corrente

Clarke nailed that one too. Read the transcript:

THOMPSON: So you believed that your conference with the press in August of 2002 is consistent with what you've said in your book and what you've said in press interviews the last five days about your book?

CLARKE: I do. I think the think that's obviously bothering you is the tenor and the tone. And I've tried to explain to you, sir, that when you're on the staff of the president of the United States, you try to make his policies look as good as possible.
(transcript via Times)

Duh! In fact, these is a beautiful case of "blame the victim." The WhiteWash House puts out the lies on WMD. The WhiteWash House puts out the lies on an A-Iraq connection. Clarke is duty-bound to defend all this as best he can, to make The WhiteWash House look "as good as possible."

Then when his obligations to The WhiteWash House are over, he's free to tell the truth as he sees it, exposing the The WhiteWash House lies. And Clarke is the inconsistent one? I don't think so.

UPDATE Froomkin rips Condi a new one:

Okay, students of the White House, what did we learn yesterday?

1) Senior administration officials can make remarks on a not-for-attribution basis to the press -- but the White House can later decide to make the attribution public if it can help discredit said senior administration official-turned-whistle-blower.

2) When you're a special assistant to the president, your job is to tell the press the truth -- but only the parts that reflect well on the president.

3) When you're the national security adviser, it's really important for the public to understand your position so you give lots of interviews to the press -- but you can't answer questions under oath before a legislatively-chartered body because that would be a violation of the Constitution.

4) It's not okay to suggest the president has credibility problems -- unless you're the president, and you're at a black-tie correspondents dinner, and you're being really, really funny.
(via WaPo)

Looks like the WhiteWash House outing the source of a backgrounder has the press pretty steamed. Say, doesn't this remind me of something.... Something criminal... Starts with a "P"....