March 28, 2004

Let's Declassify All Of It. On Meet the Press this morning, Richard Clarke was asked if there was any inconsistency between his testimony before the 9/11 Commission and his statements two years ago before the congressional committee.

"No, there isn't. And I would welcome it being declassified, but not just a little line here or there. Let's declassify all six hours of my testimony. ... And I want more declassified. I want Dr. Rice's testimony before the 9/11 Commission declassified ... Let's declassify that memo I sent on January 25th [2001] and let's declassify the national security directive that Dr. Rice's committee approved nine months later on September 4th, and let's see if there's any difference between those two, because there isn't. ... [T]hey're basically the same thing and they wasted months when we could have had some action. ...

"[L]et's go further. The White House is selectively now finding my e-mails, which I would have assumed were covered by some privacy regulations, and selectively leaking them to the press. Let's take all of my e-mails and all of the memos that I've sent to the national security adviser and her deputy from January 20 to September 11 and let's declassify all of it. ... As well as her responses."

Clarke wants everything out in the open. Rice (who this week changed her nearly-two-year-old story about being clueless about "planes used as missles") says she'll talk but only if it's behind closed doors and not under oath. Who sounds more credible? One side wants the world to know what happened; one side does not. ... The question becomes: Why do they want to keep everything secret?

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