Bartlett was in damage control today and literally is in denial himself as he spews the White House propaganda. Watch the segment and read the transcript to see what I mean.

Mike L says: White House in Full Damage Control: White House Counselor and close Bush-confidant, Dan Bartlett, was on This Week w/ George Stephanopolous in full damage control. George touches on every significant story in the news and Bartlett had a response for each and every one: On State of Denial: Woodward was biased, came to pre-conceived conclusions and "didn't connect his own dots". Apparently his books are worth buying/reading when he sucks up to the administration but when it comes to being critical, he's biased.

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On the pre-9/11 meetings between George Tenet, Cofer Black and Condoleeza Rice: Those meetings, in Condi's mind, "didn't happen." Bartlett claims the first eight months of Bush's presidency were some of the most investigated eight months in history yet 9/11 Commissioner's are saying they didn't know about the meetings. Thoroughly investigated? Or covered up by executive Director and Bush-insider Phillip Zelizow? Jack Abramoff's extensive access to the White House?: Abramoff's "contacts" were benign and simply used as an "excuse to bill his clients." On Predatorgate: House leadership "appears to be very aggressive" in pursuing the investigation. Again, aggressively investigating or agressively covering up prior knowledge and inaction?

Full Transcript from ABC:

STEPHANOPOULOS: Now, in 2004, Bob Woodward wrote a book, "Plan of Attack." You went out publicly, urged people to go buy it and read it. I take it you're not going to do that with "State of Denial?"

BARTLETT: Well, George, it is a book that we participated at various levels within the administration, both in the White House and other parts of the administration, Department of Defense and State. But I must say, George, I think as we worked with Bob on this project from the very outset, it was unfortunate that we felt he had already formulated some conclusions even before the interviewing began.

STEPHANOPOULOS: That's a pretty stiff charge. You're saying he is a biased reporter on this?

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This is the first 20 minutes of Bill Clinton's interview with Chris Wallace on Fox News Sunday. In this clip, Wallace asks Clinton why he didn't do more to capture or kill Osama bin Laden while he was in office. Clinton clearly feels like he has been set up and doesn't hold back in telling Wallace just how he feels.

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Update:

John Amato: It makes you wonder why Wallace has never asked any Republican in Bush's administration why they didn't catch Osama, doesn't it? When Wallace tells us that he got emails about it so... he just had to bring it up?. Has he ever mentioned emailers before on his show? Wallace brought the FOX News right-wing agenda to play on this interview. We should email Chris every time he has on anyone from the Bush administration and see if our questions get through.

Rice admits that the Bush administration didn't want to retaliate for the Cole bombing, despite Clarke's prodding:

CLARKE: I suggested, beginning in January of 2001, that ... there was an open issue which should be decided about whether or not the Bush administration should retaliate for the Cole attack [which occurred in October 2000].

Unfortunately, there was no interest, no acceptance of that proposition. And I was told on a couple of occasions, "Well, you know, that happened on the Clinton administration's watch." I didn't think it made any difference. I thought the Bush administration, now that it had the CIA saying it was al Qaeda, should have responded.
...

RICE: I do not believe to this day that it would have been a good thing to respond to the Cole, given the kinds of options that we were going to have. ... We really thought that the Cole incident was passed, that you didn't want to respond tit-for-tat. ...Just responding to another attack in an insufficient way we thought would actually probably embolden the terrorists -- they had been emboldened by everything else that had been done to them -- and that the best course was to look ahead to a more aggressive strategy against them.

...

Why wasn't Condi Rice asked about Osama's PDB? Etc...

Here's the transcript of the Wallace/Clinton interview below the fold:

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While most progressives disagree with Mr. Graham on most issues, he delivers a nearly perfect performance in defense of not tinkering with the Geneva Conventions.

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John Amato:

I'm suspicious over the outrage by Republicans because they usually twist and shout for a while and then rubber stamp Bush. Digby feels the same way and calls this a kabuki dance...

The main reason I know this is kabuki is more than just instinct...read on

This morning, Fox News Sunday celebrated Ohio Representative Bob Ney who plead guilty to corruption charges earlier this week.

Chris Wallace begins the segment saying, "Given the ways of Washington, it was only a matter of time before one of the people we profile at the end of this show got in trouble with the law..."

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Howard Dean gave a good performance on this morning's edition of Fox News Sunday. He breezed through Chris Wallace's interview with clear, honest and realistic answers. Chairman Dean presented one of the most unified voices for the Democratic Party of the election season so far.

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Senator Hagel told Chris Wallace that he is concerned about the plan for "getting out of Iraq." The Senator believes that the wisest course is to begin withdrawing troops within the next 6 months.

Hagel says that, regardless of the U.S occupation, only Iraq could determine the outcome of the current violence there.

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(Updated by John)

On Fox News Sunday, Senator Chuck Hagel reaffirmed his opposition to an NSA program that routinely listens to domestic calls without Congressional or court oversight

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Was Chuck Hagel a Jimmy Carter appointee? I don't think so. Bush, Alberto and his gang decided not to change the law in the first place and Hagel doesn't agree. Chuck isn't very happy to have the NSA politicized by what he says is from both sides. That didn't stop FOX News, Lieberman, and Cheney from doing it as soon as the UK plot hit the wires.

Today on NBC's Meet the Press, David Gregory asked DNC Chairman Howard Dean, about his support for Ned Lamont vs. Joe Lieberman.

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MR. GREGORY: Let me ask you about the big political news of the week, that of course related to Senator Joe Lieberman. Six years ago he was the vice presidential choice for your party. What happened?

MR. DEAN: I think he embraced George Bush’s policies, and the American people are tired of George Bush’s policies. They want a new direction in this country, and, and the voters have spoken.

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Today on NBC's Meet the Press, RNC Chairman Ken Mehlman refused to support the Republican candidate in Connecticut's Senate race. Mehlman expressed his agreement with Lieberman's policies on the Iraq war and national security. Mehlman said that Lieberman had been "kicked out of the Democratic party" for supporting the President's position on the Iraq war.

Does Ken Mehlman secretly want Joe Lieberman to win Connecticut's Senate seat in the upcoming election?

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transcript

MR. GREGORY: Let me ask you about the Republican candidate in Connecticut, Alan Schlesinger. You’ve been going around the country...

MR. MEHLMAN: Yeah.

MR. GREGORY: ...and been very clear...

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