Lehman claims the commission was "mugged"

National Review has an interesting article today where Commissioner Lehman claims

"I think we were mugged by Viacom," Lehman told NRO in a phone interview on Thursday afternoon. "Because they changed the release date of the book and geared up 60 Minutes to launch his book to time them with his testimony and they edited his book to take out all of the criticisms of Clinton from his [original private] testimony. Because they wanted to make it a jihad against Bush."

Lehman says that Clarke's original testimony included "a searing indictment of some Clinton officials and Clinton policies." That was the Clarke, evenhanded in his criticisms of both the Bush and Clinton administrations, who Lehman and other Republican commissioners expected to show up at the public hearings. It was a surprise "that he would come out against Bush that way." Republicans were taken aback: "It caught us flat-footed, but not the Democrats."

Is anyone surprised? Clarke knew he could sell more books that way, so perhaps he could be excused for slanting his public testimony.

What's the 9/11 Commission's Democrat members' excuse?

These are interesting times. We have the Wilson meltdown, the Sandy Berger mess and now the revelation that Clarke and the Democrats, with the willing help of Viacom and CBS, ambushed the Republicans in an effort to hurt Bush. Just more evidence that the Democrats will stop at nothing to damage Bush in the eyes of the public, without any regard to the damage to the US or its troops.

Meanwhile, the Iraqis seem to be taking their future firmly in their hands, more and more evidence of al Qaeda-Sadaam connections are being found, we have the possibility that nuclear missiles may have been found in Iraq, destroying the "no-WMD" crowds' argument, the economy is booming and Kerry is "clueless". Perhaps the Democrats have "misunderestimated" ol W once again?

Hat tip to Tom Maguire.