Posted on 01/12/2016 6:10:56 PM PST by presidio9
Donald Trump on Tuesday blamed Bill Clinton for the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, saying that if the former president had authorized the assassination of Osama bin Laden thousands of Americans wouldn’t have died.
"I saw [bin Laden], I was watching him and reading about him making horrible statements about us, and I said to myself, I hope we take this guy out, and we didn't take this guy out," Trump said at a campaign rally in Cedar Falls, Iowa.
"And actually, Bill Clinton had their sights on him and then didn’t pull the trigger," Trump continued. "If they pulled the trigger you’d probably have the World Trade Center the way it used to be. And by the way, most importantly, with all the thousands of lives that have been lost and affected so gravely. So we have to be smart."
Clinton has acknowledged that he had the opportunity to assassinate bin Laden in 1998, but he passed, saying that a strike targeting the eventual 9/11 mastermind would have resulted in the deaths of hundreds of innocent civilians.
"I nearly got him," Clinton once told an Australian political leader. "And I could have killed him, but I would have to destroy a little town called Kandahar in Afghanistan and kill 300 innocent women and children, and then I would have been no better than him. And so I didn't do it."
In October, Trump infuriated many conservatives by blaming former President George W. Bush for the 9/11 attacks, which took place less than a year after Bush assumed the presidency.
How dare Trump blame Clinton for 9/11?
Oh wait...
well it was partially his fault.. Since it was under his watch the Terrorist came to America not once but Several times on false passports and Visa’s...
I do too. Always did. Remember the wall?
Why is this a controversial statement?
This is incredible! Brilliant! Thank you Trump. Finally someone is putting the record straight. Telling the Truth!
I thought it was Bush’s fault.
Bush was only in office for 9 months, and if you remember, his transition into office was severely hampered by the democrats due to sour grapes.
Clinton was absolutely the responsible partt.
Kandahar City is a 105 sq mile city with 500K people living in it. How does Clinton figure it's a small town?
That’s what I was saying.. It was Bills fault!!!
Bad economy in 2016? Bush’s Fault.
Moon Landing under the Nixon administration? Kennedy’s Fault.
Killing Osama bin Laden based on information obtained using methods Obama outlawed? Obama’s fault.
ISIS arises after the US pulls out of Iraq and fails to intervene in Syria? Bush’s fault.
Clinton administration changes to federal lending laws give rise to a real estate market bubble? Bush’s fault.
Republicans pass the Civil Rights Act? Johnson’s fault.
Republicans force Clinton to balance the budget? Clinton’s fault.
Putin responds to the “Russian Reset” by invading Ukraine and shooting down a passenger airliner? No comment.
Japan responds to the “Pivot to Asia” by annexing the South China sea? No comment.
Hurricane decimates New Orleans? Bush’s fault (bonus points: “Bush hates black people”)
Mom of dead Iraq war soldier demands answers from her president? Bush’s fault.
Islamic Radicals overrun US embassy in Tehran and hold US citizens hostage for 444 days? Nixon’s fault.
Mom of dead CIA operator demands answers from her president? Bush’s fault.
Islamic radicals overrun embassy and rape US ambassador to death? Right Wing Extremists’ fault.
National security advisor gets caught lying about the details of that attack? FOX News’ fault.
See how it works? It’s fun. Give it a try.
But apparently that issue wasn’t enough to keep Trump from inviting Bill to his wedding.
Several things that slipped down the memory hole need to be remembered:
* It was on the Clinton-Gore watch that Jamie Gorelick created that infamous ‘wall’ to prevent intelligence agencies from sharing information that could have prevented the 9/11 attacks.
* After the airline lobby raised all sorts of Hell about the airport security enhancements that were recommended by a commission chaired by Al Gore himself, those recommendations were watered down and made all but meaningless after the airlines and their lobbyists made some substantial contributions to the various Clinton-Gore advocacy groups.
* In the spring of 2001, two FAA security officials who had been rebuffed by their own Inspector General regarding the abysmal security at Logan Airport, contacted then-Senator John Kerry’s office to bring it to his attention, they were informed that since they were not constituents (they lived in Texas), there was nothing that could be done. Those FAA guys offered to fly to Washington on their own dime to testify before Kerry, but the Ketchup Kid wouldn’t give them the time of day. (this story covered extensively by journalist Paul Sperry)
I'm more interested in the idea how Clinton (who did supposedly use tomahawk missles against bin Laden at least once in his presidency) figured that the risk of collateral damage was 300 innocent women and children.
We are given to believe that a tomahawk launched from NYC can fly through a window in Washington.
Did the intel say that bin Laden as at a Billy Joel concert?
Valerie Jared was the one. She stopped the FBI and CIA from comparing notes.
Clinton had a chance (or 2, 3) to take out Obama Bin Laden...he did not.
If Zerobama can go back multiple years to blame his failures on Bush, it’s perfectly fair for anyone - Trump included - to blame Clinton for the horrific events that happened a few months after he left office.
So do I.
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