# Thank you Mr, Clarke **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [March 25, 2004, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thank-you-mr-clarke/236232 "2004-03-25T00:14:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2004, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thank-you-mr-clarke/236232/1 "2004-03-25T00:14:13Z")
> [@](#): > > Your government failed you. Those entrusted with protecting you failed you. And I failed you. We tried hard, but that doesn’t matter, because we failed. And for that failure, I would ask, once all the facts are out, for your understanding and for your forgiveness. [here](http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/nation/ny-usapol0325,0,270479.story?coll=ny-homepage-big-pix) vs > [@](#): > > “ **Lucky me, I hit the trifecta** ,” said George Bush in the immediate aftermath of September 11, according to his budget director. War, recession and national emergency liberated him to soar in the political stratosphere. [here](http://www.commondreams.org/views04/0311-03.htm) It’s good to know that there are still _some_ government officials that take their responsibilities seriously. ---
**Author:** ![rjung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/45deac/32.png) [@rjung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjung)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2004, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thank-you-mr-clarke/236232/2 "2004-03-25T00:30:29Z")
Of course, Bush never made the “trifecta” quote/joke, either. Turns out it was originally said by [Al Gore](http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn?pagename=article&node=&contentId=A11253-2002Jul1¬Found=true). Bush merely stole it in the aftermath of 9/11 as an icebreaker. “Barring an economic reversal, a national emergency, or a foreign crisis, we should balance the budget this year, next year, and every year.” –Al Gore, Economic Club of Detroit, May 1998 ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2004, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thank-you-mr-clarke/236232/3 "2004-03-25T00:38:22Z")
Pardon me if I’m somewhat cynical about Clarke’s statement given his current book selling tour. Perhaps he might agree to donate the procedes of his book’s sales to the families affected by the 9/11 attacks. ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2004, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thank-you-mr-clarke/236232/4 "2004-03-25T00:44:04Z")
I get the feeling Mr. Clarke may have a somewhat overinflated opinion of himself and his importance to the administration. Stung by being passed over as #2 in homeland defense, he’s spinning the administration’s listening to other equally qualified experts on counter terrorism as refusing to listen to him. They were formulating policy, just not entirely his policy, and he’s chaffed. It’s excellent fodder for the left but while some of it is undoubtably true… it’s plainly bent. I’m judging his book by his cover. ---
**Author:** ![askeptic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/eb9ed0/32.png) [@askeptic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/askeptic)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2004, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thank-you-mr-clarke/236232/5 "2004-03-25T00:48:17Z")
Note to self: Bushistas[ul] [li]lieu[/li][li]rjung[/li][li]johnMace[/li][/ul] ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2004, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thank-you-mr-clarke/236232/6 "2004-03-25T00:57:23Z")
Bullshit. I’m pissed at the son of a bitch but it’s not blinded me to spin on either side. Somebody doesn’t agree with you, label 'em? Beauty. ---
**Author:** ![El\_Cid\_Viscoso](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/41988e/32.png) [@El\_Cid\_Viscoso](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Cid_Viscoso)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2004, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thank-you-mr-clarke/236232/7 "2004-03-25T00:59:02Z")
> [@askeptic](#): > > Note to self: Bushistas[ul] > [li]lieu[/li][li] **rjung** [/li][li]johnMace[/li][/ul] Sweet Fancy Moses! ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2004, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thank-you-mr-clarke/236232/8 "2004-03-25T01:02:58Z")
I don’t care about Mr. Clarke’s character, I don’t care if he is brazenly and shamelessly self-promoting. I don’t care if he’s a disloyal backstabbing SOB and only in it for the money. I don’t care if he spends his spare time stuffing kittens into blenders or is directly responsible for the death of Bambi’s mother. Is he telling the truth? He names names, specifies dates, makes verifiable or falsifiable statments of fact. If he’s lying, the Bushiviks should have no difficulty at all proving so. So far, they are focusing on matters of the man’s character and motivation. If the facts don’t back him up, and they have those facts, why are they going for a field goal instead of the touch down? ---
**Author:** ![Airblairxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Airblairxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airblairxxx)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2004, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thank-you-mr-clarke/236232/9 "2004-03-25T01:05:34Z")
RE: **rjung** ’s partisanship: What **El Cid** said. RE: **lieu** ’s opinion of Richard Clarke’s credibility: See [here.](http://slate.msn.com/id/2097685/) ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2004, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thank-you-mr-clarke/236232/10 "2004-03-25T01:05:58Z")
Heh, **rjung** is coming latent to the Party. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2004, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thank-you-mr-clarke/236232/11 "2004-03-25T01:07:17Z")
> [@askeptic](#): > > Note to self: Bushistas[ul] > [li]lieu[/li][li]rjung[/li][li]johnMace[/li][/ul] You are an idiot. ---
**Author:** ![askeptic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/eb9ed0/32.png) [@askeptic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/askeptic)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2004, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thank-you-mr-clarke/236232/12 "2004-03-25T01:12:32Z")
> [@John Mace](#): > > You are an idiot. I take that as a compliment from the likes of you. In fact I may just put in my sig. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2004, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thank-you-mr-clarke/236232/13 "2004-03-25T01:14:14Z")
> [@askeptic](#): > > I take that as a compliment from the likes of you. In fact I may just put in my sig. I hope you do! ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2004, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thank-you-mr-clarke/236232/14 "2004-03-25T01:16:08Z")
> [@askeptic](#): > > I take that as a compliment from the likes of you. In fact I may just put in my sig. Lest there be any confusion from my earlier post, you have my full permission to put that in your sig. ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2004, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thank-you-mr-clarke/236232/15 "2004-03-25T01:26:38Z")
From **Airblairxxx** ’s (thank you) article: > [@](#): > > Clarke writes (and nobody has disputed) that when Condi Rice took over the NSC, she kept him onboard and preserved his title but demoted the position. He would no longer participate in, much less run, Principals’ meetings. He would report to deputy secretaries. He would have no staff and would attend no more meetings with budget officials. > > Clarke probably resented the slight, took it personally. But he also saw it as a downgrading of the issue, a sign that al-Qaida was no longer taken as the urgent threat that the Clinton White House had come to interpret it. A slightly differently worded but similar assessment of what I said above. I think he’s well meaning. I don’t take his attack as vindictive, I just think he’s arrogant and having a hard time dealing with the fact other assets (people) were used to develop a plan and is calling that _a dismissal of the only concievable, prudent course of action._ ---
**Author:** ![askeptic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/eb9ed0/32.png) [@askeptic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/askeptic)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2004, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thank-you-mr-clarke/236232/16 "2004-03-25T01:34:00Z")
Shit! Are we talking about Westley Clark or Richard Clarke? I am such an idiot, apologies to all.(BTW my list was just dumb humor not an attempt to label anyone, not that any list I made would matter anyway) ---
**Author:** ![AmericanMaid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e480ec/32.png) [@AmericanMaid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AmericanMaid)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2004, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thank-you-mr-clarke/236232/17 "2004-03-25T01:51:37Z")
I applaud Richard Clarke for coming out with his book and his frank testimony to the 9/11 commission. Considering most of what he says in his book is old news for those of us who have been paying attention to the news for the past couple years, I’m guessing his target audience is those who don’t take Joe Wilson’s allegations and Paul O’Neil’s allegations seriously. How many people have to come forward to convince the American people that Bush’s Administration is corrupt and manipulative? All I’m saying is lying about a blowjob killed no one, lying about a war has killed thousands and counting. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2004, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thank-you-mr-clarke/236232/18 "2004-03-25T01:52:58Z")
> [@askeptic](#): > > Shit! Are we talking about Westley Clark or Richard Clarke? I am such an idiot, apologies to all.(BTW my list was just dumb humor not an attempt to label anyone, not that any list I made would matter anyway) Does this mean you don’t wan’t **John Mace’s** quote for your sig line after all? 'Cos if you don’t, you can use this one instead: “I just don’t get that **askeptic** guy, sometimes.” ---
**Author:** ![askeptic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/eb9ed0/32.png) [@askeptic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/askeptic)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2004, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thank-you-mr-clarke/236232/19 "2004-03-25T02:02:03Z")
> [@kaylasdad99](#): > > Does this mean you don’t wan’t **John Mace’s** quote for your sig line after all? 'Cos if you don’t, you can use this one instead: > > “I just don’t get that **askeptic** guy, sometimes.” I don’t get that guy very often either, but I think he means well… ---
**Author:** ![El\_Cid\_Viscoso](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/41988e/32.png) [@El\_Cid\_Viscoso](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Cid_Viscoso)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2004, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thank-you-mr-clarke/236232/20 "2004-03-25T02:05:27Z")
> [@askeptic](#): > > I don’t get that [**askeptic**] guy very often either, but I think he means well… Wrong on both counts. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thank-you-mr-clarke/236232.md?page=2)