All who read and admire Richard, the proprietor and author of the The Peking Duck, are delighted to find him up and blogging again after his arduous move back to the States. Those of us who are fortunate to know him personally, while quite happy to be able to read him after a short hiatus, nevertheless miss his actual presence in China and east Asia.
Knowing that he will return one day is of some comfort; but China needs people with the talents, insight and integrity of Richard. For now, we will content ourselves with his keen reporting. Of particular value is his perspective and reportage on what would seem to be an uneven match, the lone Richard Clarke versus the Attack Dogs of Bush the Second's royal court, from the scene of the crime, America. To wit:
I watched rather dumbfounded last week when Richard Clarke testified in front of the 911 commission. It was almost as though we were back at the hearings on Clarence Thomas or Watergate. I was mesmerized from the start, when Clarke uttered his now famous apology, which was surely the shrewdest, most brilliant snippet of political oratory I've heard in years.
Equally remarkable, however, has been the take-no-prisoners smear campaign spearheaded by Bush's lieutenants against Clarke, an ugly reminder of how nasty this administration gets whenever it feels threatened. (Remember Paul O'Neill just a couple of months ago? Same scenario, same full-frontal-assault tactics, same game of lambasting the accuser while ignoring the issues he brings up.)
