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WaxWorks
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Friday, March 26, 2004
 
Knockout

I've written a lot about the heroic Richard Clarke and his devasting testimony recently, but I don't think I could describe Clarke's dramatic appearance before the 9/11 Commission any better than Fred Kaplan has done at Slate. I highly recommend this article. Here's how it opens:

Richard Clarke made his much-anticipated appearance before the 9/11 commission this afternoon and, right out of the box, delivered a stunning blow to the Bush administration—the political equivalent of a first-round knockout.

The blow was so stunning, it took a while to realize that it was a blow. Clarke thanked the members for holding the hearings, saying they finally provided him "a forum where I can apologize" to the victims of 9/11 and their loved ones. He continued, addressing those relatives, many of whom were sitting in the hearing room:

Your government failed you … and I failed you. We tried hard, but that doesn't matter because we failed. And for that failure, I would ask … for your understanding and for your forgiveness.

End of statement. Applause. KO.


- posted by Joshua @ 10:14 PM
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