"'this Clarke guy'... hmmmmm. A thirty year civil servant of top calliber and excellent standing, with a superb record, and an excellent reputation... worked continuously through the last four administrations in top level positions..."

This Clarke guy who was a career technocrat bureaucrat obsessed with a particular hobby horse no one, no one in either of the past two administrations listened to and who's only motivations could be that he was passed over for promotion to Assistant Secretary and he wants to sell his book? We are talking about the same guy, right? I not sure the two views of Clarke are that exclusive.

Ignore that. This is one where Clint and I agree. What Clarke was proposing was a pre-emptive war with Afghanistan before 9/11. Neither Clinton nor Bush took him up on it. It wouldn't have prevented 9/11. How does that help his credibility?