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If you forgot to make a New Year's resolution, or are still trying to decide on one, let me suggest that you resolve to devote a little time this year to solving the mystery of Sandy Berger and the Destroyed Documents. Pressure on Berger is what is needed, and the united voices of several thousand outraged Americans would provide it.

Berger was President Clinton's national security adviser, and therefore privy to the innermost thoughts and actions of Clinton and his aides on all national security matters. In 2003, the 9/11 Commission (co-chaired by former New Jersey Gov. Thomas Kean and former U.S. Rep. Lee Hamilton of Indiana) was naturally curious as to what Berger might be able to tell them about Clinton's actions concerning terrorist activities in the United States prior to Sept. 11, 2001.

To jog his memory before testifying, Berger spent several days in the National Archives in October 2003, browsing through documents of the period. Apparently something he found there disturbed him considerably, for he decided that certain documents - what The New York Times called “several versions of a classified report prepared in 2000 on the so-called millennium terrorist plots” - must never see the light of day.

A new report by the inspector general of the National Archives has now provided fresh details on what thereupon happened. Apparently, someone at the Archives saw Berger behaving oddly, “fiddling with something white, which could have been paper, around his ankle.” Shortly thereafter Berger left the building for a walk after dark. Several days later, members of the Archive staff confronted him about four documents, which were missing.

Berger thereupon admitted that he had taken the missing documents with him when he left the building - a flagrant violation of law. (He denied, however, stuffing them in his socks, as the eyewitness had suggested. He explained that “his shoes frequently come untied and his socks frequently fall down.”) Berger added that he had returned to the building, but that first, making sure no one was watching, he slid the documents under a trailer at a nearby construction site. After finishing his browsing, he left the Archives again, retrieved the documents, and took them home. There he cut some of them into little bits and threw the bits away.

All of these actions were crimes. When they came to light in 2004, during the presidential campaign (in which Berger was an adviser to John Kerry), he was forced to resign from the campaign. A year later he pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge in connection with the thefts (rather than a felony, which they were) and was fined $50,000, but was spared prison.

Apologists for Berger argued that no harm was done, because other copies of the same reports were still in the possession of the commission. But that, of course, is preposterous. If Berger thought it necessary to destroy the reports, even though other copies of them were available to the commission, then what he wanted to destroy wasn't the reports themselves but things their recipients (very probably including Clinton) had written on those particular copies.

What sorts of things would have impelled Berger to take the very serious risk of stealing those documents from the National Archives and cutting them to bits? Needles to say, Berger has never uttered a word on the subject. Today, his lawyer says Berger considers the matter closed and is seeking to move on.

Naturally! But it is as plain as a pikestaff that Berger was concealing, and is still concealing, evidence of grave derelictions by Clinton or his aides in connection with terrorist activities in the United States prior to 9/11.

(William Rusher is a Distinguished Fellow of the Claremont Institute for the Study of Statesmanship and Political Philosophy.)

Copyright 2007, Newspaper Enterprise Assn.

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Comments »

Don Myers wrote on Jan 5, 2007 10:40 AM:

" Now it is disclosed that Clinton gave Berger the security clearance to examine those files why is this not the top subject on ABC,NBC CBS, AND CNN...OR the New York Times? Oh Yeah...Dems get a free pass...same old crap! "

T.L.P. wrote on Jan 1, 2007 9:33 AM:

" What's the big deal? Why all the shock? He's a Clinton accolyte. He's just doing what all the Clinton cultists have always done. Protect the "Dear Leader". Protect the Prophet. Does Web Hubbell ring a bell? He went to jail TWICE rather than testify against his God. The Democrat party is a cult. Plain and simple. Clinton gets impeached and instead of reviling him for his transgressions, they rally round and hail him. He loses both houses of Congress and they still sing his Hosannas. He abuses women his whole life, even being accused of rape by one on national television and the womens' groups on the left leap to his defense and the media yawns. Sandy Berger? Sloppy. "

Benedict wrote on Jan 1, 2007 9:24 AM:

" I simply do not understand how or why this has been quietly pushed aside! "

gilles martin wrote on Jan 1, 2007 9:11 AM:

" one forgets that mr. Berger before going to work in the White House was the senior paid lobbyist for the communist chinese government.He must have so many skeletons in his closet that a simple job of retreiving embarrassing documents must have looked like a piece of cake.Please investigate further "

Bob Schmidt wrote on Jan 1, 2007 8:50 AM:

" I'm still waiting for an explanation for what Sandy Berger did. If we knew exactly what he did, it would be easy to conclude why he did it. And, why was there such a light sentence for what looks like a serious offense? Needless to say, the virtual news blackout of Sandy Berger speaks volumes. "

Sandra wrote on Jan 1, 2007 5:18 AM:

" Who is surprised at what this 'former' Clinton' advisor did? They have tried to blame the 9/11 attack on President Bush and all the while the real culprits sit in Chappaqua. He and his 'wife' hold the only answer and, thanks to this thief, history will never know the truth. How convenient for them. There are many of us who had the right idea about the Clinton's way back in '91. So sad that half the country was duped...but history will reveal who they are...for sure. "

Captain America wrote on Dec 31, 2006 8:58 PM:

" As we mourn the passing of President Ford, and his remedial actions to purge the lingered shame of Watergate, one can't help but wonder what would of become of the Berger matter had he represented a Republican administration. Watergate and Bergergate, some similarities. "

The comments above are from readers. In no way do they represent the views of the Rhinelander Daily News.