March 29, 2004

The full answer General Powell gave Mr. Schieffer:

SCHIEFFER: Back with the secretary of State. Mr. Secretary, a group called the Center for American Progress has posed this question: If, as the administration claims, the White House did make terrorism a priority, why did Vice President Cheney wait five months to establish a terrorism task force which then never met?

Sec. POWELL: We were working the problem all along. It was being worked within the Department of State as I responded to the threat levels and as we prepared a diplomatic strategy to put more pressure on the Afghanistan regime and the regime in Pakistan. Mr. Rumsfeld was doing things to secure his forces around the world in response to the Cole. I was taking action to protect our embassies in response to our two embassies being blown up in 1998. There were a lot of actions under way and ongoing. The deputies were meeting on a regular basis. And it all came together when we had this NSPD ready on the 4th of September. But before the 4th of September, there were a lot of things that were taking place with respect to the task force. I--I--I can't answer the specific question. I'm not familiar with the--with the document…

But had they just continued to the next question(s - you'll see the reason for the 's' in a minute):

SCHIEFFER: The vice president says that the--that Mr. Clarke was out of the loop. How could the anti-terrorism chief be out of the loop?

…and it's a very good question indeed…the tape would have been chock full of hilarity, if just a bit too big for downloading.

Sec. POWELL: I think the--the c--the context in which Vice President Cheney said that was that there was a new loop that was in place and that it was the director of Central Intelligence who was speaking to the president every morning and giving him his intelligence information, and not just a book being sent in, as had been the case, I believe, i--under the Clinton administration. SCHIEFFER: But would... Sec. POWELL: So the--there was a--there was a--there was a--a loop now that included the direct input of intelligence information, to include threat inter--intelligence information, to the president of the United States, the vice president of the United States. And everything that the president saw every morning, the vice president saw, I saw, Condi saw and Don Rumsfeld saw. SCHIEFFER: But why would... Sec. POWELL: We all saw it.

Yeah, Colin, float like a butterfly, sting like…a…butterfly?

SCHIEFFER: Why would you not want the man who is supposed to be heading the antiterrorism efforts to know about that? Sec. POWELL: I'm not... SCHIEFFER: Why would there be a new loop?

Now THAT had to sting.

Sec. POWELL: I--I--I have no idea what he--what he claims not to know. I mean, he was doing his job. And this is where the inf--this... Ms. TUMULTY: Well, that was the vice president who claimed... Sec. POWELL: Well... Ms. TUMULTY: ...that he did not know this stuff. Sec. POWELL: Well, it--you--then I'll--I'll let--I think I've explained what the vice president had in mind[P6:I think it patently obvious he did not], but I'm sure he--he'd be willing to--to expand on what I've said[P6:I think it patently obvious he WILL not]. But--but--but here's the thing. He [P6:He? Cheney?]said that Mr. Clarke was--was not part of this system yet. Mr. Clarke was the key action officer, the key staff person in this, and he was making statements, providing testimony, giving background brief--briefings. And if you look through 2002, the documents that have been made reference to, he was essentially being complimentary about the work that he was doing as part of the Bush administration and that the Bush administration was doing. And that's where I think there are some contradictions and inconsistencies that I hope will be explained as the commission finishes its work.

Posted by P6 at March 29, 2004 04:55 PM
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