Biography
This American civil servant was catapulted from a behind-the-scenes bureaucrat to the spotlight
on March 21, 2004 when he was interviewed on the news show, "60 Minutes." Clarke's appearance on the
show coincided with the release of his book, "Against All Enemies," in which he accuses President
George W. Bush of doing a "terrible job" of fighting terrorism. He makes two central allegations in
his book:
- Bush failed to make terrorism "an urgent issue."
- Bush and his administration were focused on Iraq and Saddam Hussein even though Clarke and others
could not find any evidence that the Iraqi dictator was linked to Osama bin Laden. Clarke claims
that "By invading Iraq, the president of the United States has greatly undermined the war on
terrorism."
His "60 Minutes" interview, his book, and his subsequent TV appearances caused an uproar in
Washington, particularly because they coincided with the hearings of the independent 9/11 Commission.
Clarke appeared under oath before the commission, and apologized to those families of 9/11 victims and
its survivors by saying, "Your government failed you, those entrusted with protecting you failed you
and I failed you." His testimony and apology touched some and offended others. White House officials,
including Donald Rumsfeld, Condoleezza Rice, and Colin Powell, all disputed his claims. In their
efforts to cast aspersions on his credibility, they sometimes seemed to contradict one another. Clarke
has countered by saying that the White House is engaging in character assassination rather than
addressing the issues he raises.
Clarke has spent 30 years of his life in government service and has served in top positions
under three Presidents. He began his career in 1973 in the Office of the Secretary of Defense. In the
intervening years, he worked in the Pentagon, the Intelligence Community and the State Department. In
1992 he was appointed to the National Security Council staff. A recognized expert in terrorism, he
became the Clinton administration's National Coordinator for Security, Infrastructure Protection, and
Counter-terrorism in 1998. At the time of the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, he was the
counter-terrorism advisor on the U.S. National Security Council. After the appointment of Tom Ridge as
Secretary of Homeland Security, Clarke was given a new role, which many saw as a demotion. On
October 9, 2001, his title became Special Adviser for Cyberspace Security within the National Security
Council. His critics allege that he is a disgruntled employee retaliating against his boss. He calls that
charge ridiculous and claims he never wanted a higher level position. Clarke resigned from government service
on February 21, 2003 and founded a security-consulting company, Good Harbor Consulting LLC.
Clarke has never married, and little is known about his personal life. An only child, Clarke's father
died of a heart attack just seventeen days before the boy's 15th birthday. From seventh grade until
graduation, Clarke attended the prestigious Boston Latin School and did well there. He wrote for the school
newspaper, attended forums on world politics and spent many hours preparing for debates in which he argued
the conservative point of view. One of his high school chums said that Clarke read the Congressional Record
and followed foreign affairs on his way to school. "He was obsessed with politics, fascinated with foreign
affairs, and deeply interested in history." When President Kennedy called young Americans to serve the
country, Clarke made his career choice to enter public service. As a senior, he won a scholarship to attend
the University of Pennsylvania and graduated four years later in 1972 with a bachelor of arts. In 1978, he
earned his M.S. degree in defense policy from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. In 2000 he and
Anthony Lake wrote an e-book entitled "Six Nightmares" Real Threats in a Dangerous World and How America
Can Meet Them."
During his three decades in Washington under four different presidents, Clarke was widely respected and
widely disliked. Former colleagues remember him as a determined pit bull who often alienated his superiors
but who was always loyal to those who worked for him. One person called him a "hands-on bureaucratic
guerrilla" with a "gung-ho approach." Another colleague said, "Dick would just get into a foul mood sometimes
and say things that made enemies of people forever, because he belittled them publicly." About his reasons
for writing "Against All Enemies," Clarke insists that he just wants the American people to know
the truth.
Top
Quotes:
- In his high school yearbook, he quoted Dante, "The hottest places in hell are reserved for those,
who in a time of great crisis maintain their neutrality."
For More Information on the Web:
Top
What Do You Think?
Pat Taglilatelo has pulled off a genuine scoop. She read that Richard
Clarke was born in MA and that his father died when he was 15. Using
birth and death certificates she was able to confirm the birth data of
Richard Clarke.
Somebody’s reputation is going to be seriously affected by this Clarke
controversy. Bush has built his reputation on a tough pro-active response
to terrorism. Clarke is claiming that the administration was asleep at the
switch and has actually created more terrorists. Clarke claims credibility
from his tenure as a White House insider for three administrations and his
statement that he wouldn’t accept a position in the next administration.
The Bush team claims he’s just looking to promote his new book which was
written out of revenge over having been demoted in the Bush
administration.
- Looking at his chart and transits, is his testimony a soul-searched
response to the government’s handling of the war on terror or is it
based on ego, politics and desire to sell his book?
- What do you see in the synastry between his chart and the chart of
President Bush?
- Looking at the transits and progressions will his testimony that the
war on terror was bungled blow over or continue into the fall election?
View Others'
Answers
Fill out this form or, if you'd prefer, include your comments in an
email
message. Be sure to let us know if you would rather not have
your name and/or email address published.
|
|
AstroDatabank offers this
privately-funded forum for astrologers who want to share
astrological insights in a respectful and educational way.
AstroDatabank does not condone or support comments that are
profane, obscene or discriminatory against anyone’s race, color,
religious creed, national origin, ancestry, gender, disability,
sexual orientation, veteran status or any other similar
category. While we make an effort to remove as soon as we can
any comments that we deem inappropriate for these or other
discretionary reasons, we cannot guarantee that we are always
able to do so in a timely way given the nature of the Internet.
However, we reserve the right to remove comments or to block
participation at our sole discretion and at any time. Please
understand that users’ comments are their own and do not reflect
the views, techniques or interpretations of anyone at
AstroDatabank. We hope that you will use this forum to share
your astrological insights with your colleagues in a respectful
manner and that you will enjoy reading others’ comments on the
chart under discussion. For more information, please read our
legal disclaimer and terms of service.
Where do you want to go now?
|
