Think Progress omits key facts

In "Sins of the Husband," I make the case that Clinton Inc. has been spending much of the past seven years rewriting Bill Clinton's record regarding Iraq and terrorism in order to boost Clinton's legacy and enhance Hillary Clinton's political future.

Think Progress, the blog of the Center for American Progress and a branch of Clinton Inc., gives us a few examples of this phenomenon today.

In one item, Think Progress attacks Kenneth Pollack, the author of "The Threatening Storm." Pollack's 2002 book arguably made a stronger case for removing Saddam from power than the Bush administration did. Pollack, incidentally, served as the National Security Council's principal working-level official responsible for implementation of U.S. policy towards Iraq during the Clinton years. Sandy Berger brought him into the Clinton administration specifically because of his belief that regime change was the only viable option for Iraq.

Now, here's what Think Progress won't tell you. Lawrence J. Korb, a Center for Progress fellow, helped make Pollack's book possible when he was at the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR). In the acknowledgements section of his book, Pollack demonstrated his appreciation for his CFR colleagues. “Leslie Gelb, Larry Korb, Patricia Dorff, and the Council on Foreign Relations have my deepest thanks for their support, encouragement, and assistance throughout the writing of this book,” Pollack wrote. “Les and Larry quite simply made the book possible by giving me the time to write with minimal distractions and the resources to get it done.”

Pollack noted that his book was written with the CFR'S imprimatur. Korb might argue today that the imprimatur does not mean that he and CFR agreed with Pollack's argument. However, there is no evidence that Korb and CFR placed their imprimatur on another author's book that argued against removing Saddam from power.

In my opinion, if WMD had been found in Iraq and things went more smoothly with the occupation, Korb would be arguing today that he was wise to make Pollack's book possible.

Another thing that Think Progress won't tell its readers is that Clinton Inc. still maintains ties to Pollack. In October 2007, Sandy Berger, Bill Clinton’s national security adviser, became an adviser to Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign. Berger also operates a consulting firm called Stonebridge International. According to Stonebridge's web site, Pollack is one of Berger's consultants. While the bio page for Pollack notes his authorship of "The Persian Puzzle," it makes no mention of "The Threatening Storm."

Another item on Think Progress' blog today attacks Richard Perle and his relationship with Ahmed Chalabi. This is not the first time that Think Progress has attacked the Bush administration's association with Chalabi. In November 2005, Think Progress included an item entitled, “Sleeping With the Enemy: Chalabi’s Sordid History.” In the item, Think Progress offered a “short rap sheet on the man who the administration used to provide justification for the Iraq war.” Like Al Gore before them, Think Progress noted that Chalabi had been convicted of embezzlement by a Jordanian court in 1992. However, there is a gap in Think Progress’ “sordid history” and “rap sheet” on Chalabi. They went from 1992 to the Bush administration years and completely left out Chalabi’s activities between 1992 and 2001.

So, what was Chalabi doing during the 1990s? During much of that decade Chalabi led the Iraqi National Congress (INC), an umbrella Iraqi opposition group formed with the aid and direction of the United States government following the Gulf War. INC’s goal was the overthrow of Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein. During 1999 and 2000, Chalabi and the INC met with many Clinton administration officials, including Thomas Pickering, Madeleine Albright, and, yes, Al Gore himself. (Note that Gore's meeting with Chalabi came just seven years after Chalabi was convicted of embezzlement. Gore kind of gives hypocrisy a bad name.)

Of course, Clinton's chief of staff had to be aware of the fact that members of the Clinton administration were meeting with Chalabi and offering him support. Who was that chief of staff? None other than John Podesta, who is now the Center for American Progress' president and chief executive officer.

Do the folks at Think Progress have amnesia concerning Pollack and Chalabi. No. Their goals are to stir up hatred for Bush (just read the comments readers offer) and present those they favor in the best possible light. If they have to leave out the whole story (i.e., lie through omission) in order to achieve those goals, they will do exactly that. As a component of Clinton Inc., they have worked for years to damage Bush's reputation. Unfortunately, it seems they are now taking a bit of credit for finding success in that mission.