Suspect credentials? What are you smoking, Sharpo, and where can I get it cheap? The guy was in the top tier of civil service for thirty years and counterterrorism for twelve. Condi, by contrast, is an old shill from the last Shrubministration. Clarke worked with Reagan. Did Reagan complain about him? Did he complain about Reagan? Clarke worked with Bush I. Was either of them ever heard to complain about each other? Clarke worked with Clinton. Again, no problem. Clarke voted for Bush in 2000. Clarke resigned in frustration because BUSH IS AN INCOMPETENT LOON. But of course, the moment he publically complains, he is "disgruntled", has "a bias", and has "a political motive".
Condi's testimony was unsatisfying. She spent three hours licking Bush's boots and reminding America that everything was
really Clinton's fault for not acting. Notice that rmsharpe doesn't accuse HER of having "a bias" or "a political motive"? Condi spent a lot of time touting that wonderful "pre-911 plan" that Bush had to combat Al Qaeda. As yet, there is not the slightest proof that the plan even EXISTED aside from the testimony of her and other current/former Bush figures, since the doc itself is not eligible for declassification due to "security reasons". Yeah, job security - Bush's.
Yes or no, did the Clinton administration drop the ball on al-Qaeda?
Of course!
Here's the question for YOU: what the hell is a "reform" administration doing justifying itself with the constant refrain "Clinton did it too!"...
Clinton aides WARNED their counterparts at the turnover about AQ. They were ignored. The White House and the CIA had multiple clues and leads, all of which were ignored. Before 9-11, the Bush administration was
a greater failure in counterterrorism than even Clinton was. Condi's disingenuous claim that 9-11 could not have been stopped is a falsehood, plain and simple. Unlike the previous administration, which has readily admitted its share of the guilt [Bill Clinton and other former BCA figures VOLUNTEERED to testify instead of having to be pressured by the entire media of the Western world], the GBA has frankly been playing the usual Republican game of whitewash, coverup, and fallback lies.
IMHO neither Dems nor Republicans asked Condi any hard questions. The testimony was a waste, a wild goose chase, and now the 9-11 commission has signed a gentleman's agreement to leave the rest of the administration alone. As usual, Dems prove they have zero backbone.
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. But it seems to me that Rice and the others were quite prepared to fight the last (cold) war when the new one had already started. I remember an International Relations class I took in college in 1997 (or 98, not sure), taught by an American, which already stressed the importance of non-state actors and the way the end of the Cold War had changed international relations. The signs that it wasn't all about missile defense anymore were all there; moreover, we know that Rice and Bush were explicitly warned about Al-Qaeda by Clinton and others.
