Richard Clarke On Bush Administration - “We Can’t Let These People Back Into Polite Society”

[Amerigo Vespucci]

Richard Clarke On Bush Administration - “We Can’t Let These People Back Into Polite Society”

By: Logan Murphy on Monday, June 9th, 2008 at 6:45 AM - PDT

http://www.crooksandliars.com/2008/06/09/countdown-redux-richard-clarke-on-bush-administration-%e2%80%9cwe-cant-let-these-people-back-into-polite-society%e2%80%9d/

C&L covered this segment from last Friday’s Countdown, but I thought an emphasis on Richard Clarke’s scathing remarks about the lack of, and the need for, accountability from the Bush administration for the countless lies they told their country and the world about pre-Iraq invasion intelligence, was well deserved.

I have been telling anyone who will listen, that we must watch out for these bad pennies when their names start to creep back into the political arena - names like Dick Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld, who both worked in the Nixon administration. Looking back, we find ourselves wondering how we didn’t see this disaster coming, or why more people didn’t speak out at the time. I fully agree with Richard Clarke’s statements; we must not allow these thugs back into civilized society — they should not be rewarded for perpetrating so many horrific and destructive crimes against their own people, and other places around the globe.

Clarke: “Well, there may be some other kind of remedy. There may be some sort of truth and reconciliation commission process that’s been tried in other countries, South Africa, Salvador and what not, where if you come forward and admit that you were in error or admit that you lied, admit that you did something, then you’re forgiven. Otherwise, you are censured in some way.”

“Now, I just don’t think we can let these people back into polite society and give them jobs on university boards and corporate boards and just let them pretend that nothing ever happened when there are 4,000 Americans dead and 25,000 Americans grievously wounded, and they’ll carry those wounds and suffer all the rest of their lives.”

You can rest assured, the day that names like Karl Rove, Tom Delay, Condoleeza Rice or those of anyone who served in the Bush administration creep into the public or political sphere, we, and the rest of the blogosphere, will sound the alarm to make sure none of these people are able to damage our country ever again. More from Think Progress.

[gateley]

1. I love that. nt

[TheDebbieDee]

2. He's right. These neocons should be treated like the

criminals that they are!

Otherwise, 20, 30 or 40 years from now, they will snake their way into power again.

[malaise]

3. That was the best part of his interview

To the Hague
K & R

[spanone]

4. i love that statement, but unfortunately that is exactly what will happen

these 'powerful' criminals will be lauded with doctorates, speaking engagements, book deals and on and on....that part is almost as criminal as the crimes they committed.

[Amerigo Vespucci]

5. Condi's been feathering her nest at Stanford for quite some time now

You might also recall a few articles that came out, maybe a year or so ago, in which she was asked about "mistakes" she might have made in the run-up to the war in Iraq, and her response was essentially "I'm saving that discussion for my book."

Reminds me of when convicted serial killer John Wayne Gacy was in prison, and they allowed him to continue doing his clown paintings, but he wasn't allowed to profit from them.

[hisownpetard]

13. Clown paintings have always made me queasy, but that really freaks me out!

:hi:

[Amerigo Vespucci]

18. One of Gacy's "masterpieces"...

:eyes:

[hisownpetard]

26. Oh, man - you are so lucky that it's not near my bedtime, because I would have to do

something nasty to you, for revenge.

[Amerigo Vespucci]

29. You've built up a reserve, so I wouldn't sweat it...

...I mean, if you put all of the nasty things you've done to me in column "A" and all of the sweet, wonderful, kind, thoughtful, self-sacrificing things I've done for you in column "B," I think we know where the chips would fall.

:hide:

:evilgrin:

[hisownpetard]

34. You may have the chips, but I have the dip and the beer!

[dixiegrrrrl]

20. and don't forget the Medals of Freedom !!!!!

[dixiegrrrrl]

21. and don't forget the Medals of Freedom !!!!!

[Jackpine Radical]

38. And Poland.

Don't forget Poland.

[tblue37]

22. It has been happening all along.

I think of the situations where faculty and students have protested the appearance of these criminals at commencement ceremonies or as highly paid speakers in college lecture series. The protests occur, but the criminals are still given their honorary doctorates or their speaker fees and allowed to spread their BS around.

Heck, Tom Delay, who is facing indictment for corruption, is still given the amicrophone to spread his lies. Karl Rove is a "political analyst" for "fair and balanced" FOX, and no one is screaming to get rid of him. Tim Russert kept his job, his seniority, and his power, even after being outed during the Libby trial as a favored propagandist for BushCo. They all will get highly remunerative speaking fees and book deals for the rest of their lives.

Only if they are convicted of the crimes they have committed do we have any hope of keeping them away from power and influence.

[AikidoSoul]

37. Well then the blogshpere should track this

and show how they are being nurtured and by whom.

It will for all practical purposes be an enemy list of the
American People. Our country and our people may never
recover from the devastation these people and their friends,
have created.

[lxlxlxl]

6. See Bugliosi

Ignore the polemic title, and stay for the evidence.

[ChairmanAgnostic]

54. good call.

[libnnc]

7. frickin' A

Kick

:kick:

[navarth]

8. I was thrilled to hear these words spoken in the MSM

I'm lovin' Clarke right now. He's showing a whole lot of class.

His comments about 9-11 survivors granting him forgiveness were quite moving as well.

[Captain Hilts]

9. That's the BEST quotation I've read in MONTHS! nt

[blm]

10. They should have been jailed by the end of 1993 after the BCCI report came out.

But, a benevolent Dem president decided to side with protecting the secrecy and privilege of Poppy Bush and his many illegal operations throughout the 90s.

There should never have been a Bush2 even possible by the end of the 90s.

[ellenfl]

15. didn't think of that. THAT'S why poppy is so nice to big dawg.

bc did him a big favor. however, ghwb could have helped clinton with the lewinsky and other scandals but he didn't. i would love to know what is really going on with those two.

ellen fl

[blm]

17. Lewinsky was perfect distraction to cover up all the dirty dealings BushInc was getting away with at

the time. That dog and pony show kept the newsmedia and the Dem party distracted.

For instance, many folks see Whitewater as an attack on Clinton. Well, for those who read the BCCI report and are familiar with Jackson Stephens' role in it as a longtime ally and dirty dealer with Poppy Bush, we see that Whitewater was the COVER used to get Bushies into Rose Law Firm and settled in for as long as needed as they scrubbed the files of its biggest client - Jackson Stephens - the man who brought BCCI into this country with Poppy.

Whitewater sure as hell didn't have two months worth of scrutiny in it let alone two years. Jackson Stephens, who had nearly every lawyer at Rose working on the details of his MANY business dealings over a few decades, including those involving Poppy's illegal operations, would have used that much time to execute a thorough scrubbing.

Since Jackson Stephens groomed Bill's political career, it's not hard to figure that Clintons had no problem trading the discomfort of the manufactured scandals against them in exchange for the WH.

[Senator]

11. The Real Question: "Isn't Failure To Impeach Lunacy ?!?"

And not even KO can manage to get that simple truth into his head and/or out of his mouth.

He "had it" once. And it launched his special comments and the ratings boost. Then they surrounded him with Euphemediacs and forced him into discussing (thinking only about?) Hillabamania for months on end. (No Peabody coming for that dump truck full of drivel.)

This was a decent step back toward reality. He even (sheepishly) said the word in the question.

Still, there plenty of time. Impeachment needn't take much more than a week, start to finish.

Keith may yet save the nation from the irreversible damage to Our National Soul that failure to impeach will inflict.

---

[tomp]

52. lunacy or complicity, either way the dems look like shit. nt

[defendandprotect]

55. Good insights . .. good monitoring . . .

You begin to count on at least 15 minutes of intelligence re KO and then suddenly you're watching
some garbage commentary --

When I notice it I immediately turn it off -- but sometimes you just get lulled --- they count on that . . .

Tonight, I happened to see some of the Abrams show -- garbage following garbage ---

Who are these side commentators and why is anyone watching them????

[Schema Thing]

12. Oh god, how sweet it is to have this thought finally in the public sphere

[Warpy]

14. They will never be in polite society

No matter what happens, they will always be surrounded by other rich Republicans. I can tell you from experience that society is never polite.

Pity them.

[kestrel91316]

16. None of them will be welcome as clients at my practice, FWIW.

Plenty of other vets in town are already pros at selling their souls - they can have any Bushco freaks that show up.

[liberal1973]

19. I agree

lock these un-American criminals up.

:patriot:

[PuraVidaDreamin]

23. Rummy can't go to France

and he shouldn't be allowed to go to the Dairy Queen either.

If I see any of them I will try to citizens arrest them.

[ChairmanAgnostic]

35. how about an Applebee's?

maybe he can catch sam, or ella, from their salad bar. I am sure that his company's drugs will have the same effect that they do with bird flu.

[bdamomma]

24. exactly that is what we have been screaming about for a while now

and no one has the balls to stop this criminal regime we have.

[Graybeard]

25. How "polite" is the society in federal penitentiary?

That is where they all belong.

[Submariner]

27. Condi as Harvard University Chancellor

That title was floated around the news about 2 to 3 years ago. I remember feeling outraged that Kindasleazy would be working in my hometown. I felt she would soil the city. Finally the rumor changed to going back to her old job at Stanford. I'll bet Stanford is thrilled to get her back on campus? :eyes:

[samsingh]

28. is prison too polite for the bush terrorist traitors ?

[oxbow]

30. It's different than the Nixon era this time.

This time, the people are a force to be dealt with. This time, the internet also has a voice. Thank God for that! I think that this whole mess will be squarely pinned on them, one way or another before everything is through.

[Disturbed]

31. I hope Richard Clarke is asked & accepts a job in Pres. Obama's

Admin.

[grannylib]

32. I thought that was the most amazing and damning statement

and I agree 206%. These fuckers must PAY, dammit, PAY and pay a lot...with their money and their freedom and their "reputations," such as they are. Impeach, indict, imprison. The Hague, Guantanamo, wherever. War crimes, treason, election fraud, everything.
I want to see them PAY.

[Fire Walk With Me]

33. Some Iraqis have died as well. Not nitpiking, just saying.

Support!

[whistle]

36. These people with continue to surface like dry rot, they must be removed

...isolated and confined

[PATRICK]

39. I hate to say it

though I mentioned truth commissions years ago- Lord knows what weak travesty the American version would be- but the great danger is not even Rove or Rice. it is all their up and comers who learned from the master's knee doing the dirty work, cementing relationships, getting resumes, along with the corporate sponsors of the goons. It is Blackwater in totum, top to bottom, the oil industry, big media.

The bad guys have intertwined themselves into every aspect revered, protected or black of what early Christians called the World.

The purpose of the truth commission is not to offer a less dangerous ripping out of the weeds but to get ALL the truth and all the victimizers out in the open, CHANGE what is wrong and then and only then mete out the required punishments. The names must never have their government "service" on their resume, the revolving doors should mostly ALL be closed and include even to the reputable crossovers from government service. Intel and defense jobs should not have corrupting second career ties. The future fascist party should never be allowed to bring in a new slate of these "experienced" corporatists and actually brag about it.

That indeed would be change worth packing away the nooses and firing squad rifles, because none of the harm done can have any true restitution or justice and the future is vitally more important. Letting the young weeds escape in the sensational fight- and probably futile one- of holding the chief executive responsible when everyone who would be now leading accountability measures gave them a huge pass these past eight years(Congress, media, courts).

[bjobotts]

40. You're nuts...they represent the very corporations that would hire them

[bjobotts]

41. They will never want for money again having pilfered the National treasury

[bjobotts]

42. There must be criminal penalties instead of TV commentator positions

[bjobotts]

43. With what we already know, how is Bush "still" president and Cheney free.

[Ilsa]

44. Aren't there congresscritters socializing with lobbyist Tom DeLay?

DeLay is already back, but his new digs are on K St.

[Auntie Bush]

45. And they should be outlawed from giving speeches and earning a fortune!

[Imagevision]

46. They got Nixon for less, it's a slap in the face to most Americans, their just walking away from it.

Literally getting away with murder!

[defendandprotect]

56. Wait . . . Watergate was extremely serious ... also involving tampering with AG/justice . . .

FBI . . . and presumably much we still don't know ---

They were doing the same things this administration is doing --- wiretapping citizens --
interferring with peace groups - lies about support for the war/fake telegrams ---

In the end, there is every reason to believe that Watergate may have had more to do with
the JFK coup than we know now . . .

[nebula]

47. Richard Clark for VP!

[bluesmail]

48. K&R "We can't let these people back into polite society." n/t

[The Backlash Cometh]

49. That is what I have been saying all along.

They have a grafty way about them and they will infect everything they touch. Because they haven't been dealt with severly, they figure that the extreme decisions they make are acceptable.

[bertman]

50. AM I RIGHT THAT THE PENALTY FOR TREASON IS EXECUTION?

[tomp]

51. oh, please!

how about we convict their asses and execute them for treason or at least lock them up so they can't do anymore damage? does richard clarke really mean to suggest that there is another method of preventing their re-entering polite society? there is not. this is misleading bullshit and should be opposed. the ONLY correct path and the ONLY path that has the possibility of effectively putting them out of commission and punishing them appropriately is to try and convict them for treason, war crimes, violation of the constitution, etc. obama should come out during the election with an unequivocal plan of attack against these criminals. in fact, impeachment should proceed and obama should support it vocally.

the pursuit of the bush, inc. criminals is my #1 issue. to me there is no more important issue than exposing these crimes from top to bottom and democratic complicity where applicable. that is the ONLY way to prevent similsar crimes in the future.

[petgoat]

53. We need justice at the International Criminal Court at The Hague

To reaffirm the precedents of the Nuremberg Principles, to restore the
honor of the USA, and to re-establish its submission to the rule of
International Law.

[BobTheSubgenius]

57. I want to recommend this more than once.

[swimmernsecretsea]

58. Justice. nt.

[Cirque du So-What]

59. Years ago I suggested

that the neocons should be exiled to the four corners of the earth and admonished - on penalty of death - never to attempt communications with one another ever again. Still seems like a good idea to me.

[L. Coyote]

60. We need to hang these people publically before we are nuked in retaliation

for their gross crimes and the hundreds of thousands they have killed.

What do you suppose the retaliation for killing hundreds of thousands of people will be?
Are we going to just wait for that moment, or are we going to change course and punish their crimes?

[dalloway]

61. Rove

You can rest assured, the day that names like Karl Rove, Tom Delay, Condoleeza Rice or those of anyone who served in the Bush administration creep into the public or political sphere, we, and the rest of the blogosphere, will sound the alarm to make sure none of these people are able to damage our country ever again. More from Think Progress.

Um, Rove is now a political commentator, I hate to tell you.

[NoFederales]

62. Not that the Washington pols would allow it, but

a threshhold bar must be in place such that if you duck below it, you may not return to the political arena. Teachers sign "moralty" oaths before they begin their careers, lawyers and doctors have oaths--the problem is that in America, we don't hold people accountable. And whatever execrable accountability one might point to, it is sure to have layers and levels of standards in practice, a practice that protects the guilty, insulates and assuages their sensitivities.

These worthless bastards from Watergate and Iran Contra have fucked around with social and economic lives for too long, but nobody wants to hold them accountable. No one will. Prisons are made for scary drunks and druggies, for theives who like the things that the "uppers" possess, for .......... not the "uppers", no matter what they might do.

Warm and fuzzy outrage is what we're allowed, the citizen can't tolerate rough treatment. Nope, buy your prayer cloths, clocks, icons, and mumble the fervent jibberish, and be like Job, ever faithful; the meek will inherit the earth--when it isn't desireable anymore.

What would Clarke do with them? That's what I'd like to hear from my leaders: you are charged with this, your sentence will be that, but they won't police their own ranks, will they?

NoFederales

[peacetalksforall]

63. It's also has to be a campaign against the corporations, think tanks, law firms,

and universities AS WELL AS the foreign interests they work for - in Dubai, Pakistan, Israel. There must be pressure on ALL these entities. The people must replace their media and sacrifice by not following the serials, sports, game shows the tools that these people use to keep us numb and dumb.

Remember CONdi already was involved in Iran-Contra as well as Negroponte who has been involved in many activities of death and on and on.

They came back to work in the highest offices of our land. Supposedly to lead us. What a joke if anyone thought they meant to freedom or justice.

Here is a practical suggestion - copy, save, print, and memorize this paragraph. Share it. Let it be your mantra. The mantras used against the Clintons worked. We need a crescendo of voices and staying power.

And this is it.

"Now, I just don’t think we can let these people back into polite society and give them jobs on university boards and corporate boards and just let them pretend that nothing ever happened when there are 4,000 Americans dead and 25,000 Americans grievously wounded, and they’ll carry those wounds and suffer all the rest of their lives."

WE ALSO NEED DEMOCRATS WHO ARE NOT GOING TO REPLACE THESE PEOPLE - LIKE (I'll refrain from listing the names for now).

[sundancekid]

64. read.buy.borrow his latest book - spread the message in depth

Your Government Failed You ... highly recommended

[Swamp Rat]

65. kick

[Earth Bound Misfit]

66. Kick n/t