No Defense for Sandy Berger (Dems should say good riddance)

[Dover]

No Defense for Sandy Berger
Editorial

Democrats in Congress, particularly Democrats who oppose the Bush administration's misguided war with Iraq, make a huge mistake when they attempt to defend Sandy Berger, who served as former President Bill Clinton's national security adviser and who now stands accused of stealing and destroying classified materials on terrorism.

Berger has for many years been an atrocious player in American politics. He tried to get former President Clinton to launch a war with Iraq in the late 1990s, using "evidence" every bit as flimsy as that employed by the Bush administration in 2003. He has been a Democratic apologist for some of the Bush administration's worst abuses. And, as a senior adviser to John Kerry's presidential campaign, he pressured the presumptive Democratic nominee to echo the Bush administration line on maintaining the occupation of Iraq.

In 2003, when Berger was preparing to testify before the national commission investigating the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, he spent roughly 30 hours reviewing classified materials in a secure reading room. Berger was seen placing documents in a leather portfolio and stuffing papers in his jacket and pants.

Berger claims his removal of the documents, which may have contained material harmful to his own reputation, was an "honest mistake." Yet, when National Archives officials demanded that Berger return the documents and paperwork, he produced only some of them and then claimed to have "inadvertently" destroyed the rest. Berger's actions were shocking. And his defenses do not sound credible...cont'd >

http://www.commondreams.org/views04/0723-06.htm

[ClintonTyree]

1. I think..............

they should defend Berger just as they're doing and attack the hell out of Condisleeza Rice for her gigantic FUBAR attempt at protecting the people of America pre 9/11. She's the real story here, not what Sandy may or may not have done. We know exactly what Condi did, and that was NOTHING to protect the people of this country.

[madfloridian]

2. I would hate to be guilty until proven innocent. See this site.

http://mediamatters.org/items/200407230001

[fearnobush]

3. This sounds rather Freepish. Anyone with 1/2 a political brain knows

that 1, they were copies. 2 - they were easily accessible by Kerry himself (He has Clearance) and 3 - He has been known to make such blunders.

What he did was real dumb - but unless Rosenberg proof is their - which it is not - leave the bugger alone.

[Dover]

4. Anybody familiar with this Wisconsin paper, the Madison Capital Times?

It's an editorial from that paper, so don't have a clue who wrote it.

Also don't know much about Sandy Berger so was certainly not blindly in agreement with the article. But if he IS bad news, as the article suggests, then perhaps his resignation would ultimately be a good thing.

And I agree that the real issues brought forth by the 9/11 Commission, lame as they are in the current whitewash, should be the media's focus....along with the ridiculously flawed internal investigative report on Abu Graib that was also released simultaneously with the 9/11 report.

[Big Al from WI]

6. The Capital Times

is probably the most liberal/progressive daily newspaper in the country, especially for its size. Dave Zweifel is the editor, John Nichols is the associate editor (most of you on DU probably know those guys, even if you don't know the "Cap Times," as we call it.) Judy Ettenhofer is the official editorial writer, but Dave and/or John usually have an opinion column in there nearly every day.

[librechik]

7. yeah, let's wait until the investigation is over before we convict

Just like we would for any Bushie.

[struggle4progress]

5. More koolaid sippers.

"Berger should be prosecuted, just as anyone in the Bush administration who attempted to undermine the work of the 9/11 commission should be prosecuted."

No evidence whatsoever, of course, that Berger even "attempted to undermine the work of the 9/11 commission" ...

Panel: Berger didn't impede Sept. 11 report
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=706282

Shelby(R-AL) a target of leak probe?
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x705757