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Clarke Says Bush's 'Anti-terror' Wars and Bombings Produce 
Muslim Hatred and Boost Terrorism

Comment by Larry Ross, May 11, 2007

An advisor to 4 US Presidents, Richard A Clarke details the enormous and counter productive costs to the US of Bush's war on Iraq.

Here are a few of his key points:

1. In the "Battle of Ideas", crucial to US success in the Middle East  "We're not only losing, we've never really started"
2. Al-Qaida terror cells have multiplied much faster since 9/11 terror attacks and subsequent American offensive in Afghanistan - The United States let al-Qaida off the ropes to invade Iraq." Other articles have said the Iraq war is a breeding ground for terrorism. There was no terrorism in or from Iraq before the US invaded in 2003.
3. Rather than a US army, wars and bombing Clarke said "Smart police work and intelligence across the globe have captured most high-ranking al-Qaida agents, while the so-called military solution has provided none.
4. Follow the 78 points of the bipartisan Baker-Hamilton report (Dec 2006) Remove US troops from Iraq etc.
5. "Negotiate with Iraq's neighbours, including Syria and Iran. Every US President negotiated. He chided President Bush and Vice President Cheney for equating direct talk with lack of will."
6. "...a candlelight vigil in the streets of Tehran drew 200,000 Iranians who showed sympathy for the United States", Clarke said." "We could have used that support...And we blew it"
7. He wondered aloud if damage to civil liberties, such as domestic wiretaps, suspension of habeas corpus and vague "enemy combatant" terms could be reversed. If not that would be "one of our highest costs" of the Iraq war" he concluded.

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Clarke: Time to Undo Iraq Mistake

by Howard Buck, The Columbian, April 8, 2007

    Richard A. Clarke, former national security adviser to four presidents including President Bush, said the United States will deal with Iraqi "revenge terrorists" on American soil for the remainder of his years and for the lifespan of many who attended his Clark College appearance Monday evening.

    "For as long as I'm alive, there will be Iraqis who hate us," Clarke told about 300 people gathered in the Gaiser Hall Student Center.

    In the "battle of ideas" crucial to U.S. success in the Middle East, "We're not only losing, we've never really started," he said.

    In fact, al-Qaida terror cells have multiplied much faster since the 9/11 terror attacks and subsequent American offensive in Afghanistan, Clarke said. The United States let al-Qaida "off the ropes" to invade Iraq, he said.

    That was one of many failures Clarke listed as he recounted steps before and after the Iraq invasion that have left many Americans numbed and millions of Muslims seething, he said.

    "The question is, how quickly can we undo that mistake?" he asked.

    "We don't need a big army to go after al-Qaida, we don't need B-2 bombers to go after al-Qaida," Clarke said. Smart police work and intelligence across the globe have captured most high-ranking al-Qaida agents, while the so-called military solution has provided none, he added.

Withdraw and Negotiate

    His recipe for recovery: Follow the 78 points of the bipartisan Baker-Hamilton report issued last December. Among them: Remove U.S. troops to Kuwait or Turkey, where smaller units could launch strikes "to do what's important for us, prevent terrorism in Iraq" rather than attempt to police a "shooting gallery."

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