to the Clinton administration in 1997 and coauthored the blueprint for the ceasefire in Kashmir in the summer of 2000 so he kinda knows what he is talking about.
bq.
A Dick Clarke Top Seven
Richard Clarke, the former White House counterterrorism czar in four successive administrations, testifies in front of the 9/11 Commission on Wednesday. But what should have been a serious inquiry into how a loosely knit gang of Islamic fanatics could rise to become one of history's most lethal and effective global terrorist organizations now promises to become a political spectacle.
bq. At the height of the presidential campaign season, Clarke has made irresponsible and untrue allegations that the Bush White House was indifferent to the threat posed by al Qaeda in the months leading up to the 9/11 attacks. Whether his charges are the result of a momentary lapse in judgment in an otherwise distinguished civil-service career, or the hallmark of personal ego and greed in trying to sell a book while settling scores with a Bush White House that demoted him, the 9/11 commissioners cannot be deterred in their task to find out the truth about what happened on his watch to America's counterterrorism efforts.
Talking about what Mr. Clarke should be asked:
bq. If I were a 9/11 commissioner, there are seven very pointed areas of inquiry I would enter into with Clarke to understand exactly how the intelligence failures and policy missteps evolved:
bq. Sudan's offer to hand over Osama bin Laden
Sudan's counterterrorism offer
Iraq and al Qaeda — the Sudan connection
The U.S. embassy bombings
He goes into good detail for each question. I"m excerpting here so if you want to read the remaining three topics, you can check the article.
He closes out with the following words:
bq. Factual answers to these questions, minus the political bluster and ad-hominem attacks aimed at scoring points with a potential future employer, would go a long way in restoring Richard Clarke's severely damaged credibility as an observer and participant in some of history's most important events. Our future generations deserve better than to watch catfights between grown adults charged with nothing less than providing for their safety and security.
bq. Just tell us the truth, Mr. Clarke.
So true and so rare a thing in today's Democratic party.
Posted by DaveH at March 23, 2004 1:08 PM