People have been discussing for weeks <$NoAd$>what would be contained in the soon-to-be-released book by former White House terrorism czar Richard Clarke (who served under Clinton and Bush).
CBS is rolling the book on 60 Minutes this Sunday night. And here’s the press release they just put out …
Former White House terrorism advisor Richard Clarke tells Lesley Stahl that on September 11, 2001 and the day after – when it was clear Al Qaeda had carried out the terrorist attacks – the Bush administration was considering bombing Iraq in retaliation. Clarke’s exclusive interview will be broadcast on 60 MINUTES Sunday March 21 (7:00-8:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network.
Clarke was surprised that the attention of administration officials was turning toward Iraq when he expected the focus to be on Al Qaeda and Osama bin Laden. “They were talking about Iraq on 9/11. They were talking about it on 9/12,” says Clarke.
The top counter-terrorism advisor, Clarke was briefing the highest government officials, including President Bush and Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, in the aftermath of 9/11. “Rumsfeld was saying we needed to bomb Iraq….We all said, ‘but no, no. Al Qaeda is in Afghanistan,” recounts Clarke, “and Rumsfeld said, ‘There aren’t any good targets in Afghanistan and there are lots of good targets in Iraq.’ I said, ‘Well, there are lots of good targets in lots of places, but Iraq had nothing to do with [the 9/11 attacks],'” he tells Stahl.
Clarke goes on to explain what he believes was the reason for the focus on Iraq. “I think they wanted to believe that there was a connection [between Iraq and Al Qaeda] but the CIA was sitting there, the FBI was sitting there, I was sitting there, saying, ‘We’ve looked at this issue for years. For years we’ve looked and there’s just no connection,'” says Clarke.
Clarke, who advised four presidents, reveals more about the current administration’s reaction to terrorism in his new book, “Against All Enemies.”
At least among people who’ve followed this story closely, these facts are broadly known, at least in their outlines. Of course, hearing the details from the guy in charge of counter-terrorism at NSC sort of bumps it up a notch. I’ll be curious to hear from Clarke just how far along plans for a lunge against Iraq really got.
