The seriousness of Richard Clarke's allegations this week was matched only by the comedy of the White House's reaction to them. (New Republic)
His best friend is Rand Beers, who is the principal adviser to the Kerry campaign," asserted White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan. Leave aside the fact that Clarke was a registered Republican who served under three GOP presidents without betraying any signs of Democratic leanings. Instead, consider the bizarreness of the allegation that Clarke is untrustworthy due to his association with Beers, whom Bush appointed to head counterterrorism at the National Security Council. Of course, Beers, like Clarke, quit the administration in disgust over its deficient anti-terrorism policy. So Beers, a Bush official who turned against Bush, has become a partisan, and thus Clarke has become a partisan as well, by dint of personal association.