Rachel Maddow gets Tom Ridge to disavow the dust jacket copy of his own book

[sabra]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/32656501/ns/msnbc_tv-rachel_maddow_show/

<snip>

RIDGE: But at the end of the day, what I say to you, Rachel, is the process worked. Politics wans‘t involved.

MADDOW: I mean, the reason that this keeps coming up is, I mean, I‘m just going to read to you directly from the fly leaf of your book.

RIDGE: Oh, I know that. Read my words.

MADDOW: He recounts episodes such as the pressure that the DHS received to raise the security alert on the eve of the ‘04 presidential election.

That‘s wrong.

RIDGE: Those aren‘t my words.

MADDOW: OK.

RIDGE: Read the book. Read page...

MADDOW: Well, I mean, this is—this does come with the book. It‘s the dust jacket.

RIDGE: That‘s right. It is the dust jacket. But my words in the book say very specifically, and even some of my friends who—I mean, people are—I understand the concern about the passage, and I understand the concern about my response and my musing, but I‘m here to tell you, as I said earlier in the book, the system was designed so that people made critical judgments about the information in front of them, and throughout the entire time that I was secretary, I believe the system worked.

[havocmom]

1. Somewhere, there is video of Ridge saying the alerts were timed politically

Am hoping the ever clever Ms Maddow has the tape ready to roll PDQ ;) He shot his mouth off about it in his anger about the time he resigned, as I recall.

[BlooInBloo]

2. Too bad she didn't follow up with a "what other parts of the book are a lie?".

[OneGrassRoot]

3. I don't believe I have ever seen him more uncomfortable...

I give him credit for remaining for multiple segments. Rachel was firm and professional, IMHO. She didn't have to say "you're a liar!" -- he did it on his own. His mannerisms, his faltering, the contradictions of his own words.

I would love to know why repugs even write books. There's always this "tell-all" promo aspect, yet they always, always, always, refute it.

I guess if you have a recognizable name, there's a new genre within publishing: tell-all then deny-all.

Pathetic. Makes no sense to me.

[NashVegas]

4. I've Read the Book, and The Passage In Question

It's very clear: he ponders the idea the White House's desire for a raised alert was political, but he does not definitively conclude so. Elsewhere in the book, he flat out states the department never allowed politics to come into their decision making. Whether or not you believe that, it's your choice. I think he believes it.