Audio:60 Minutes-Richard Clark Exposes Fraud of Bush : AZ IMC

Former Aide Decries Bush Over Terror War
The Associated Press

Saturday 20 March 2004

WASHINGTON - Richard A. Clarke, the former White House counterterrorism coordinator, accuses the Bush administration of failing to recognize the al-Qaida threat before the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks and then manipulating America into war with Iraq with dangerous consequences.

He accuses Bush of doing "a terrible job on the war against terrorism."

Clarke, who is expected to testify Tuesday before a federal panel reviewing the attacks, writes in a new book going on sale Monday that Bush and his Cabinet were preoccupied during the early months of his presidency with some of the same Cold War issues that had faced his father's administration.

"It was as though they were preserved in amber from when they left office eight years earlier," Clarke told CBS for an interview Sunday on its "60 Minutes" program.

CBS' corporate parent, Viacom Inc., owns Simon & Schuster, publisher for Clarke's book, "Against All Enemies."

Clarke acknowledges that, "there's a lot of blame to go around, and I probably deserve some blame, too." He said he wrote to National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice on Jan. 24, 2001, asking "urgently" for a Cabinet-level meeting "to deal with the impending al-Qaida attack." Months later, in April, Clarke met with deputy cabinet secretaries, and the conversation turned to Iraq.

"I'm sure I'll be criticized for lots of things, and I'm sure they'll launch their dogs on me," Clarke said. "But frankly I find it outrageous that the president is running for re-election on the grounds that he's done such great things about terrorism. He ignored it. He ignored terrorism for months, when maybe we could have done something."

The Associated Press first reported in June 2002 that Bush's national security leadership met formally nearly 100 times in the months prior to the Sept. 11 attacks yet terrorism was the topic during only two of those sessions.

The last of those two meetings occurred Sept. 4 as the security council put finishing touches on a proposed national security policy review for the president. That review was finished Sept. 10 and was awaiting Bush's approval when the first plane struck the World Trade Center.

Almost immediately after the Sept. 11 terror attacks, Clarke said the president asked him directly to find whether Iraq was involved in the suicide hijackings.

"Now he never said, 'Make it up.' But the entire conversation left me in absolutely no doubt that George Bush wanted me to come back with a report that said, 'Iraq did this,"' said Clarke, who told the president that U.S. intelligence agencies had never found a connection between Iraq and al-Qaida.

"He came back at me and said, 'Iraq! Saddam! Find out if there's a connection,' and in a very intimidating way," Clarke said.

CBS said it asked Stephen Hadley, Rice's deputy on the national security council, about the incident, and Hadley said: "We cannot find evidence that this conversation between Mr. Clarke and the president ever occurred."

CBS responded to Hadley that it found two people it did not identify who recounted the incident independently, and one of them witnessed the conversation.

"I stand on what I said," Hadley told CBS, "but the point I think we're missing in this is, of course the president wanted to know if there was any evidence linking Iraq to 9-11."

Clarke also harshly criticizes Bush over his decision to invade Iraq, saying it helped brew a new wave of anti-American sentiment among supporters of Osama bin Laden.

"Bin Laden had been saying for years, 'America wants to invade an Arab country and occupy it, an oil-rich Arab country.' This is part of his propaganda," Clarke said. "So what did we do after 9/11? We invade ... and occupy an oil-rich Arab country, which was doing nothing to threaten us."

Clarke retired early in 2003 after 30 years in government service. He was among the longest-serving White House staffers, transferred in from the State Department in 1992 to deal with threats from terrorism and narcotics.

Clarke previously led the government's secretive Counterterrorism and Security Group, made up of senior officials from the FBI, CIA, Justice Department and armed services, who met several times each week to discuss foreign threats.

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Yet another Bush-boy insider who has blown Dumbya's cover. If Kerry wins, and all of the Bush lies and deceits come out, Bush will end up not in Texas, but in jail.

Clark is apparently pissed off because Bush -43 didnt give a high post in the administration. Clark being the terrrorist expert during Bush-41, and Klinton, had attacks happen on his watch. He wasnt doing the job so Bush -43 set him aside. Good Move. Now Clark is trying to get payback with these allegations and everone knows bad news sells print, truth or not.
ya'll have a nice day now.

I was angered and shocked as I watched the 60 Minutes piece with Mr. Clark. My assumptions of what he indicated seem to have been true; that Mr. Bush and his time-warp team had an agenda to finish off Saddam at any cost. And the cost has been dear; young lives lost, a world destabalized, and our country despised as a world bully with no restrains. The whole thing is simply disgusting.

I think that Clarke used the word "reprehensible" or "unconsciounable" as Bush's motives for asking American soldiers to die in Iraq for no valid reason. It's astounding to me that Clinton was almost impeached for lying about Monica. Nobody died because of an affair. Why is there no similar outcry now that it's becoming obvious that Bush lied about the connection btwn Iraq and al Qada? More than 500 US soldiers have had to give up their lives for this lie. Let's impeach Bush now!

Bush has done an incredible job at avoiding the kind of trouble he deserves b/c he uses fear so well. He's done it to trample civil rights, he's convinced the American people to accept the lowest rating the US has ever had abroad, the iraq war (his "best" use of fear so far), and without question to try to get re-elected. This President is playing on our fears. Look up the term terrorism on dictionary.com. Scary.

Bush uses fear so well. He's done it to trample civil rights, he's convinced the American people to accept the lowest rating the US has ever had abroad, the iraq war (his "best" use of fear so far), and without question to try to get re-elected. This President is playing on our fears. Look up the term terrorism on dictionary.com. Scary.

It is true, Bush II is a liar. The evidence supports it. He is responsible for the inhumane toll in lives and suffering caused by his greedy war for oil. The cost of his murderous actions has been, and will be continue to be absolutely enormus for America and the people of the world.

I believe that when the irrefutable proofs of his deceptions about 9/11 and Iraq come to light (and they will), he should be tried as a war criminal. Only then will our country be able to re-establish any credibilty with the rest of the civilized world.

I disagree with Mr. Tomello. If Kerry wins, Bush will not go to jail. He will go into retirement, move back to Texas, have a book shadow written for him, whine occasionally on cable television and continue to grow rich off of his family's various business interests. Unfortunately Bush is not really the villain here. He's a slimy and untrustworthy politician, of course - but it's not so simple as "Bush is Bad!". There are literally dozens if not hundreds of people who made the important decisions which led us to war, again. Thousands, hundreds of thousands if you count all of the journalists and lesser politicians who went along for the ride, knowing that something didn't add up. Millions if you count the citizens of the U.S. who, though disempowered by our representative watered down democracy, could have heard the truth had they chosen to remove their cultural earplugs. This is not about one bad man. This situation is but a small symptom of a much larger and more dangerous world wide trend towards cashocracy and the predominance of corporate media over human sense. You can't send that to jail. (And I doubt that Kerry would even if he could!)

How did you know to warn San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown not to fly on 9-11? And why did you not warn the nation?

http://www.thetruthseeker.co.uk/article.asp?ID=1000

The American people can vindicate themselves of the born-again dimwit we have now. The American people deserve to see George Dumbya Bush CRUSHED in Nov.
Out of the Bushs FOREVER!
The reelection of this perverted version of a president would legitimize all the horrors of this government in the last 4 years in the world's eyes. Americans and not only their leaders will be hated and targeted for extermination, (Tom Delay wouldn't mind), for the rest of our lives.
Our enemies grow and become legion each day Bush/Cheney are around.
We arer better than that, and better than Bush/Cheney.

JOHN KERRY TO THE FUTURE!!!

you sell like Dan Quayle.Better work on it

Find your spine and speak up like a man. You sound like Qualye's son. And I mean that.

{{{{{LICK BUSH IN '04!}}}}}

JOHN KERRY TO THE FUTURE!!!

So bigman - that your best??

Bushite blowhard.

}}}}}}LICK BUSH IN '04{{{{{

JOHN KERRY TO THE FUTURE!!!

Maybe not my best.... BUT if these are your best ,Your pretty sad.

I take it you're a Dumbya dude.

Son - I hate to break it to ya' but your man is a sociopathic dry-drunk who is going to self-destruct in front of the whole country one day soon. Watch goof. (You too goof.)

John Kerry, in sharp contrast, has a proven, life-long record of true service to this nation.

I insist you try again.

{{{{{{LICK BUSH IN '04}}}}}}}}

JOHN KERRY TO THE FUTURE!!!

You ain't home suckin your mama's tit??

You're a Bushite. Punk. Get used to it.

AND STOP BOTHERIN ME!!

}}}}}}}}LICK BUSH IN '04{{{{{{{{

JOHN KERRY TO THE FUTURE!!!!

You seem to be the punk.Kerry sucks ass

to Bush, also supports the continued military occupation of Iraq, the Patriot act, and continued military build-up, as well as big tax cuts (5% across the board) for corporations.

This year, fascism comes in two flavors! Vote Bush Kerry to support war, the police state, and the fleecing of the taxpayer!

Nader was wrong then, you are wrong now.
NO comparison.
Kerry any day of any week of any year in any lifetime.

If you don't realize that Kerry, like Bush, supports the Patriot Act and the occupation of Iraq as well as tax cuts for corporations. It's a matter of public record, dickwad. Google it!

Hey "defeat bush/kerry:"

How do you suggest that we defeat "Bush/Kerry?" Voting for Nader's not gonna do it -- he's not getting elected. So...if you're talking electoral politics, we're either ending up with Bush...or Kerry. Or, of course, there's always "Smash the State in '04." Yeah, right.
LOL...

Not a bad question. The first step is defeating the illusion that voting for anyone except a republican or democrat is "wasting your vote." That is a self-fulfilling prophecy. Obviously, if everybody accepts that voting independent is wasting your vote, they will not vote independent, which further perpetuates the illusion.

The terrible truth has been unmasked before u this year in a way more blatant than ever before- voting EITHER republican or democratic is voting for war, against the Bill of Rights, and for corporations.

So, if our alternative to war, globalization and fascism is at least partially electoral, we need to vote independent. To the degree that the alternative is not electoral, Holy SHIT, TAKE TO THE STREETS, PEOPLE, particularly when Bush-Kerry come to Arizona to stage their mock debate.

Don't forget you can "Take It To The Streets" when Bush &/or Kerry turn up at the Latino Convention in downtown Phoenix the last weekend in June. You don't have to wait until October.

But...if the solution is partly electoral (even as a short-term partial solution) then voting independent only works if enough people vote to elect an independent candidate. In my opinion, that is *not* going to happen in 2004. The State in 2004 is nowhere near being "smashed," either. So my question again: given that we're going to end up with either Bush...or Kerry, what strategy do you propose?

It's obvious at this point that Bush is going to lose.
Kerry/Clark would be a killer ticket.
Can't hardly wait...

I don't normally make predictions like this, but here's one for you. Just remember, you heard it hear first: this year will repeat last election, but with far-reaching consequences.

Bush will win the electoral college by hitting hard in swing states, but he will lose (again) the popular vote. A second, this time terminal, constitutional crisis erupts, followed quickly by the collapse of the American economy as all confidence in the political system supporting it is swept away, along with the foreign investment that has been keeping America afloat for the last 20 years. The collapse of the dollar quickly follows and inflation hits 30 percent by inauguration day '05.

Troops in Iraq mutiny and begin their own withdrawl from the region, commandeering transports straight home. Upon returning, they join their families in the streets, as they fight the wave of foreclosures, bankruptcies and the inevitable violent crackdown by the police.

Looting, workplace occupations, arsons and the general driving out of landlords, cops and politicians follows. Neighborhood assemblies organize and freely federate to meet their daily needs on the basis of co-operation and mutual aid. The state, unable to control the population, disintegrates under the pressyre of a mass refusal by most of the population and the direct attacks on its repressive infrastructure by armed cells.

Revolution '06.

Something to think about...

However, perhaps you're repeating only the most optimistic scenarios. ;)
Anybody but Kerry? Like Bush? Prick Cheney? Are you nuts?
Anyway, short of your rosy predictions, Kerry is going to be the next potus. The most watched and in check in our history.
Have (some) faith, the tide turns Nov. 2nd with John Kerry's election. Yes, we need a messiah. What we'll get is a president that makes leading decently look easy.

I've made a vow to crush your queer ANSWER skull.

Better get your UN friends to gear up and protect your ass.

OK, you are obviously planning to attack the Bushwacker from behind, and crush his skull, but what is this about his asshole? Are you planning to kill and cornhole simultaneously, like some kind of reactionary, gay praying mantis?

You said a mouthfull J. Mr. Me reveals his closet proclivities.

These Right-Wing dufusheads are so transparently clinical. Their own words condemn them.

Hey I was just wondering how many of these war-mongering chickenhawks have family trapped over in Iraq? They can't even get their own base to sign up and truly sacrifice. I have a close cousin there myself.

Let's hope the Philipines, or South Korea don't need our help any time soon. And how about Taiwan?

So much for the "two majors wars at one time" policy.

We need this bunch of psychos outta' here yesterday!

Is ANYBODY anywhere on the globe as sick of this administration and what they are doing to our world reputation? On the day that Kerry quit the election without even a decent fight I pounded an upside down US flag that is 5' X 6' on the front of my house. It is not coming down (despite vandalism that happens every week) until we can all say "FREE AT LAST, THANK GOD ALMIGHTY WE ARE FREE AT LAST." (Martin Luther King). The final insult from W was when this "Christian" man said "Stop throwing the Constitution at me, it's just a goddamn piece of paper."