Posted on 02/09/2006 8:27:11 PM PST by infoguy
Nancy Soderberg, a former Ambassador to the United Nations and Foreign Policy Advisor under the Clinton administration, repeated the often-heard myth that President Clinton prevented Millennium attacks on the United States. Soderberg made the debunked claim as a guest on tonight's episode of The O'Reilly Factor (Thursday, February 9, 2006).
Soderberg's claim would refer to the arrest of terrorist Ahmed Ressam at the U.S-Canada border on December 14, 1999. It was later learned that Ressam planned to bomb Los Angeles International Airport on or around New Year's Day 2000. Clinton defenders have often falsely cited this incident as evidence that Clinton proactively and successfully defended the United States against terrorism.
The truth? Although the federal government may have been on alert as the Millennium approached, the arrest of Ressam was simply the result of "sheer luck" and "gut instincts" of an alert U.S. Customs inspector named Diana Dean. Dean was responsible for halting Ressam at the border, at which time he was discovered to be carrying bomb materials.
An April 2004 NBC Nightly News segment (link with video) reported (emphasis mine),
"[Dean] says no one had told her anything about being on alert for terrorists.
"'I don’t recall any specific threats,' she added. 'I don’t recall anybody saying watch for terrorists.'
"Customs officials confirm that no alert had gone out to the field ..."[T]here’s simply no evidence that meetings in Washington stopped the planned attack on American soil.
"In fact, senior counterterror officials attribute catching Ressam to good training and sheer luck."
Also, the 9/11 Commission Report concluded about the incident,
(Excerpt) Read more at newsbusters.org ...
That Nancy chick is a complete idiot. I've seen her on tv before....I geuss you can say she really really really misses Bill Clinton....if you know what I mean. LOL!
My understanding is that Clinton had nothing to do with it. The Millennium Attacks were prevented by a very perceptive local officer.
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