I am surprised (or maybe not) that this exchange between Gen. Clark (
The Man) and Richard Perle did not get more attention. I suppose it will be the closest we will ever get to the Republicans eating crow (however silently) about Iraq. Typical of Perle (and all Busheviks), he is unapologetic about his pre-war assessment, blaming CIA (who else?). Leave it to General Clark to come in, and
kick the GOP all over the hearing room. Read the article but here are some tasty bits;
In retrospect, Clark's forecasts proved more accurate than Perle's, and even Republicans on the committee made little effort yesterday to defend Perle or to undermine Clark. The exception was Chairman Duncan Hunter (R-Calif.), who pressed Clark to acknowledge that the Iraq invasion should get some credit for signs of democracy in the region.
"We've got to do a lot less crowing about the sunrise," Clark rejoined.
Perle:
Sometimes life imitates art. Yesterday, it imitated an episode of "Crossfire." For more than three hours, Clark and Perle reprised their confrontation before the committee in September 2002. The two men entered in twin gray suits and red ties, and took adjacent chairs at the witness table. Clark scribbled in pencil, Perle with a fountain pen. Only Perle's reading material -- he put on the witness table a copy of "Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly" -- suggested he was not expecting what was to come.
Slamming Perle:
The two belligerents then went after each other, taking the hearing out of the control of the lawmakers. Perle wondered "why in the world" Clark would talk to Syria. Clark said Perle should learn to "eat the elephant one bite at a time.".
Emphasis added
Must have been hilarious!
Let's just say that for all the Hillary talk, that General Clark gets it:
C'est le guerre