Clarke: Time to Undo Iraq Mistake
    By Howard Buck
    The Columbian

    Tuesday 08 May 2007

    Richard A. Clarke, former national security adviser to four presidents including President Bush, said the United States will deal with Iraqi "revenge 1a 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, 1aprevent terrorism in Iraq" rather than attempt to police a "shooting gallery."

    Step two: Negotiate with Iraq's neighbors, including Iran and Syria.

    "I used to negotiate with the real 'Evil Empire' - the Soviet Union. And every president negotiated," he said. He chided President Bush and Vice President Cheney for equating direct talks with lack of will.

    He described his "three-rings" theory of terrorism: A small, fanatic core of 100,000 al-Qaida fighters, bankrolled by perhaps 300 million Muslim sympathizers, with nearly 3 billion Muslims aghast at it all.

    Clarke said the key is defusing those 300 million supporters. But daily carnage from Iraq televised through the Arab world has made them tune out not only Americans, but many of their own imams who urge peace, he said.

    "It's not a pretty picture," Clarke said.

    He soberly tallied the cost in dollars, blood and global ill will of the Iraq war and occupation. It's a far cry from the opportunity presented after 9/11, when the world - including most Arab nations - was appalled by the al-Qaida terrorists responsible, he said.

    Case in point: Two days later, 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, that unity, to suppress these crazy ideas and go after terror worldwide. And we blew it," he said.

    Wrapping up his remarks before receiving a standing ovation, Clarke urged attendees to reach out to help returning U.S. troops, who he said are wounded in seen and unseen ways. "That can be your contribution," he said.

    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.

    Earlier Monday, Clarke spoke with several students in the Penguin Student Union lounge.

    He was the second visitor in Clark College's Distinguished Lecturer Series, begun last year to lure regionally and nationally renowned speakers. The 2006 guest was Jeffrey Wigand, former tobacco executive and whistle-blower whose "60 Minutes" television interview inspired the feature film, "The Insider."

    Clarke's appearance was sponsored by Clark College, the Clark College Foundation and the Associated Students of Clark College.

All republished content that appears on Truthout has been obtained by permission or license.