Administration Ignored Real Terrorist Threat

The Bush administration has failed in its most critical role: to reduce the terrorist threat to the American people. That's the message from former White House counterrorism expert Richard Clarke whose new memoir says the administration "failed to act prior to September 11 on the threat from al Qaeda despite repeated warnings." The administration's singular focus on Saddam Hussein led to "an unnecessary and costly war in Iraq that strengthened the fundamentalist, radical Islamic terrorist movement worldwide," according to Clarke, who served under four presidents.

• The Bush administration downgraded multiple warnings about al Qaeda prior to 9/11. White House officials neglected strong warnings from former National Security Adviser Sandy Berger about the critical threat from al Qaeda, choosing instead to focus on things like missile defense and deposing Saddam Hussein. While the cabinet-rank "principals" were meeting at least weekly on terrorism during the Clinton administration, the first cabinet-level meeting on al Qaeda occurred nine months after the Bush administration came to office and one week before the attacks on New York and Washington.
• After Sept. 11, 2001, the administration used the terrorist attacks for political and ideological gain. Clarke reveals that on Sept. 12, 2001 President Bush ordered him to, "Look into Iraq, Saddam," despite clear evidence that al Qaeda was behind the attacks and despite the lack of any credible link between Saddam and Osama bin Laden. The administration immediately used the tragedy and outpouring of public support to shift attention to its decades-long agenda of ousting Saddam Hussein – a critical lapse in judgment that did nothing to stop the ongoing threat from al Qaeda.
• The administration's misguided war against Iraq diverted critical focus from al Qaeda. The administration's disingenuous and inept handling of Iraq is now fully exposed. Instead of focusing on bin Laden and al Qaeda, key Bush administration officials chose to follow up on their long-term dream to overthrow Saddam. And the administration deceived the American people by promoting a war in Iraq that has failed to address the real terrorist threat.

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