Reading notes

E. J. Dionne Jr. unleashes his White House/Richard Clarke observations with forcible clarity —

President Bush had two big things going for him in this year’s election. He was seen by a majority of Americans as a straight shooter. And he was viewed as the natural leader in the war on terrorism. Now both perceptions are in jeopardy. …

The attack on Clarke, the White House’s former anti-terrorism expert, could prove to be the fatal mistake of the Bush campaign. Instead of undermining Clarke’s credibility, the White House has called its own into question.

It is also calling new attention to the administration’s standard operating procedure since Sept. 11, 2001: Do whatever is necessary to intimidate and undercut all who raise questions about the president’s handling of terrorism, answer as few of those questions as possible and keep as many secrets as you can. …

Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist will surely come to regret his vicious speech on Friday accusing Clarke of, among other things, “profiteering.” Frist all but accused Clarke of perjury. … Frist called for declassifying Clarke’s congressional testimony.

How weak were the underpinnings of Frist’s form of McCarthyism Lite? So weak that Clarke easily one-upped Frist and the administration in his appearance Sunday on “Meet the Press.” Clarke endorsed declassifying his testimony in full, and any other relevant documents.

As I see the prevalence of responses like this to Sen. Frist’s Friday accusations, I see I’m not being too harsh at all in Saturday’s main blog entry The West Wing of Orthanc.