The Sandy Berger Flap...

[DemocratSinceBirth]

Well, we might as well get on top of it because we're going to hear a lot about it.... Sandy Berger has allegedly taken some classified documents from the National Archives home with him during his work on the 9-11 panel....


I hope his contention that this was just a mistake attributed to sloppiness is true....


I do smell a rat regarding the timing of the leak.... On the eve of the release of the 9-11 report and the beginning of the Democratic National Convention...

The right is going try to use this information to hurt the Kerry campaign...


All I can say is f--k....

[jdj]

1. I don't think they will use it to hurt Kerry.

I think they will use it to blame 9/11 on Clinton, to dispel any negative press they get when the commission tells the public that the iraq/al qaeda connection was all spin.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

3. to Hurt Clinton And Inference Kerry

F--k....

[annxburns]

12. Your right, this is not about Kerry ...

... the 9/11 commission will find that the Clinton administration responded aggressively to a 1998 memo warning of a possible hijacking plot. This will be in stark contrast to the response that Bush gave the 2001 PDB warning that Bin Laden was determined to strike at the US.

That is why this has been leaked after 9 months. The thing the Bushies protect more than anything, the thing that has saved Bush's bacon again and again is his ratings on the war on terrorism. The 9/11 report will show that the Bush administration did not respond aggressively and the Clinton administration did. While the report will not say that 9/11 could have been prevented - the implications will be clear.

THAT is why the Bush administration leaked this story now. It is NOT KERRY'S PROBLEM. IT IS BUSH'S. Let the report come out and let it hang them. Stay out of the way ....

Kerry and Edwards should just go around and campaign with pretty pics. IF asked, Kerry should say, "I've seen those reports in the media. I haven't asked Sandy about it but of course, the handling classified documents is very serious and I urge everyone involved to cooperate fully with the investigation". When asked about the timing he should just smile and say "I don't know. You tell me if you think the timing is suspicious".

This is BUSH'S PROBLEM _ NOT KERRY's

[lancdem]

20. I agree

When something like this comes out, you can count on it being an attempt to muddy the waters before something bad about Bush hits the media. It's a preemptive strike.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

2. He Needs To Have A News Conference And Let It All Hang Out...

This is much bigger than him....

[annxburns]

24. Berger - not Kerry.

This is not Kerry's problem. Berger should go on all the shows and say "Gee, I'm sorry. I took my own notes and I forgot to have them reviewed before I left and then I discovered I had inadvertantly took a couple of copies of a report. Sorry, sorry. I am cooperating fully. It was really sloppy. I apologize."

And point out .....

1) There are copies of everything he took in the archives
2) He immediately returned everything and cooperated
3) He hasn't been contacted in months about this (why is this coming out now?)

[WilliamPitt]

4. Read

www.talkingpointsmemo.com

[DemocratSinceBirth]

7. If I Understand It He Took Copies

If the originals still exist it would be impossible for there to be a cover up.....


Am I missing something...


I'm a poli sci major not a sleuth....

[Brotherjohn]

22. One thing worries me that gives them ammo. The stories say there are...

... copies of "most" of the documents he took. He also says he inadvertently discarded some.

If any of the "discarded" ones end up being ones that were the only originals, then he could be in trouble.

That being said, i think this is just a fishing expedition to try to discredit a Clintonite in order to both distract from Bush's failings on terror relative to Clinton's, and to distract from the upcoming Plame indictments ("See. their guy is under investigation, too!").

[annxburns]

23. Read this ...

... there is no coverup. Those Clarke documents were "all over the place".

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A62776-2004Jul19.html

THis is a diversion, pure and simple.

There are two bad things on the horizon for Bush (besides his f**k up of the economy and Iraq)

1) The 9/11 report which shows he did not do enough to prevent 9/11
2) The grand jury investigation into Plame

... the repubs have lauched two pre-emptive strikes

1) The Berger flap
2) The smear on Wilson (with the help of three repub senators)

Keep your eyes on the ball and hold the media to account. It is about to get rough for the Bushies ....

[AlinPA]

5. Being pushed very hard by the cable "news". MSRNC and CNN

(Blitzer) are going berserk. I don't watch Fox, they probably have a banner in the left hand corner of the screen flashing about it being an alert.

[Debi]

8. Are they changing the threat level to Orange???

n/t

[DemocratSinceBirth]

11. Wolf Almost Shit Himself From The Excitement

NT

[Carni]

15. FOX Claiming Berger stuffed documents in his socks

At least that was what is posted on the freakrepublic.

[ProfessorPlum]

6. Don't pee your pants now

This is SOP for the GOP. The usual misdirection. Make up a lie about something that doesn't matter, and get everyone arguing about whether you are lying or not, meanwhile conveniently missing the real issues.

They count on us to panic like this. Don't do it.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

9. The Sheeple

The sheeple will be misled, bamboozled, mesmerized, led astray....

The sheeple.... Got Damn it....

[BOHICA06]

10. Yeah, but

talk about blowing your own toes off!!!! He had to take close aim!

The Nature of Human F_ckery!

[MikeG]

13. He took his own notes out - which automatically are classified.

And this is six-months old.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

14. But The Nefarious Republicans Leaked This Now,,,,,,

grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

[lancdem]

17. David Gergen defended Berger

said the timing is very suspicious, and that Berger hasn't been contacted in months, and the investigation might not even be active. The timing is Rovian and is meant to be a distraction from the 9/11 Commission report on Thursday. I also suspect Kerry knew about this for awhile (Berger probably told him) so this isn't a shock to him.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

18. I Agree...

And David Geregen worked for Clinton as well as a lot of Republican presidents...


I hope this didn't catch Kerry off guard...

[lancdem]

21. I doubt that it did

His campaign seems to know how the Bushies operate. Remember, too, how well he handled the bogus intern story when many DUers were very worried. This is nothing more than a preemptive strike before the 9/11 Commission report, which comes out in two days. Obviously, Rove and his minions are worried that report will not be good news for Chimpy.

[jimshoes]

16. And you don't hear a peep about

the missing hard drives from Los Alamos, the place where they make and test nuclear components for our very own WMD's. Where's the outrage.

[stellanoir]

19. Okay, we have to keep this in perspective. . .

In order to cooperate in a thorough manner with the 9/11 investigation, Berger was somewhat sloppy about retrieving and verifying information to which he was already privy. They were copies and his own notes.

But lest we forget, this administration has blocked and created all sorts of obfuscation regarding pre war intell, 9/11, the energy task force, Sibel Edmonds, and, in reference to Valerie Plame. . .THEY COMMITTED TREASON.