When Bush-Bashers Collide? Moore's Film at Odds with Clarke Remarks

[SilasSoule]

Here is the first wave in the assault on "Farenheit 911". Wingers on other boards are using this story to discredit and damage the "premise of of Moore's film."

This rag seems like some kind of NewsMax wannabe, I'm pretty sure it's not a glowing beacon of journalism. But has anyone heard anything about Richard Clarke saying that he personally and solely ordered the evacuation of those Saudis after 9/11? I have not heard this. If so, could someone please provide a a more reputable link so that I could verify.

http://www.cnsnews.com//ViewSpecialReports.asp?Page=\SpecialReports\archive\200406\SPE20040601a.html

on edit: sorry, the link does not work when clicked on by DU but it is a valid link, if you copy then paste on your browser, it should work.



When Bush-Bashers Collide? Moore's Film at Odds with Clarke Remarks
By Marc Morano
CNSNews.com Senior Staff Writer
June 01, 2004

(CNSNews.com) - One of the central charges made by left-wing filmmaker Michael Moore in his upcoming, Bush-bashing film is being undermined by another critic of the president -- former White House counter-terrorism czar Richard Clarke.

Moore's upcoming film, Fahrenheit 911, points to President Bush's rumored relationship with Saudi officials as the motivating factor in the president allegedly allowing relatives of terror mastermind Osama bin Laden to fly out of the country following the Sept.11, 2001 terror attacks.

But Clarke recently admitted that he alone approved the exit of the bin Laden kin -- damaging the key premise of Moore's film.

Chris Horner, a GOP strategist, finds irony in the fact that the credibility of Moore's film is being undermined by one of Bush's biggest critics even before the film is released in the United States.

"When self-promoting, Bush-hating conspiracy theorists collide," Horner said of Moore and Clarke.

"One self-promoting, Bush-hating conspiracy theorist (Clarke) proves the undoing of another Bush-hating conspiracy theorist (Moore)," Horner told CNSNews.com.

[Sparkly]

1. That's a mischaracterization of Clarke's role

He didn't initiate it, and when told about it questioned the order. But he did sign off on it, and takes responsibility for that.

[Spazito]

2. They obviously didn't read Clarke's testimony then...

the outstanding question is not who ultimately gave approval, the question is who asked for the Bin Ladens and Saudis be allowed to fly in the first place. Clarke's testimony says he believes it was either the White House or the State Department.

[nose pin]

13. Clarke was interviewed by "The Hill" last week

http://www.thehill.com/news/052604/clarke.aspx

A couple of quotes:

In an interview with The Hill yesterday, Clarke said, “I take responsibility for it. I don’t think it was a mistake, and I’d do it again.”

....

“It didn’t get any higher than me,” he said. “On 9-11, 9-12 and 9-13, many things didn’t get any higher than me. I decided it in consultation with the FBI.”

[kaitykaity]

3. "Huffington And Brock: Book-Length Liars"

Sample headline from CNSNews. 'Nuff said. http://www.cnsnews.com/bozellcolumn/bozell.asp

[rwheeler31]

5. Clark sent it up the line

When the approved he went along, with regrets.

[kcwayne]

4. This is transparently false

to anyone that either listened to Richard Clarke or read his book. He stated that he was advised of the plan to move the Saudis out of the US, and assumed incorrectly that the FBI had vetted it. He had nothing to do with the decision to release them, and stated it was a mistake to do so before the FBI had cleared them.

[Spazito]

6. Here is Clarke's testimony from the 9/11 commission transcripts...

MR. ROEMER: We will certainly be looking to people in future hearings for their recommendations in a host of different areas. So I hope that you might think through this area a little bit more and be available to us.

Mr. Clarke, let me ask you some difficult questions for you to get at the complexity of our relationship with the Saudis. On the one hand, I think it's fairly -- there's a great deal of unanimity that the Saudis were not doing everything they could before 9/11 to help us in a host of different areas. Fifteen of the 19 hijackers came from there. We had trouble tracking some of the financing for terrorist operations, that we still have too many of the madrassas and the teachings of hatred of Christians and Jews and others coming out of some of these madrassas. We need to broaden and deepen this relationship. I will ask you a part A and a part B. Part A is where do we go in this difficult relationship? And part B is, to further look at that difficulty here, you made a decision after 9/11. And I'd like to ask you more about this -- to allow a plane of Saudis to fly out of the country. And when most other planes were grounded, this plane flew from the United States back to Saudi Arabia. I'd like to know why you made that decision, who was on this plane, and if the FBI ever had the opportunity to interview those people.

MR. CLARKE: You're absolutely right that the Saudi Arabian government did not cooperate with us significantly in the fight against terrorism prior to 9/11. Indeed, it didn't really cooperate until after bombs blew up in Riyadh.

Now, as to this controversy about the Saudi evacuation aircraft, let me -- let me tell you everything I know, which is that some -- in the days following 9/11, whether it was on 9/12 or 9/15 I can't tell you, we were in a constant crisis management meeting that had started the morning of 9/11 and ran for days on end. We were making lots of decisions, but we were coordinating them with all the agencies through the video teleconference procedure. Someone -- and I wish I could tell you who, but I don't know who -- someone brought to that group a proposal that we authorize a request from the Saudi embassy. The Saudi embassy had apparently said that they feared for the lives of Saudi citizens, because they thought there would be retribution against Saudis in the United States as it became obvious to Americans that this attack was essentially done by Saudis, and that there were even Saudi citizens in the United States who were part of the bin Ladin family, which is a very large family -- very large family.

The Saudi embassy, therefore, asked for these people to be evacuated; the same sort of thing that we do all the time in similar crises, evacuating Americans.

The request came to me and I refused to approve it. I suggested that it be routed to the FBI and that the FBI look at the names of the individuals who were going to be on the passenger manifest and that they approve it or not. I spoke with the at that time the number-two person in the FBI, Dale Watson, and asked him to deal with this issue. The FBI then approved -- after some period of time, and I can't tell you how long -- approved the flight.

Now, what degree of review the FBI did of those names, I cannot tell you. How many people there are on the plane, I cannot tell you. But I have asked since, were there any individuals on that flight that in retrospect the FBI wishes they could have interviewed in this country, and the answer I've been given is no, that there was no one who left on that flight who the FBI now wants to interview.

MR. ROEMER: Despite the fact that we don't know if Dale Watson interviewed them in the first place.

MR. CLARKE: I don't think they were ever interviewed in this country.

MR. ROEMER: So they were not interviewed here. We have all their names. We don't know if there has been any follow-up to interview those people that were here and flown out of the country.

MR. CLARKE: The last time I asked that question, I was informed the FBI still had no desire to interview any of these people.

MR. ROEMER: Would you have a desire to interview some of these people that --

MR. CLARKE: I don't know who they are.

MR. ROEMER: We don't know who they are.

MR. CLARKE: I don't know who they are. The FBI knew who they were, because they --

MR. ROEMER: Given your confidence and your statements on the FBI, what's your level of comfort with this?

MR. CLARKE: Well, I will tell you in particular about the ones that get the most attention here in the press, and they are members of the bin Ladin family. I was aware for some time that there were members of the bin Ladin family living in the United States. And, let's see, in open session I can say that I was very well aware of the members of the bin Ladin family and what they were doing in the United States, and the FBI was extraordinarily well aware of what they were doing in the United States. And I was informed by the FBI that none of the members of the bin Ladin family, this large clan, were doing anything in this country that was illegal or that raised their suspicions. And I believe the FBI had very good information and good sources of information about what the members of the bin Ladin family were doing.

MR. ROEMER: I've been very impressed with your memory, sitting through all these interviews that the 9/11 Commission has conducted with you. I press you again to try to recall how this request originated, who might have passed this on to you at the White House Situation Room, or who might have originated that request for the United States government to fly out -- how many people on this plane?

MR. CLARKE: I don't know.

MR. ROEMER: We don't know how many people were on a plane that flew out of this country. Who gave the final approval, then, to say "Yes, you're clear to go, it's all right with the United States government to go to Saudi Arabia"?

MR. CLARKE: I believe after the FBI came back and said it was all right with them, we ran it through the decision process for all of these decisions that we were making in those hours, which was the Interagency Crisis Management Group on the video conference.

I was making -- or coordinating a lot of decisions on 9/11 in the days immediately after. And I would love to be able to tell you who did it, who brought this proposal to me, but I don't know. The two -- since you press me, the two possibilities that are most likely are either the Department of State of the White House Chief of Staff's Office. But I don't know.

MR. ROEMER: Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.



Here is the most relevant part to address the repubs garbage:

I was making -- or coordinating a lot of decisions on 9/11 in the days immediately after. And I would love to be able to tell you who did it, who brought this proposal to me, but I don't know. The two -- since you press me, the two possibilities that are most likely are either the Department of State of the White House Chief of Staff's Office. But I don't know.

[LizW]

12. Thanks for posting that transcript

It agrees with what Prince Bandar said when asked who approved it. He was interviewed (I think by Russert) and said it was the FBI who approved the flight of the Saudis out of the US after 9/11. Not that Bandar is all that reliable, but it wouldn't serve him to say it was the FBI if it was really Clarke.

[maggrwaggr]

14. so he said "I refused to approve it". The "news story" is a lie

so there.

More lies, more propaganda, good grief.

[nose pin]

15. Not necessarily

Read the article from "The Hill" last week:

http://www.thehill.com/news/052604/clarke.aspx

Our representatives in DC read this paper every day.

[maggrwaggr]

16. so he's changed his story. Perjury?

He was under oath with the 9/11 commission. I got the impression he was being careful in his testimony to lay it out exactly like he remembered.

So which is the truth? The under-oath version, or the story he told to "The Hill?"

[nose pin]

17. Only Mr. Clarke can say

I'd like to hear his explanation for the discrepancy.

[emulatorloo]

22. there is no discrepancy

they aren't inconsistent.

He was asked to approve, he kicked it upstairs. they kicked it back w an ok, he signed off on it.

[sandnsea]

20. No, no.."someone brought a proposal"

"someone brought to that group a proposal that we authorize a request from the Saudi embassy."

He sent it to the FBI, the FBI came back with an approval so he signed off on it. The sign off didn't go any higher than him.

The original request came from someone higher than him, State or Chief of Staff, he says he doesn't remember.

Everything he's said has been consistent and it's possibly consistent with Moore's theory if the original request came from the Chief of Staff.

[osaMABUSh]

7. Tucker Carlson mentioned it on Crossfire the other day

he asked a left leaning guest about it who then dimissed the question.

I'd like to see more details about Clarke's role.

Frankly, most of America will be shocked to know that Bin Ladens were living in the USA, then to have them let go by our government just after 9/11 will be more shocking. Whatever is in this movie will impress the public the most then, perhaps, down the road they might hear a tidbit about Clarke's role.

[AlCzervik]

8. Brent Bozell

is writing for them which means he invovled with them which makes them "Wholly without merit."

[htuttle]

9. This argument is totally shooting themselves in the foot

In order to convince someone that Moore can't be trusted, they have to basically admit that yes, a group of Saudis WERE transported out of the country right after 9/11, including some of the bin Laden family.

I'd have to think that Rove would prefer that allegation to remain in the 'grey and deniable' category. While there has been plenty of evidence documented in public sources on it already, what about all those who believe myths like Saddam was behind 9/11? They aren't going to want to have to believe that anyone in the administration allowed the bin Ladens to leave right after 9/11....they'll be crushed, and then they'll start wondering what else they've been lied to about.

No, I'd think that Rove would rather not go down this line of investigation at all...

:evilgrin:

[stellanoir]

10. not meaning to derail but only to reinforce. . .

My favorite quotation will always be. . . "It was as though they were preserved in amber."

[Alerter_]

11. this film will be Moore's crowing achievement - defeating Bush

Michael Moore will probably merit a footnote in textbook's section on Bush and his failure on 911.

[librechik]

18. CNS = ultra right wing organization

here's the "history" from their web page:

"The Cybercast News Service was launched on June 16, 1998 as a news source for individuals, news organizations and broadcasters who put a higher premium on balance than spin and seek news that’s ignored or under-reported as a result of media bias by omission.

Study after study by the Media Research Center, the parent organization of CNSNews.com, clearly demonstrate a liberal bias in many news outlets – bias by commission and bias by omission – that results in a frequent double-standard in editorial decisions on what constitutes "news."

In response to these shortcomings, MRC Chairman L. Brent Bozell III founded CNSNews.com in an effort to provide an alternative news source that would cover stories that are subject to the bias of omission and report on other news subject to bias by commission."

The Media Research Center is the oldest compost pile on the hill among RW think tanks.

For some reason among the Conservative class Richard Clarke is hated with a vile, white hot stench that makes one recoil when witnessed. This article is spewing the typical BS. Don't buy it.

As for the Clarke "confession" he did indeed recently take responsibility for those flights. He apparently decided that, everything taken into account across all the departments, he was the most senior administration official he could name who was involved in those flights. So when the reporter asked him who was responsible, he said "I was."

Here's my take: there were other people besides Clarke involved in making those flights happen, nobody disputes that. And most are acting like the weasels they are about it. (Bandar, I'm talking to you!)

However, Clarke is no weasel. He has already taken full responsibility for all "our" actions surrounding 9/11. At this point, if he were out to destroy Bush out of venal revenge,(as the RWers say) all he would have to say is yup, W told me to do that personally. True or no, that's all he had to say when they asked him. And yet he took the blame himself rather than do that. So to me that really eliminates any BS about him being greedy and out for himself. It's a pretty classy and selfless act in fact. He's lying down for his CIC.

Keep in mind he was only talking to a reporter, not under oath.

[nose pin]

19. You're right about CNS.... but

CNS cites this article as their source:

http://www.thehill.com/news/052604/clarke.aspx

The Hill is not a partisan paper, as far as I know.

on edit: here is a working link to the original poster's article:

http://www.cnsnews.com//ViewSpecialReports.asp?Page=\SpecialReports\archive\200406\SPE20040601a.html

re-edit: copy and paste the link, but take out the space between "Page=" and "\SpecialReports". DU post window is adding a space...

[FrankBooth]

21. So what?

Clarke OK'd the flight thinking that the FBI had interviewed and cleared the passengers. The wingnuts are spinning it that Clarke had debriefed them all and was OK with them leaving the country without being interviewed, and that clearly is not the case (if his testimony is to be believed.)

[underpants]

23. "Bush....Bin Ladens" the dumbing down of 'Murka turns around on them

Simply linking the two within a sentence is what most people will hear and remember.........I've seen it happen before.