Richard Clarke: Bush Didn't Save Any Lives

In a New York Daily News editorial, former counterterrorism adviser Richard Clarke harshly criticizes his one-time boss for suggesting he saved American lives during his presidency. The idea that President Bush kept us safe (a cornerstone of his current legacy tour) is just "Karl Rove spin," Clarke writes.

There wasn't a second 9/11? That's obviously true, but it misses the point. First, we must remember that Al Qaeda terrorists are patient, deliberate planners who often wait years between strikes. Second, there was the first 9/11 - and it happened on Bush's watch. Without rehashing the entire 9/11 Commission Report, the historical record is pretty clear by now that Bush did virtually nothing about the repeated warnings to him that those cataclysmic attacks were coming. Unfortunately, I can personally attest to that as well.

...

Bush saved American lives? Tell that to the families of the 4,200 U.S. military personnel who have perished in the needless war in Iraq. While they served heroically and deserve the great thanks of the American people, the tragic truth is that they were engaged in a war we should not have been fighting and which was sold to the Congress, the media and American people with exaggerated and even false claims.

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Let George Bush keep pushing the buttons on the spin machine. That cannot change the facts. His administration's actions on terrorism, including Iraq, killed many more Americans than U.S. intelligence agencies saved in the past eight years

Read the whole thing.

Clarke recently said that Barack Obama's election has "taken the wind out of al Qaeda's sails." During the election, he criticized John McCain for being even more eager to go to war than Bush.

Comments

[2horsefeathers]

Bravo.

Please help me understand, how did Bush get elected? and again?

[BarackstarObama]

Voter suppression, brought to by Karl Rove. Kerry lost Ohio by about 120,000 votes in 2004, mainly because of republican voter suppression. The GOP didn't try that crap much in this past election because they knew Obama would win too many states.

[normathumb]

Bush didn't get elected. He was 'chosen' in 2000 by a group of Federalist Society hacks with a little help from daddy's old buddy, James Baker. In 2004 they suppressed the votes is several Ohio counties to make it look like he won.

[2horsefeathers]

Thought so. But what still baffles me is why the Dems, the Liberals, the Intellectuals, whatever you want to call the reasoned classes fight fight fight. Why did they cave?

p.s. I'm Canadian

[TerrapinCB]

Guns, god and gays. - And just pure STUPIDITY

Just what a good ol boy and girl need to get fired up about.

[marignymitch]

Clarke obviously doesn't understand Bu$hworld and probably should just mind his own bidness. The lives Junior saved are the only ones that count: his base on Wall Street and in the war industry.

3000 plus dead in 9/11
4200 dead in Iraq
1200 dead in New Orleans

don't count.

While the thousands and thousands of Iraqi dead are of even less consequence.

[loonwalk]

Good point. Having read Clarke's books, I admire his conscientious attention to detail. But you're right about the broad picture.

[loonwalk]

BTW I'm a huge fan of Clarke's. I believe he should be given the medal of honor. That's the kind of citizen for which the medal was meant.

[bksnhoops]

Why is there no role for this guy in the Obama administration? If I remember correctly, he stuck his neck WAY OUT there and was given hell for it. He spoke up before any of the Democratic Congress who were scared #%^*less for years!

[Shadow08]

None of us are certain he will not be involved in the new administration. Concering matters of intelligence, there's a lot we'll never know. I'd be willing to bet Obama has consulted with Clarke on more than one occasion. Barack Obama is not allowing intelligent, experienced people to get away.

[TRYKER]

It was reported that Clark turned down the CIA job, but don't know for sure.

[harrymellon]

Richard, you are the voice of reason. Thank you.

[thecanadian]

Thank you for honesty Mr. Clark. Hopefully you can play some major role in the new administration so the World has some reason to trust U.S. again

[NotMcCain]

Love. His. Honesty

"The historical record is pretty clear by now that Bush did virtually nothing about the repeated warnings to him that those cataclysmic attacks were coming."

This belongs emblazoned in every history book. It is shocking that Bush even DARES to spin it otherwise when the truth has --repeatedly-- been told.

[Nikola Tesla]

Stop Making Sense!

[dhfsfc]

It's sad. The only thing Bush learned at Yale was how to be a cheerleader.

And cheerleading was virtually all he did for the last eight years!

[SENATORCALLENBOWE]

REALLY?

[buddhistMonkey]

Really.

[StillIRise]

Very well said, Mr. Clarke. Whenever I hear the argument that Bush saved us from another terrorist attack, I'm left dumbfounded. Even after the 911 attack - which Bush could have but didn't prevent - it was said on numerous occasions that the attack had probably been in its planning stage for at least ten years, which suggested to me that it would probably take at least another ten years, give or take, for another attack to occur on our homeland, especially given the climate of vigilance. Then, I think about Katrina! What if that had been a terrorist attack instead of a broken levee? Clearly, we were not prepared, and indefensibly no more prepared to protect and save the lives of the victims of Katrina than we were for the attack of 911. Most of all, I think of the more than 4000 American lives that have been lost in Bush's unwarranted invasion of Iraq, the tens of thousands of wounded American troops, the hundreds of thousands of dead innocent Iraqis and the growth of the terrorist threat that can be directly attributed to the Bush Doctrine! And last but not least, I think about the American lives that have been so disastrously affected by the economic crisis that was exacerbated by the Bush policies both at home and abroad (i.e. tax cuts for the wealthy and war). Bush saved lives?? Yeah ... right!

[krocklin]

Richard Clarke is not only someone you would trust to be competent and truthful and put in his hands great responsibility, he also has a conscience.
These are not qualities valued by Republicans.

[Jimmyboyo]

Clarke is a true american hero

the only US gov person to ever!!!! appologize for 9/11 occuring.

[springsm]

Finally someone with some knowledge refutes bush's self adolation. Thank you Richard Clarke.

[w&cheneysuck]

Brilliant! simply, Brilliant!

[JudgeSchmells]

Amen. How exactly did Bush keep Americans safe? By ignoring memos that clearly stated there was a threat from Al-Queda in the months before 9/11? It's astounding what people will choose to believe.

[rblackbird]

The reason why we have not had another terrorist attack in the USA, is that George Bush made it very convenient for the terrorists to kill Americans in Iraq. Once we invaded Iraq, the terrorists did not need to sneak into America, hijack airplanes, smuggle in explosives, etc. All a terrorist in Iraq would need do is step out of his house, walk down the block, turn the corner and there he would likely see an American soldier, an easy target. Al-Qaeda firgured this out and quickly moved its major operations into Iraq. George Bush did not save us from another attack; he just changed the venue. Fewer than 3,000 people died on 9/11. More than 4,000 Americans have since died in Iraq. The Iraq war has been simply a slow-motion 9/11.

[Senzasord]

Not to mention the fact that by destroying the U.S. economy, eliminating Habeas Corpus, the fourth amendment, instituting torture, ruining our standing with the rest of the nations of the world, wrecking public education, letting one of our major cities drown, and stealing two elections for himself, he did more damage than any foreign power possibly could have done. Al Qaeda didn't need to attack. All they had to do was stand back and let George do it.