"I don't trust Richard Clarke"

[underpants]

I heard this yesterday from a co-worker who comes into my office and we throwing ideas at each other on political issues and the real world from which they derive.

We were talking about 9/11 and I said "Well Richard Clarke says" and he cut me off "I don't trust Richard Clarke"

Huh?

I understand that he has been critical of Bush&Co. but this guy is in no way a big Bush supporter. Clarke's word isn't gospel or anything to me but I think it is safe to say that he is the highest level of expert available out there on national security issues, alQaeda and 9/11 specifically.

This co-worker of mine allows the RW fog to slide in every once in a while so this must be the message that is getting out there on this week leading up to the 5th anniversary of 9/11.

[Tanuki]

1. Did you

ask him to explain why? Probably he wouldn't have had any rational argument,and this would have been a good opportunity to point that out to him.

[underpants]

2. He was dismissive

"I .. I just don't believe him"

I asked further but that was basically all I could get out of him.

[JHB]

3. ...because if Clarke IS to be believed...

...then all of a sudden some of his basic and cherished assumptions about Bush & Co. don't compute anymore, and he doesn't want to deal with that.

[blm]

5. Recall when Clarke was testifying - media deliberately tarred him as

someone not as believable as Condi Rice. Remember the dumbass polls they took questionong Clarke's credibility? All geared to cloud Clarke's testimony while they protected BushInc and Condi.

The media accepted the Rove spin that turned Clarke into a political operative for Kerry. Completely ignoring that the FACTS and the record supported everything Clarke said.

EVERY independent agent and every Democrat has been swiftboated by the complicit media since Clinton's impeachment - in fact, it could be called impeachmented instead of swiftboated.

[underpants]

11. I rewatched Condi's testimony this morning on Crooks and Liars.

http://www.crooksandliars.com/

the 7:57 segment with Bien Veniste. Funny when I was watching it then.. I don't know... I just sort of assumed that some of what she was saying was somehow based in reality now I watch it and the applause from the audience is deafening (to questions finally being asked to Condi) and the part right near the end where Bien Veniste asks her a direct question about Bush being warned about alQaeda being here in the US and she says .... this is exactly what she said... "Do you have any other questions you would like to ask?"

You can hear the audience gasp, laugh, and stir.

Amazing.

The same can be said for Powell at the UN. Streaming video was not then what it is now. I remember being here on DU and people were posting "Is that a cartoon of a truck-No it is a power point display-oh you HAVE to be kidding...." and so on. We now know the whole thing was completely made up. The flying jet spraying something was from before the first gulf war and the taped conversations had nothing to do with weapons inspectors or anything (God I feel like such a fool) but yet not only did they sort of kind of sound authoritative everyone who could get near a microphone or in a newspaper made it sound like Powell wasn't just a stooge in a suit.

Amazing looking back at how bad they were and how it still got a pass. They really do operate in the margin that you and I don't even consider as we leap over it to get to some real world consideration of things.

10 years from now I am sure that people are just going to not want to even think about how badly they fell for all of it.

[Dhalgren]

4. I have noticed that there are two types of Bush critics:

One thinks Bush is incompetent, but not out-right criminal or evil; the other thinks that bush is a criminal who has knowingly committed crimes to further his goals of power and greed. Your co-worker may be of the former kind and so to believe too much of what Clarke says would be to have to admit that Bush is not just inept, but an actual criminal - and that is hard for some people...

[underpants]

7. Bush is a incompetent boob

I guess that puts me in the former group.

[Dhalgren]

12. I agree that in many aspects Bush is incompetent.

Just look at his business track record and his boobishness shines through. But I think that he is willfully criminal, as well. I think that the bosses of many crime organizations have been, and are, incompetent in many ways. I think that history shows that most "successful" dictators have, in ways, been incompetent, as well. The problem is that although many people will readily accept the "Bush is a stumble-bum" meme, they are less willing to seriously look at the idea that he is also a world-class criminal who must be brought to justice. For reasons that could take up an entire other thread, many Americans just can't come to grips with this. But until the nation as a whole does come to grips with Bush's criminality, we will be doomed to travel this road to hell...

[blm]

15. I agree - Bush has always been clever in a criminal sense and grew up just

rich and powerful enough to get away with his actions.

[Justice Is Comin]

6. Ask him does he know that Clarke stopped an Olympic bombing

in Atlanta? No fanfare, no trotting out terror speeches. He just thought that was his job.

He knows more about counterintelligence than all the bushes and their mafia put together.

[Hubert Flottz]

8. But does he still believe Bush who has been caught in lie after lie

Some people are beyond hope. Totally fooled and unable to even consider any other point of view, but their own narrow minded conception of reality. Democrats on the other hand tend to be seekers of truth and reason. There are people who just can't be helped, for whatever reason.

People who think they "HAVE ALL THE ANSWERS," seldom if ever, have the correct answers. Bush and the PNAC are classic examples of that.

[Gold Metal Flake]

9. You could ask him who TOLD him not to trust Clarke.

Kinda cut to the chase.

[blm]

14. Exactly - your point goes along with what I posted above.

.

[saltpoint]

10. Tell your co-worker that he's dead wrong about Clarke.

Clarke's the real thing.

[tabasco]

13. The US government trusted him with the highest possible security

clearance. I guess that's not good enough for a dumbass coworkwer though.

[Tactical Progressive]

16. He doesn't WANT to believe Richard Clarke

Which is a form of lying.

Richard Clarke, who is a Republican by the way, knew more about the terrorist threat than anyone in that administration, and they pointedly kept him out of the discussion.

Ask him why he has to lie to himself to understand the world.

[Imagevision]

17. Clarke: "Your government failed you - I failed you"

[Jacobin]

18. I read his book a few months back

He had a very high clearance to do what he was doing.

He was running around 'with his hair on fire' in the run up to 9/11.

Cheney, et al told him to stuff it. They didn't want to upset the Arab voters and campaign contributors they had been courting

[sandnsea]

19. disgruntled employee hocking a book

Don't you remember the smear campaign against him? That's why your co-worker said that. You need to go back and get a couple of news articles, and then find one that lists all the smear campaigns by the right so maybe your co-worker will get what has happened. Some on DU need to remember too because there are still too many here who don't understand why this ABC crapodrama needs to be fought tooth and nail.