I've heard tell that the anti-American grease-trap connoisseur Michael Moore has made much of the very suspicious exodus of several prominent Saudi citizens (including members of the bin Laden clan) from the United States in the days after 11 September 2001. His insinuation is that the Evil Bush Family bended the rules and allowed their co-conspirators to escape the wrath of our justice system. But it looks like the asshole Left's best buddy, Richard Clarke (ex-terrorism expert, current apologizer), is the one who authorized those flights. As it's reported in The Hill:
Richard Clarke, who served as President Bush's chief of counterterrorism, has claimed sole responsibility for approving flights of Saudi Arabian citizens, including members of Osama bin Laden's family, from the United States immediately after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.
In an interview with The Hill yesterday, Clarke said, "I take responsibility for it. I don't think it was a mistake, and I'd do it again."
Clarke said:
"It didn't get any higher than me," he said. "On 9-11, 9-12 and 9-13, many things didn't get any higher than me. I decided it in consultation with the FBI."
Nice. However...
This new account of the events seemed to contradict Clarke's sworn testimony before the Sept. 11 commission at the end of March about who approved the flights.
"The request came to me, and I refused to approve it," Clarke testified. "I suggested that it be routed to the FBI and that the FBI look at the names of the individuals who were going to be on the passenger manifest and that they approve it or not. I spoke with the ---at the time--- No. 2 person in the FBI, Dale Watson, and asked him to deal with this issue. The FBI then approve...the flight."
So, which version is the truth? Clarke now says it was all his own idea, but back when he was the darling of the assholes in Big Media and on the Kean Commission, he had a different story. Very interesting.
(A big thanks to the Power Line.)