A SILENCE WORTH A THOUSAND WORDS

More was said by the stunned silence following Richard Clarke's defense of his sworn testimony yesterday before the 9/11 commission than all his sobering words. Yet none of the reports that I have seen in the print press or on television has captured the impact of that moment, let alone mentioned it -- -- except, of course, C-SPAN3's complete telecast.

After Clarke's dramatic opening statement -- an apology to "the loved ones" of those who died on 9/11 for the failure of the U.S. government to protect them, and for his own personal failure as counterterrorism coordinator of the Bush administration -- the most significant moment came in his reply to former Secretary of the Navy John F. Lehman. Clarke had "a real credibility problem," Lehman said, because his testimony differed from what he wrote in his just-published book, an angry attack on the Bushies entitled "Against All Enemies : Inside the White House's War on Terror -- What Really Happened." 

Everyone has reported that Lehman, like his fellow Republican, former Illinois Gov. Jim Thompson, wondered whether Clarke was merely "an active partisan selling a book" during a presidential campaign. Everyone has reported that Lehman wanted to know how Clarke resolved the difference between his 15 hours of private testimony and his book. And everyone has reported Clarke's explanation:

"No one asked me what I thought about the president's invasion of Iraq," Clarke said. "The reason that I am strident in my criticism of the president of the United States is that by invading Iraq -- something I was not asked by the commission -- but by invading Iraq, the president of the United States has greatly undermined the war on terrorism."

They say that when cross-examining a witness in court, it's wise -- imperative even -- to know in advance, or at least to anticipate, what the witness will reply to a question. Otherwise the answer could backfire. Clarke's reponse to Lehman was the perfect demonstration. The misguided invasion of Iraq, which was the elephant in the room, had trumpeted its presence. The stunned silence following his reply could not have lasted for more than 10 or 15 seconds. Yet those seconds seemed like an eternity.

The hush that descended on the hearing room was unique in a day of voluble testimony from various witnesses, including CIA Director George Tenet. It brought the drama to a climax. News reports recorded the words, but not the silence. TV clips excerpted the words, but not the silence. Maybe you had to be a drama critic to appreciate it.

Postscript: Well, well. The moment registered with Randall C. Archibold in a sidebar. He quotes Julie Talen, who watched the hearing from her Soho apartment: "Did you see that moment of silence?" Talen is identified as a writer-director. Figures.