[Outgoing Deputy National Security Advisor Lieutenant General Donald L. Kerrick], who stayed through the first four months of the Bush administration, said, "candidly speaking, I didn’t detect" a strong focus on terrorism. "That’s not being derogatory. It’s just a fact. I didn’t detect any activity but what Dick Clarke and the CSG [the Counterterrorism Strategy Group he chaired] were doing." General Hugh Shelton, whose term as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff began under Clinton and ended under Bush, concurred. In his view, the Bush administration moved terrorism "farther to the back burner."

As reported here. Oh, and neither of them have books out. (Yes, yes. "Obviously" Clarke — who is now richer than Bill Gates from his astounding book sales — is giving these guys a cut of his lucrative pie . . . blah blah blah)

And here‘s a nice little historical nugget. This is Judy Woodruff, reporting on CNN. The date is April 30, 2001.

"The State Department officially released its annual terrorism report just a little more than an hour ago, but unlike last year, there’s no extensive mention of alleged terrorist mastermind Osama bin Laden. A senior State Department official tells CNN the U.S. government made a mistake in focusing so much energy on bin Laden and "personalizing terrorism."

Mmmmmm. I guess Judy and/or the State Department is on Clarke’s payroll, too.