Please clarify: What was Clarke's actual answer to the question:

[libbygurl]

"If everything you suggested was followed by Bush et al., could 9/11 attacks have been prevented?"

I keep hearing these Repubs give a categorical "No." as Clarke's answer.

I thought he said, "I don't know."? Am I wrong? Has my memory truly failed me now?

[leftchick]

1. he said ....

"We'll never know"... which I take to mean it was possible had they made an effort to acknowledge the warnings signs and DO something.

[libbygurl]

3. Ah, yes. So why is everyone letting the incorrect "NO" answer slide?

This is blatant twisting of the facts, isn't it, for some sleazy purpose?

[Goldmund]

2. I don't think that the answer to that matters.

It only could not have been prevented (assuming that is the case, which I personally strongly doubt -- I believe in LIHOP) in HINDSIGHT. This does not explain why they DID NOTHING ABOUT IT. Once they know WHAT happened and HOW it happened, they can conclude whether or not it could have been stopped; but BEFORE it happened, there was no way they could have known whether or not it was in their power to stop it.

[libbygurl]

6. My point exactly. I think it's important because the Repubs

keep throwing Clarke's alleged, incorrectly repeated "No" answer to say that therefore, Bush could NOT do anything about anything anyway! Nice tactic: first, twist Clarke's words, and then use them for their own (Repub) nefarious purposes.

[Florida_Geek]

4. He did not say NO

But I think what he said was for the 9-11 families that he did not know. IMHO, the real answer was YES, but he did not want to upset the 9-11 families.

[Richardo]

5. I remember him saying "no",

...but perhaps it was not to that specific question. I do not remember who the questioner was.

[Cat Atomic]

7. I only remember how he responded Leslie Stahl when she asked

that question.

He said, "at least we would've had a chance of stopping it".

Far from "no".

[Hell Hath No Fury]

8. On ABC today...

he clarified an answer to Jennings' question. Look for the transcript.

He said something about no, 9/11 could not have been stopped at a CERTAIN POINT in time, but COULD have been had the administration taken action strongly when the first rumblings were heard.

[spooky3]

9. No one can know what would have happened if another path had been taken

and if the warnings had been heeded. So even if he said "no", which I don't believe he did, that doesn't make it true.

[libbygurl]

10. My impression was that his answer was filled with uncertainty. I do

recall now the words, "We'll never know" in his response.

[Oilwellian]

11. There were two separate questions with two different answers

The first question was, and I'm paraphrasing, if the Bush administration had enacted Clinton's plans in Afghanistan, would it have stopped 9/11? Clarke's answer was no.

The second question was, had the Bush administration done the same thing Clinton did during the Y2K threats, could 9/11 have been prevented. Clarke said, we'll never know.

The repubs have combined the two questions.

[libbygurl]

12. Thanks for the much-needed clarification! n/t

[Oilwellian]

13. My pleasure

You asked an important question and it needed to be clarified.

:kick: