Kerry Studying Clarke Book on Iraq

[NNN0LHI]

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20040321/ap_on_el_pr/kerry&cid=694&ncid=1478

KETCHUM, Idaho - Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry (news - web sites) said Sunday he has asked for copies of a new book in which a former White House counterterrorism coordinator accuses the Bush administration of manipulating America into war with Iraq (news - web sites) with dangerous consequences.

Kerry, a critic of Bush's handling of the war, said he wants to study the charges by Richard A. Clarke.


"Several chapters are being FedExed out to me here," Kerry said before returning to the ski slopes of nearby Sun Valley. "I would like to read them before I make any comment at all. I have asked for them and they should be out here tomorrow."


In the book, Clarke writes that Bush and his Cabinet failed to recognize the al-Qaida threat before Sept. 11, 2001 because they were preoccupied with some of the same Cold War issues that had faced his father's administration

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[wryter2000]

1. You go, Kerry!

Hit the bastards hard when you get back.

[wryter2000]

2. Vote the story up eom

eom

[BootinUp]

3. The press is anxious

to get a statement out of him.

I hope all the Dems support Clarke. Lieberman isn't a Dem we already know that. ;)

[Leilani]

23. He's very wise to read the book

before making comments!

This is really, really important as to whether Bush protected the country re: 9/11, & afterwards.

Joe should shut the f___ up!

[sweettater]

4. Do you mean to tell me

that he doesn't even know about this? OMG, we are in trouble!

[Safi]

7. This is political correctness

It must be orchestrated. Remember when he asked 'What are you hiding Mr. Bush?'

Theres no way in hell his campaign staff hasn't been planning for the release of his book and the further revelations of the 9-11 commission.

[sweettater]

9. Thanks!

I was a bit worried. I guess I don't fully understand the inner workings of a campaign. GO KERRY!!!!!!!!!

[Raven]

He knows, and he knows about 60 Minutes tonight...

he is playing this just right. It's important that the Bush folks shoot from the hip...not Kerry...he needs to be disciplined and measured about this and he needs to let Bush make the first move. It is going to take time for this stuff to sink in with the American people because it is so horrible that most people will not want to believe that their government is capable of it.

[acmavm]

8. Why would you say that? Because he wants to read see what the book

says before he makes any comments? Sounds like a good idea to me.

[sweettater]

13. I was alittle quick to comment.

Forgiven?

[fearnobush]

11. He wants to see if the book jives with the truth he already knows.

[Lindsay]

5. Kerry knows what the rest of us know,

I'm sure. But good for him for wanting to read the material before commenting on it.

[calimary]

27. Even so, Kerry SHOULD NOT HAVE TAKEN A FRIGGIN' VACATION!

GOD! Who's advising him??!?!?!?!??!

Just run off to the ski slopes during a crucial week, and give the enemy time to regroup and to come back out swinging while you're off skiing. Who's the genius who told him to go ahead with THAT? Whoever it is should be FIRED!!! Better they go work for the bush campaign.

Meanwhile, notice all the exposure and mileage and virtually unchallenged attacks the bushies got in, all week. No wonder the polls are evening back out and bush is gaining ground. No wonder. Sure wish Dean were the leader again. He wouldn't have been so casual about it. John Kerry needs to be on the job, 24/7, until the day after the November elections. PLENTY of time to rest up, THEN.

[TankLV]

30. Relax a little. Bunkerboy has not gained any ground - he's still at 48%

And this despite Kerry's vacation, their relentless attacks with lies that are readily disputed in almost the same statement.

If this is the best that bunkerboy can do when Kerry is on vacation, I say we're in for a treat this coming year - unless MIHOP thinking takes control again.

Kerry needs rest - better now than later. It's a still a long haul.

We can't rest on our successes so far, but he's doing fine.

60 Minutes is on tonite, the demonstrations were breathtaking (oh, I mean "focus groups"), the so-called coalition is leaking faster than the Titanic. It's been a good week.

[PassingFair]

35. If he knew what the rest of us knew...

then why did he vote to authorize the Anglo-American Invasion of Iraq?

[rumguy]

6. I thought Clarke was working for Kerry?

No?

[KC21304]

10. I sure he isn't. That wouldn't be too smart of him

at this point. He has worked for administrations since Nixon.

[mobuto]

16. You're thinking of Rand Beers

Special Assistant to the President and Director of Counter-Terrorism on the National Security Council, and until 2002 an Assistant Secretary of State, who had worked under four Administrations. The guy quit in protest five days before the start of the Iraq War, and is now a senior Homeland Security adviser for Senator Kerry.

[fearnobush]

17. I think you mean Rand Beers.

<http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn?pagename=article&node=&contentId=A62941-2003Jun15¬Found=true>
Former Aide Takes Aim at War on Terror

By Laura Blumenfeld
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, June 16, 2003; Page A01


Five days before the war began in Iraq, as President Bush prepared to raise the terrorism threat level to orange, a top White House counterterrorism adviser unlocked the steel door to his office, an intelligence vault secured by an electronic keypad, a combination lock and an alarm. He sat down and turned to his inbox.
"Things were dicey," said Rand Beers, recalling the stack of classified reports about plots to shoot, bomb, burn and poison Americans. He stared at the color-coded threats for five minutes. Then he called his wife: I'm quitting.

Beers's resignation surprised Washington, but what he did next was even more astounding. Eight weeks after leaving the Bush White House, he volunteered as national security adviser for Sen. John F. Kerry (Mass.), a Democratic candidate for president, in a campaign to oust his former boss. All of which points to a question: What does this intelligence insider know?

"The administration wasn't matching its deeds to its words in the war on terrorism. They're making us less secure, not more secure," said Beers, who until now has remained largely silent about leaving his National Security Council job as special assistant to the president for combating terrorism. "As an insider, I saw the things that weren't being done. And the longer I sat and watched, the more concerned I became, until I got up and walked out."

No single issue has defined the Bush presidency more than fighting terrorism. And no issue has both animated and intimidated Democrats. Into this tricky intersection of terrorism, policy and politics steps Beers, a lifelong bureaucrat, unassuming and tight-lipped until now. He is an unlikely insurgent. He served on the NSC under Presidents Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton and the current Bush. The oath of office hangs on the wall by his bed; he tears up when he watches "The West Wing." Yet Beers decided that he wanted out, and he is offering a rare glimpse in.

"Counterterrorism is like a team sport. The game is deadly. There has to be offense and defense," Beers said. "The Bush administration is primarily offense, and not into teamwork."

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[yardwork]

22. Thank you for this link!

Clarke is Beers's close friend and mentor, and Beers works for the Kerry campaign. Kerry probably read the first draft of Clarke's book.

What's wrong with Lieberman? Has he gone senile or something?

[Eurobabe]

12. you mean we could actually have a preznit who reads???

GO KERRY!

[jean]

20. Haha - isn't that a treat? Seriously, Kerry is calling attn to the book

which calls attention to the commission hearings this week and so on.

It seems to be the beginning of media hype concerning this issue.

[Ilsa]

25. My first thought as well...

"Ha! At least no one has to read it to him!"

Bush is an evil idiot.

[Widgetsfriend]

14. Here's my take on all this.

(For what it's worth.) Of course Kerry has known about Clarke's book. He's probably already seen it or had talks with Clarke. BUT he doesn't want it to appear that he's in cahoots with Clarke because that would give the press whores a way to attack Clarke's credibility. Sooooo, Kerry is going to reread or restudy the pertinent sections, giving Clarke's book time to cause the expected firestorm. Once things are rolling along, Kerry will make a statement. But whyever should he come out in front of this thing? I believe that the Kerry campaign has been anticipating this coming week; Clarke's book and the September 11 Commission hearings with Clinton and company, and has known there would be a huge swell of negative publicity re: Bush. I think that's why he chose now to go on vacation (which he probably really, really needs...especially since from this point forward it is going to be intense). That's just what I think. But I seriously doubt that Kerry wasn't aware of Clarke's book publication. I've been anxiously awaiting it for months and months. No way Kerry wouldn't have known. And again, this is just my analysis. I could be wrong.

[Kahuna]

21. Yep yep yep yep and yep!

:yourock:

[calimary]

28. I don't care HOW BADLY Kerry thinks he needed this vacation.

He couldn't afford to disappear like this. He dropped the ball to go skiing and blew a week's worth of momentum! He'll have all the time in the world after he wins the election. Now is NOT the time. Drink a few more cups of espresso and get back to work, John! You have a country to save.

[Malva Zebrina]

29. I was upset also that Kerry went on vacation

but then reconsidered. Bush has shot his load now. Actually as upset as I was about the rally, the Nuremberg rally and not a Democrat standing up for us, except maybe Kennedy on MTP, on second thought, I think it was good thing now.

Let Kerry rest a while and regain some strength. The rally is already forgotten. It was big hoorah saying everyting and meaning nothing.

Our royal couple is looking absolutely shitty. Her makeup is applied with a trowel and her bad eye lift makes her look cross eyed. He looks as though he has had one too many already. They both look dishelved. His attempt at imitating Kerry with that blue shirt is a flop because his pants are baggy and from the front bulge, it appears that he is wearing some sort of incontinence bag. In any event, he tried to wear a shirt that looked classy, but the pants and the awful belt did not go with that at all. so he looks like a disheveled wannabee getting fat and paunchy aging man.




Kerry is gonna git em--I feel it in my bones.

I am glad he took some RR now.

[Exultant Democracy]

37. Kerry is a seasoned campaigner

and he has a great staff working with him.
Kerry knew exactly what he was doing when he took his vacation this week.

Kerry has some of the best instincts around when it comes to political jujitsu, and I am more then impressed by the way he allows Rove to tie Chimpy's campaign into knots.

[blm]

31. BINGO. Clarke and Rand Beers are close.

This was VERY smart of the team to play it like this.

[0007]

32. Will the book hit the major book stores tomorrow?

[jamesinca]

15. What will be his response

Lets wait and see. Lieberman has been on FOX CN saying bad things about the Clarke book. Hopefully Kerry will take a different tack. Let his actions and words about the book speak for him, not just the idea that he is reading, I know that is something that Bush can not do. I hope that this book sells as well as the Suskind book with Paul O'Neil did if not better.

[mtnester]

18. Duct Tape

WHEN will the Democratic leadership put a muzzle on Lieberman? Can someone tell me why that has not happened?

[Leilani]

24. How about a challenger

in his next primary race; someone who supports Dems?

[Windy]

26. Joe obviously has a lot of pent up guilt over his decisions

That's why he's being so defensive! There is no defense for his position however.

[mouse7]

19. You have to ensure correctness of quotes in published form

They've probably known exactly what the charges would be for a while. I'm sure people on his team had some copies of galley prints. However, you have to ensure all wording of quotes you plan to use is exactly the same of the final published form of the book.

[osaMABUSh]

33. Kerry is working this one just right - I think he needed the vaca

Lay low, await Clarke's testimony, let Shrub go on half-cocked then make a statement.

I don't believe Kerry will rest again until Nov. 3rd.

Shrub tried to make something happen this week but he has netted nothing politically.

[truthisfreedom]

34. hahaha. this should increase sales of Clarke's book.

and raise awareness as well.

[PartyPooper]

36. When Kerry is elected president the Freepers will rename it "Ketchup"

Idaho! Just a prediction on my part. I've visited this lovely village and skiied. It is quaint and small. The new "Western White House"? Well...it certainly would be far better than...
*cough* ...Crawford. Dontcha' think?

:-)

[Gloria]

38. Did I read in an earlier thread that Wes Clark had been seen on ABC

news tonight and that he commented on some of Clarke's statements?