The Empress Strikes Back

From the Washington Post (registration required), Dr. Condoleeza Rice:

In response to my request for a presidential initiative, the counterterrorism team, which we had held over from the Clinton administration, suggested several ideas, some of which had been around since 1998 but had not been adopted. No al Qaeda plan was turned over to the new administration. [Bold mine]

Well. There's one of my questions answered.

Let us be clear. Even their most ardent advocates did not contend that these ideas, even taken together, would have destroyed al Qaeda. We judged that the collection of ideas presented to us were insufficient for the strategy President Bush sought. The president wanted more than a laundry list of ideas simply to contain al Qaeda or "roll back" the threat. Once in office, we quickly began crafting a comprehensive new strategy to "eliminate" the al Qaeda network. The president wanted more than occasional, retaliatory cruise missile strikes. He told me he was "tired of swatting flies."

OUCH! So I guess the Doc had heard of Al Qaeda after all. Maybe Richard Clarke misinterpreted the look she gave
him. ;-)

(Thanks to Jeff Goldstein)

Comments

[McGehee]

He probably couldn't bear to believe she really was thinking, "Shut up and go away before I smack you sideways."

[baldilocks]

That'd be my guess.

[Louis Spielman]

Condi for President in 2008

[Helen]

The Dems can't be shooting their wad now. What we're seeing is precursory drops. So, I wonder what all they've got to drop on Oct. 31? Take a look at what Mansoor Ijaz has to say on this: http://newsmax.com/archives/ic/2004/3/22/223420.shtml

[aaron]

I love this build up of attention on Iraq. I can't wait for it to bite the liberals and media on the ass, so long as the administration doesn't blow the opportunity.

[Morty]

I saw Clarke on the News Hour tonight. It was unreal. He made all the same law-enforcement arguments that 9/11 discredited. More security! He's also worried we're making ME wackos angry at us by killing their terrorist icons. Condi actually didn't need to say anything -- he made her case for her.

Clarke shows up the difference between the private and public sectors. When you screw up in the private sector, you're fired. When you screw up in the public sector, you get a book deal.

What a joke.

[Little Miss Attila]

Yeah. The look wasn't "Al Qaeda? Who?"

It was "what a freakin' IDIOT!"

[Key]

Oh, NICE!

I had not read that. Thanks for posting it.

[Scott]

I suspect that he never had to deal with a Black Woman in a position of power before. And his cultural ignorance made him misinterpret the look she was giving him. Which I suspect was your an f'ing idiot.

Can I say I love how diverse Team Bush is.

[The Grouchy Old Yorkie Lady]

See also the transcript Fox News has up on their site of an August 2002 briefing Clarke gave reporters. The gist of the post-9/11 briefing is pretty clear: there was no plan until the Bush administration came into office. And what little planning did exist had been pretty much ignored since 1998. All of it in Clarke's own words.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,115085,00.html

[Teresa]

I love Condi! She is awsome!

[John Payne]

She's more than awesome. She's the perfect woman. The total package. Concert pianist, scholar, national security advisor, super-babe. Wow.

[dick]

I agree with John - There is a lot of talent in the unused and disregarded black women of this country. For years they were restricted to the menial jobs. Now they are showing what they are made of and it is refreshing to see a woman of the quality of Condi get the position and recognition she deserves. More power to her and more power to the others like her, both liberal and conservative. What we do not need are more like Maxine Waters and Cynthia McKinney and Coral Browne (?) (the Congresswoman from Florida who made the comment about the Latino a couple of weeks ago).