Richard Clarke, at War With Himself
Viewpoint: On TV, the former counterterrorism official takes a
much harder line against Bush than in his book. That
undermines a serious conversation about 9/11
time.com
Well in the first place, the reporting of Time Warner leads me to believe they (like most of the rest of the US media) won't deviate very far from the "Party line". But let's consider their thesis. First, from the available excerpts, Clarke's book is more than a little critical of the Clinton Admin as well. Now Clinton isn't running for reelection, so reporters questions tend to focus on Bush. Secondly, counterterrorism is Clarke's "bread 'n' butter". He's spent a lot more time thinking about it than almost anyone else. Given this long term emphasis, I don't find it surprising that his views are very far removed from the uninformed mainstream. So what would you do if you were an editor, and you had an author who's views were about six sigma from the mean. Most likely, you'd tell him to "tone it down". As someone whose views many would consider extreme, I'm quite familiar with the syndrome. If I want to convince someone, I've learned to lead them slowly from where they are, toward where I believe truth lies. Perhaps something of this same approach is behind my willingness to support Kerry. IMO, Kerry is far from perfect - just a step in the right direction.
Plus, there is one more reason why the book had to be "toned down" It had to be approved by the WH. That's why it's coming out now. The WH has had it since November.
JMO
lurqer |
