[Richard Clarke's] new book, "Against all Enemies," indicts Bush for propagating the two myths: That he did everything possible to fight terrorism before 9/11. And that Iraq is related to the war on terror.
"Osama bin Laden had been saying for years, 'America wants to invade an Arab country and occupy it, an oil-rich Arab country,'" Clarke said in a "60 Minutes" interview coinciding with the book's release. "We stepped right into bin Laden's propaganda."
The White House answers with rhetorical roaring guns. Condoleezza Rice - the national security adviser who refuses to testify publicly before the 9/11 investigative commission - pressed her counter-spin in The Washington Post. The administration claims a key conversation Clarke says he had with the president never took place. CBS News and The Washington Post both report they've verified the conversation.
The public must choose between one who long served presidents of both parties and an incumbent whose claim to re-election rests on assertion of robust leadership against terror.
The myths loom large. It is not unprecedented for a people to be so fearful they are deluded. But it is more dangerous than ever.
Choose. Vote. Win.
