This is Floyd Wynne with THE VIEW FROM HERE     (3-30-04)

          Who is right…..Richard Clark or President Bush?

          We have been bombarded from virtually every angle on who is better at battling terrorism.  

          Clark has mainly blamed the current Bush administration for not preventing the disastrous nine-eleven attack on the U.S.  

          President Bush and members of his cabinet have responded by noting what they have done about terrorism.

          The current investigation into the cause of the 9-ll attacks has at times degenerated into a political witch hunt in an effort to put the blame on someone for the attacks.

          It is perhaps co-incidental that Clark’s book came out just as the investigation began….then again some maintain it was politically inspired.

          In my book….both camps are theoretically correct in one sense.

          It is obvious to me that Clark’s idea of combating terrorism is to button up the nation, like a fortress, and defend against any future attacks.

          The Bush administration believe it much better to take the attack to the terrorists, rather than just wait for them to act.

          If you’ll recall, following the nine eleven attacks, the President declared it an act of war and from that point on has taken the attack to the terrorists.   Not only did we eliminate Afghanistan as a base of operation for the terrorists, but we eliminated the Taliban there as well.

          Clark consistently condemns the war in Iraq as a distraction, and that all that money should be spent on fortifying America instead.

          The fact is that there appears to be no doubt that Hussein was not only allowing his country to be used as a training area for some terrorists, he also was guilty of contributing $25,000 to each family in Palestine that allowed one of their members to become a suicide bomber against Israel.

          While Clark cites North Korea, Iran and Syria as greater threats to the U.S. because of nuclear capability…..the fact is that at the time Hussein was said to have weapons of mass destruction.  He had used gas and poison in prior conflicts against the Kurds and in his war with Iran.

          Confronted by the U.N. to explain what he did with them, he failed to adequately explain what happened to them.  The big threat, from the President’s standpoint was that he might well furnish these things to the terrorists who in turn would use them against us here in America.

          Defeating Hussein was easily done.  What perhaps was not expected was the influx of terrorists from neighboring Syria and Iran that first began killing Americans, and now have targeted the Iraq people themselves.

          Neither Iran nor Syria have done anything to stop the influx of terrorists into Iraq.  Instead they are supporting them and hope that they can drive the U.S. out and return Iraq back into an Islamic state.

          The war on terrorism is now being fought in Iraq and it may well be their last effort.  Defeated here, the terrorists, will have few states to return to since those supporting them will also become U.S. targets.

          In my opinion, I would rather that we fight the terrorists on Iraq soil rather than on our own streets.

          In the meantime….the blame game that is going on in the investigation is politically motivated.   It’s obvious that two views will emerge from them….one blaming President Bush….the other perhaps pointing up the need for better intelligence coordination.

This is Floyd Wynne and that’s THE VIEW FROM HERE.