Yesterday I had the opportunity to watch Wes Clark discussing Clarke's accusations. His ability to defend Clarke's position without appearing overly partisan was truely impressive. Kerry should have Clark front and center on this issue because he brings a unique combination of integrity, experience and thoughtfulness. Clark's answers completely disarmed the smear campaign levelled against Clarke. He is an invaluable asset for the Democrats on national security.
Cheney asserted that Clarke was "outside the loop" and was unaware of the administration's counter terrorism measure. In a possible VP preview, Clark nailed Cheney's assertions.
WOODRUFF: When you say we should ignore the personal but today none other than the Vice President of the United States Dick Cheney came out and said Clarke wasn't in the loop and he may have had a grudge to bear because he didn't get some promotion that he wanted. Could that be behind it?
CLARK: Judy, you can't have it both ways. I mean he either was the counterterrorism czar and was responsible and knew what was going on or the administration gave him a title and didn't put any emphasis on terrorism and that's why he wasn't in the loop and the administration is criticizing him from both sides on this. I think that you have to accept each of the incidents and allegations at face value and then listen to the comments and take the facts and sort them through.
I think Kerry needs to take this argument and hammer it home because it clearly shows the contradictory stance the adminstration has taken.
Clark undressed Rice's argument that Clarke remained silent while in the administration.
WOODRUFF: What about -- I was just going to say what about Dr. Condoleezza Rice's point though that she said Richard Clarke had plenty of opportunities to do something about terrorism, both in the previous administration and to speak up during the Bush administration. She says he didn't do it.
CLARK: Well, he spoke up loud and long during the previous administration because I used to hear colleagues talking about him. When I was in Europe and I wasn't in those White House meetings, they'd say boy that guy Clarke he just, he just won't be quiet on this stuff.
And yet what he asked for in the Bush administration was he asked for a platform and an opportunity to brief the principals and that opportunity wasn't provided and I think that Dr. Rice knows very well that in order to really put together a broad comprehensive counterterrorism policy you must have the leadership of the president of the United States. He simply has to call cabinet officers together and say this is my priority. The president has done those things after 9/11. He should have done them before.
After 9/11, also Judy, according to what Dick Clarke is telling us, even though we did go after the Taliban in Afghanistan the administration was holding back and planning and preparing all along to go after Iraq. That's really what their preoccupation was.
I saw this. I heard this from military colleagues. I saw it in the actions that were underway. I used to talk about it on CNN when I was a military analyst here.
I really hope the Kerry campaign uses Clark effectively, his "insider" credentials are unmatched and he presents himself as a calm, national security sage. I have visions of Clark destroying Cheney during the VP debate. If the administration tries to manipulate the election debate onto issues of national security and terrorism, who better than Clark to articulate the opposing view?
