Maertens continues to back Clarke, bash Bush misadministration

[grannylib]

http://www.mankato-freepress.com/

Article in today's paper (Maertens lives here in Mankato) good read!!
<snip>
"If you lead the country into an unprovoked war under false pretenses, why should you be re-elected?" he asked, expressing bafflement at why Bush is focusing his re-election campaign on being a war president.
<snip>
"Knowing what I know about the Bush administration," he said, "I've registered as a Democrat."

[jean]

1. Maertens also did an editorial in the Star Tribune on Mar 30th

here:

http://www.startribune.com/stories/1519/4691285.html

some exerpts:

"Clarke was a colleague of mine for 15 months in the White House, under both Bill Clinton and George W. Bush. Subsequently, I moved to the U.S. State Department as deputy coordinator for counterterrorism, and worked with him and his staff before and after 9/11.

My experience confirms what Clarke relates in his book. The Bush administration did ignore the threat of terrorism. It was focused on tax cuts, building a ballistic missile system, withdrawing from the ABM Treaty and rejecting the Kyoto Protocol.

Administration officials seemed to believe that the terrorist attacks on the United States in East Africa, and on the USS Cole, were due to Clinton's moral failings. Since they didn't share those weaknesses, and because President Bush had the blessing of Jerry Falwell, Pat Robertson and Justice Antonin Scalia, we would be spared any serious attack. Moral superiority would triumph.

I personally believe that Clarke was one of the most effective government officials I have ever worked with -- most effective, but not the most loved. He has been described as a bureaucratic steamroller, and he no doubt ruffled some feathers, but who better to put in charge of counterterrorism? Unfortunately, he suffered the fate of Cassandra: He was able to foresee the future but not convince his leaders of the threat.

Despite its own failings, the Bush administration has conducted a scorched-earth smear campaign against Clarke, because his book threatens Bush's carefully orchestrated image as a war president."

ALSO: Maertens gave a wonderful interview on High Ground radio (Minnesota - 1330 AM) this week - I hope they put up a transcript or an audio archive link!

[jbfam4]

2. Thanks for posting this article.

..."Bush's carefully orchestrated image as a war president."


Bush called hismelf a war president on Meet the Press. Well, the war wasn't necessary and neither is BUSH.

The war was immoral and well, you know the rest.

[scarletwoman]

3. Wish I could read the whole thing, but they want $$$

No free registration option that I could see. Darn.

I'm glad, anyway, that Maertens is keeping up his defense of Clarke; just wish it could get a wider audience.

sw