National Security Network

Richard Clarke Responds to GOP Guantanamo Attacks

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Press Release 8 May 2009

GOP richard clarke terrorism

Says "desperate attempts from a demoralized party" should be "dismissed"

Washington, D.C. - Today, Richard Clarke, former head of counterterrorism at the National Security Council under Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush, reacted to recent Republican attacks on President Obama's decision to close Guantanamo as well as the release of a GOP video which uses graphic imagery from September 11:

"This video and the recent Republican attacks on Guantanamo are more desperate attempts from a demoralized party to politicize national security and the safety of the American people. But what is more disturbing is their brazen use of imagery and the memory of 9/11 to score political points. Thousands of Americans tragically died that day, and for the GOP to think it can win elections by denigrating their memory is disgraceful.  
 
"The difference between these Republican videos and the very terrorist propaganda that seeks to damage our society is negligible.  Each attempt to stoke the embers of fear in order to disrupt American life.  Just as al Qaeda videos should be viewed as misguided rants from a small group of marginalized radicals, so too should these Republican videos be equally dismissed.  As opposed to what the GOP thinks, the American people are not that naïve."