Clarke's Resentment and the 9/11 Attacks: A Complex Web of Power, Policy, and Blame

Richard Clarke, a senior administration official, once worked closely with former counterterror chief Richard Clarke and National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice, but he now laments his time under her, telling Newsweek that he "resented working for Condi." Clarke's disputes with Rice were over policy, not personal, he claims. His testimony before the 9/11 commission hearings sparked a heated debate over Rice's handling of the attacks and the Bush administration's accountability. Meanwhile, the Democratic presidential hopeful John Kerry distanced himself from the story while still criticizing the Bush administration's attacks on Clarke.

Key Takeaways:

Richard Clarke, a former counterterror chief, felt undervalued and underutilized during his time in the Bush administration, particularly in comparison to his experience in the Clinton administration.
Clarke's disputes with National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice were primarily over policy, not personal issues.
Clarke's testimony before the 9/11 commission hearings effectively portrayed Rice as slow-footed and almost clueless in the race to head off a terrorist attack.
Rice attributed blame for the 9/11 attacks to Al-Qaeda, sidestepping responsibility for the White House's handling of the crisis.
Clarke does not expect the White House to apologize for failing to prevent the 9/11 attacks any time soon.
In his private testimony to the 9/11 commission, Clarke's tone was different from his public appearance, according to commission chairman Tom Kean, who described Clarke as "a much more angry man" in public testimony.
A Newsweek poll indicates that voters are growing more skeptical of President Bush's leadership in the war on terror, with only 57% of respondents approving of his handling of homeland security and the war.

Statistics:

Bill Clinton's approval rating of President Bush's handling of homeland security and the war fell from 65-28% six weeks ago to 57-38% last week (Newsweek poll).
By a 2-1 margin, voters say that President Bush and his administration have taken the threat of global terrorism as seriously as they should have (Newsweek poll).
By the same 2-1 margin, voters say that Bill Clinton and his administration did not (Newsweek poll).
57% of voters approve of President Bush's handling of the war on terror (Newsweek poll).

Sources:

Newsweek, "Resentment and the 9/11 Attacks: A Complex Web of Power, Policy, and Blame" by Evan Thomas, Michael Isikoff, and Tamara Lipper (April 5, 2004).
Newsweek, "Bush and the War on Terror: A Skeptical Nation" by Matt Dowd (March 29, 2004).
Newsweek, "The Families of 9/11: A Powerful Lobbying Force" by Pat Wingert (March 29, 2004).
Newsweek, "Clarke's Apology: A Turning Point for the Families of 9/11" by Kristen Breitweiser (March 29, 2004).
Kirsty McDonald, +1-212-445-4078, [kmcdonald@newsweek.com](mailto:kmcdonald@newsweek.com).