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.

...

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

[courageunderfire]

I have so much respect for Richard Clarke. Thank you sir for your honesty and your intellect.

[Simba87]

Wow Mr. Clarke tell us how you really feel

[some-realtalk]

Obama should have picked this man to head up the CIA !

[Querent]

Or any one of a dozen other Intelligence appointments. Richard Clarke is the indispensible man.

[wideawakenow]

You are absolutely correct. Richard Clarke is not only intelligent but honest. I hope Obama utilizes him in his administration.

[courageunderfire]

I agree 100%.

[zendem1]

Clarke won't play ball with the bas$&ards who really run things behind the scenes. He has too much integrity to be Director of the CIA. There are only two types of people who can run the CIA: An inside spook, or a butt-smooching toadie.

[zendem1]

He has too much integrity to be CIA Director. Two types of people run the CIA: Either an inside ruthless spook who has no idea of the rule of law, or a political hack, who pushes paper and kisses hineys.

[motoGpifupleez]

Interesting that all these years later, only Richard Clark has apologized to the victims families and the American people, and it wasn't even his fault.
Hurry Inauguration day, so we can put these disgraceful bums behind us.

[OneVoiceOfReason]

As far as the revisionists' claim of Bush "keeping us safe" by saying that America hasn't had ANOTHER attack since 911, I have to re-mention that the ONLY attack that these revisionists seem to think is an important one happened DURING Bush's administration. Guess who was running the country on September 11, 2001?

[Madmac]

Thank You for telling the truth Mr. Clarke...

[HalleBurton]

"...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..."

Just, what would we thanking them for exactly?

I don't blame soldiers for the policy and decisions made by the Bush Crime Family, but their presence and actions in Mesopotamia haven't benefited me directly or indirectly.

[Mystic01]

Exactly. One of the great lies that has been perpetrated about the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan is that the soldiers are "defending our freedoms." Our freedoms are not in danger in either of those two countries. They are in danger in this country at the hands of people like Bush, Cheney, and other pols too cowardly to speak out against the erosion of our rights in the Patriot Act, FISA, etc.

[JimR]

How about for always standing ready to serve whether the mission benefits YOU personally or not?

I've been against the war from Day One, but feel military personnel always deserve my thanks.

But I guess everything has got to be about YOU.

[springsm]

I agree, these military people signed up and this was their assigned job. I think they need support and help when they are out of the service as well. I don't like to hear that they are fighting in Iraq and losing their precious lives (and they are) to "keep me free". That just isnt' true. But it does not change that they need support and respect.

[ruberube]

Besides the American lives lost in this tragedy- 150,000 - 250,000 people of Iraq have died not to mention 1,000,000 refugees, mostly women and children lost thier fathers, husbands, brothers and homes. All for Bush's claim of success! What a nightmare!

[Forester]

There were no (known) Marsian invasion on his watch.
Thank you Mr. President Sir!

[noamjunior]

Silly cons blaming the ecconomy on Obama who is not even president yet - but giving Bush a pass for 9-11 becasue he was "only president for 9 months " when it happened

[salamanca1]

Aside from the dead, let's not forget the tens of thousands of American lives "lost" or blighted by war wounds, including closed-head wounds from roadside bombs, lives blighted by post-traum­atic-stres­s syndrome and other mental illness issues, lives blighted by exotic diseases. In many ways the American war dead got off easy, while the maimed survivors suffer every minute of every day. Heckuva job, Georgie.

[fishgirl26]

you're right...th­e toll from this war won't be known for many years. We will have a huge mental illness crisis on our hands...th­is is something that is lost on the current administration.

[Gib]

And let's not forget the Iraqi victims. The may be A.rabs, but they are still human.

[TN60]

http://journals.democraticunderground.com/WilliamPitt/560

[sixx]

On 9/10/2001 there were an estimated (NIE) 2,000 al-Qaeda. Bush spent a trillion dollars and wasted tens of thousands of lives to eliminate this small group and bin-Laden. He failed miserably.

[AZterritory]

Someone at least is speaking the truth-there's a lot of empty chairs across this country from Bush's madness, and the terrible injuries suffered (including to my 2 disabled cousins) will rip families apart for a generation.

[karlo5]

Clark is the man, the shub caused over a million lives in his 8 years of clearing brush and reading My Pet Goat to children. He can relate to the children, because he has been one ALL of his life.