Transcript of Peter Jennings/Richard Clarke post-Condi talk

[swag]

http://abcnews.go.com/sections/WNT/US/clarke_interview_transcript_040408-1.html

Clarke: First of all, the document I sent to her on Jan. 25, days after the administration started, the documents ought to be declassified and people can decide for themselves. That memorandum on Jan. 25 said I urgently need a meeting with the Cabinet to approve these plans, these strategies. we can get into semantical distinctions as to whether it was a plan or strategy or a series of decisions that had to be made, but on Jan. 25, I was saying we have a strategy, it needs these additional elements, the president has to make decisions about that so we can go forward.

And I think what you'll see if it's declassified and you compare it to where they came out on Sept. 4 is basically on Sept. 4, they adopted what I proposed on Jan. 25. And so the time in between was wasted.

Now, on the issue of whether or not I asked for a meeting with the president, I did. I asked for a meeting with the president several times beginning, in fact, before Dr. Rice even took office in the transition briefing. I said I have given this briefing to the vice president, I've given it to the secretary of state, I've given it now to you, I would like to give it to the president.

And what I was told was I could brief the president on terrorism after the policy development process had been completed.

[Occulus]

1. Condoleesa seems to have some explaining to do.

[Mountainman]

2. They will not declassify anything that is detremental to them

and they have the right to vet the report before we get it.

So unless there is a leak, we will never get the truth from them.

[drfemoe]

3. maybe now we know

why he got "demoted".

[Skittles]

4. let the people decide for themselves

it'll be a cold day in hell before Bush Inc allows THAT to happen