REMEMBERING SEPT. 11: BILL CLINTON'S ULTIMATE LEGACY

David N. Bossie, author of "Intelligence Failure: How Clinton's National Security Policy Set the Stage for 9/11"

New Book: CIA Director Blamed Clinton for 9/11

Jon E. Dougherty, NewsMax.com
Wednesday, May 19, 2004

The Clinton administration repeatedly failed to recognize the growing terrorist threat against the United States, even after the first bombing of the World Trade Center in 1993, and was regularly outsmarted by al-Qaida founder Osama bin Laden, a new book reveals.

David N. Bossie, author of "Intelligence Failure: How Clinton's National Security Policy Set the Stage for 9/11" (Thomas Nelson/WND), backs up his claims with copious evidence gleaned from extensive research and exclusive interviews.

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Clarke, and Clinton, Got It Wrong

Another insider, former counterterrorism czar Richard Clarke, served Clinton and President Bush and claimed the Clinton administration did more to combat terrorism than the Bush White House. Bossie's research, however, portrays Bush's predecessor as inept on management and collection of intelligence about potential terrorist threats.

Clinton went beyond emasculating the military, which prevented it from deterring threats: He was an indecisive leader whose poor judgment and negligence contributed to the greatest attack on U.S. soil in history.

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Warnings of 9/11-Style Attack ... in 1994

"While the media was quite willing to ask what warning George W. Bush or his administration received before the [9/11] attack, it is important to realize that plenty of warnings were given long before he ever took office," Bossie writes.

He cites a Pentagon report called "Terror 2000" that was "prophetic" in warning of that hijackers could use an airliner as a missile against the Pentagon. The report also predicted the World Trade Center would be a terrorist target.

Now for the kicker. The report, Bossie notes, was written in 1994, just two years into Clinton's eight-year stint in office.

"Clinton wants everyone to believe the terrorism problem, the 9/11 attacks, were Bush's fault for not doing in eight months what Clinton refused to do in eight years," Bossie says.

"They're wrong, and there are facts in the book to prove it."

Presidential Decision Directive, PDD 39

"From the time President Clinton took office until May of 1995, a Presidential Decision Directive, PDD 39, sat in the National Security Council, in the In Box of one of the officials with no action taken. The significance of PDD 39 is that it was the document defining what the missions and roles were of combating terrorism,"

"Despite what happened at the World Trade Center in 1993, the Clinton administration did not finally act on [PDD 39] until after the attack in Oklahoma City,"

"The only reason for that is because in the two weeks prior to Oklahoma City, the front page of both Newsweek and Time Magazine carried the question: 'Is President Clinton Relevant?'"

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On Aug. 20, 1998, Clinton ordered cruise missile attacks on suspected terrorist training camps in Afghanistan and a pharmaceutical plant in Khartoum, Sudan.

"Our target was terror. Our mission was clear: to strike at the network of radical groups affiliated with and funded by Osama bin Laden, perhaps the pre-eminent organizer and financier of international terrorism in the world today," Clinton said at the time.

He told Americans that U.S. intelligence had uncovered information tying the bin Laden terrorist network to the embassy bombings.

"With compelling evidence that the bin Laden network of terrorist groups was planning to mount further attacks against Americans and other freedom-loving people, I decided America must act," Clinton said.

"Afghanistan and Sudan have been warned for years to stop harboring and supporting these terrorist groups, but countries that persistently host terrorist have no right to safe havens," he added.

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On Oct. 12, 2000, terrorists bombed the USS Cole as it sat in the Yemeni port of Aden. The bomb killed 17 U.S. sailors. American officials quickly linked the attack to bin Laden and al-Qaeda.

Global News Wire reported Clinton's response:

"If, as it now appears, it was an act of terrorism, it was a despicable and cowardly act," he said.

"We will find out who was responsible, and hold them accountable. If their intention was to deter us from our mission of promoting peace and security in the Middle East, they will fail, utterly."

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THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON
June 21, 1995

PDD-39 US Policy on Counterterrorism

http://tinyurl.com/9bdpc

Presidential Decision Directive 39

Purpose. To provide an unclassified synopsis of the U.S. national policy on terrorism as laid out in Presidential Decision Directive-39 (PDD-39).

Background. On June 21, 1995, the President signed PDD-39, U.S. Policy on Counterterrorism. This classified document laid out the national policy and assigned specific missions to designated Federal Departments and agencies. This unclassified synopsis is provided to enable Federal, State, and local emergency response and Consequence Management personnel without appropriate security clearances to have a basic understanding of the provisions of PDD-39.

PDD-39 validates and reaffirms existing Federal Lead Agency responsibilities for counterterrorism, which are assigned to the Department of Justice (DOJ), as delegated to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), for threats or acts of terrorism within the United States. The FBI as the lead for Crisis Management will involve only those Federal agencies required and designated in classified documents. The Directive further states that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), with the support of all agencies in the Federal Response Plan (FRP), will support the FBI in Washington, DC, and on scene until the Attorney General transfers Lead Agency to FEMA. FEMA retains responsibility for Consequence Management throughout the Federal response.

Definitions. Crisis Management includes measures to identify, acquire, and plan the use of resources needed to anticipate, prevent, and/or resolve a threat or act of terrorism. The laws of the United States assign primary authority to the Federal Government to prevent and respond to acts of terrorism; State and local governments provide assistance as required. Crisis management is predominantly a law enforcement response.

Consequence Management includes measures to protect public health and safety, restore essential government services, and provide emergency relief to governments, businesses, and individuals affected by the consequences of terrorism. The laws of the United States assign primary authority to the States to respond to the consequences of terrorism; the Federal Government provides assistance as required.

U.S. Policy on Counterterrorism

General. Terrorism is both a threat to our national security as well as a criminal act. The Administration has stated that it is the policy of the United States to use all appropriate means to deter, defeat, and respond to all terrorist attacks on our territory and resources, both with people and facilities, wherever they occur. In support of these efforts, the United States will:

* Employ efforts to deter, preempt, apprehend, and prosecute terrorists.
* Work closely with other governments to carry out counterterrorism policy and combat terrorist threats against them.
* Identify sponsors of terrorists, isolate them, and ensure they pay for their actions.
* Make no concessions to terrorists.

Measures to Combat Terrorism. To ensure that the United States is prepared to combat terrorism in all of its forms, a number of measures have been directed. These include reducing vulnerabilities to terrorism, deterring and responding to terrorist attacks, and having capabilities to prevent and manage the consequences of terrorist use of nuclear, biological, or chemical (NBC) weapons, including those of mass destruction.

a. Reduce Vulnerabilities. In order to reduce vulnerabilities to terrorism, both at home and abroad, all departmental/agency heads have been directed to ensure that their personnel and facilities are fully protected against terrorism. Specific efforts that will be conducted to ensure our security against terrorist attacks include the following

* Review the vulnerability of government facilities and critical national infrastructure.
* Expand the program of counterterrorism.
* Reduce vulnerabilities affecting civilian personnel/facilities abroad and military personnel/facilities.
* Exclude/deport persons who pose a terrorist threat.
* Prevent unlawful traffic in firearms and explosives and protect the President and other officials against terrorist attack.
* Reduce U.S. vulnerabilities to international terrorism through intelligence collection/ analysis, counterintelligence, and covert action.

b. Deter. To deter terrorism, it is necessary to provide a clear public position that our policies will not be affected by terrorist acts and we will vigorously deal with terrorists/sponsors to reduce terrorist capabilities and support. In this regard, we must make it clear that we will not allow terrorism to succeed and that the pursuit, arrest, and prosecution of terrorists are of the highest priority. Our goals include the disruption of terrorist sponsored activity, including termination of financial support, arrest and punishment of terrorists as criminals, application of U.S. laws and new legislation to prevent terrorist groups from operating in the United States, and application of extraterritorial statutes to counter acts of terrorism and apprehend terrorists outside of the United States. The return of terrorists overseas who are wanted for violation of U.S. law is of the highest priority and a central issue in bilateral relations with any state that harbors or assists them.

c. Respond. To respond to terrorism, we must have a rapid and decisive capability to protect Americans, defeat or arrest terrorists, respond against terrorist sponsors, and provide relief to the victims of terrorists. The goal during the immediate response phase of an incident is to terminate terrorist attacks, so the terrorists do not accomplish their objectives or maintain their freedom, while seeking to minimize damage and loss of life and provide emergency assistance. After an incident has occurred, a rapidly deployable interagency Emergency Support Team (EST) will provide required capabilities on scene: a Foreign Emergency Support Team (FEST) for foreign incidents, and a Domestic Emergency Support Team (DEST) for domestic incidents. DEST membership will be limited to those agencies required to respond to the specific incident. Both teams will include elements for specific types of incidents such as nuclear, chemical, and biological threats.

The Director, FEMA will ensure that the FRP is adequate for Consequence Management activities in response to terrorist attacks against large U.S. populations, including those where weapons of mass destruction (WMD) are involved. FEMA will also ensure that State response plans and capabilities are adequate and tested. FEMA, supported by all FRP signatories, will assume the Lead Agency role for consequence management in Washington, DC, and on scene. If large-scale casualties and infrastructure damage occur, the President may appoint a Personal Representative for Consequence Management as the on-scene Federal authority during recovery. A roster of senior and former government officials willing to perform these functions will be created, and the rostered individuals will be provided training and information necessary to allow themselves to be called on short notice.

Agencies will bear the cost of their participation in terrorist incidents and counter-terrorist operations, unless otherwise directed.

d. NBC Consequence Management. The development of effective capabilities for preventing and managing the consequence of terrorist use of NBC materials or weapons is of the highest priority. Terrorist acquisition of WMD is not acceptable, and there is no higher priority than preventing the acquisition of such materials/weapons or removing the capability from terrorist groups.

US Policy on Counter-Terrorism - PDD 39

PDD 39, which was signed by President Clinton on June 21, 1995, directs all federal agencies to plan for and deter terrorist activities. It assigns a limited number of federal agencies specific duties based on existing statutory authorities and response capabilities. The FBI and FEMA have the most significant assignments, as the Lead Federal Agencies for crisis management and consequence activities.

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Protection Against Unconventional Threats to the Homeland and Americans Overseas - PDD 62

In May of 1998, President Clinton signed PDD 62 to establish an integrated US counter-terrorism program. The program enables the US to counter terrorist threats more effectively and prepare to manage the consequences of attacks against US citizens or infrastructure.

Under the Directive, all agencies must maintain a Continuity of Operations Plan (outlined in Executive Order 12656). These plans ensure the continued operation of essential agency functions following an attack that incapacitates headquarters facilities and key leadership. (See also PDD 67 and HSPD-7)

EPA's role during a response is to provide chemical and radiation protection support and training and to supply protective, detection, and diagnostic equipment.

Critical Infrastructure Protection - PDD 63

In May of 1998, President Clinton also issued PDD 63, which requires federal agencies to ensure the continuity and viability of the US critical infrastructure. Critical infrastructures are physical and cyber-based systems that are essential for minimum operations of the economy and government. (See also PDD 39 and PDD 67) This PDD was superceded by HSPD-7.

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