The doctor is in

Senate Minority Leader Dr. Bill Frist has a great bedside manner, not to mention a great speechwriter. We are feeling much better after reading the transcript of a speech he gave yesterday regarding the testimony of disgruntled former Government bureaucrat Richard Clarke:

Mr. Clarke's theatrical apology on behalf of the nation was not his right, his privilege or his responsibility. In my view it was not an act of humility, but an act of supreme arrogance and manipulation. Mr. Clarke can and will answer for his own conduct - but that is all.

That's exactly right. We blogged to very much the same effect here yesterday. The apology didn't ring true for us, but we're worried about the public's ability to recognize the sham.

It is awesomely self-serving for Mr. Clarke to assert that the United States could have stopped terrorism if only the three President's he served had better listened to his advice. In fact, when Mr. Clarke was reportedly at the height of his influence as terrorism czar in the Clinton Administration, the United States saw the first attack on the World Trade Center, the attack on a U.S. Air Force barracks in Saudi Arabia, the attack on two U.S. embassies in Africa, the attack on the USS Cole, and the planning and implementation for the 9/11 attack. The only common denominator throughout these 10 years of unanswered attacks was Mr. Clarke himself, a consideration that is clearly driving his effort to point fingers and shift blame.

While the reasons may be open to debate, the previous Administration's response to repeated attacks by al Qaeda was clearly inadequate — a few cruise missiles lobbed at questionable targets. Al Qaeda could only have been encouraged by their record of success and the absence of a serious or sustained response from the United States . . .

I find this to be an appalling act of profiteering, trading on his insider access to highly classified information and capitalizing upon the tragedy that befell this nation on September 11, 2001. Mr. Clarke must renounce any plan to personally profit from this book

[via Blogs for Bush blogger The Pink Flamingo Bar & Grill]

Comments

[Pierre Legrandq]

Thanks very much for the mention.

Pink Flamingo Bar Owner...

Pierre Legrand

[Sissy Willis]

Thank you, sir, for providing the material!