Cheney: Clinton 'Totally Ineffective' in Terror War

Newsmax ^ | 3/21/04 | Newsmax

[NotchJohnson]

Vice President Dick Cheney said Monday that the Clinton administration's strategy for dealing with the al-Qaida threat under the stewardship of terrorism czar Richard Clarke was "totally ineffective."

"The only thing I can say about Dick Clarke," Cheney told radio host Rush Limbaugh, "is he was here throughout those eight years going back to 1993, and the first attack on the World Trade Center in '98 when the embassies were hit in east Africa, in 2000 when the USS Cole was hit.

"And the question that ought to be asked is, what were they doing in those days when he was in charge of counterterrorism efforts?"

Cheney said that when President Bush took office, he did not want to repeat the mistakes of the 1990s.

"The fact is what the president did not want to do is to have an ineffective response with respect to al-Qaida, and we felt up till that point much of what had been done vis-à-vis al-Qaida had been totally ineffective."

Without mentioning Clinton by name, the vice president complained that the previous administration's August 1998 cruise missile attack on bin Laden's encampment in Khost, Afghanistan, "basically didn't hit anything, and it made the U.S. look weak and ineffective."

Bush, he said, "wanted a far more effective policy for trying to deal with that, and that process was in motion throughout the spring [of 2001]."

As for Clarke's motivations, Cheney said that his attack on the White House was likely rooted in personal animosity toward National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice, who had demoted him to chief of cybersecurity.

"I suppose he may have a grudge to bear there since he probably wanted a more prominent position than she was prepared to give him," he told Limbaugh.

[ladyinred]

Unfortunately, too many people believed every word that Clarke said. My coworker and I were close to blows today over this. I had to walk outside to keep from exploding listening to things like, " Clinton did everything he could to stop the terrorists" and " Bush and his advisor's have no idea what they are doing, and the entire world is turning against us." The very worse thing he said was" We are losing the war on terror. We are going backwards!"

[LucyJo]

A much smarter Republican black woman! LOL.

[sinkspur]

like your tag line and we did just that...rescued a dog and we love her to death. :)

Good for you! She will love you to death, too.

So many animals who want to love somebody are put to death every day.

The world would be so much better off if everybody had a dog or a cat.

[LucyJo]

I agree, that is the first thing that popped into my mind when I read the post. The libs would've been all over any conservative as a racist for criticism against a black female who happened to be a leftist Democrat.

[Waco]

The RATS are deeply saddned that 9/11 didn't happen in 2000. They were playing it that way, just hopeing. It likely would have put algorejr in.

[LucyJo]

I didn't realize Clarke was a registered Republican, but I thought the comment regarding him had less to do with race than with the hypocrisy of libs ala their actions toward Clarence Thomas and the recent appointments to the courts of a hispanic male and a black woman with conservative credentials.

[Ruth A.]

They are giving her the pratice she needs to be ready for the presidential slot in the future. Condi vs. Hillary--what a difference.

[Salamander]

Mel Gibson said the same of Abe Foxman on O'Reilly.
[he threw out the challenge "*if* Foxman had a pair" which Mel said he doubted]

Lord, I love manly men.....:))

[Enduring Freedom]

Excellent observation.

Winning the daily news cycles is EVERYTHING in political strategy.

Turn every attack into a more volatile counter-attack.

The Clarke fiasco is a golden opportunity for the GOP to provide cover to tell of the failure of Clinton to confront terrorism!

[Enduring Freedom]

Anyone else think that She-Devil had a hand in trying to knock out Rice for 2008?

[Enduring Freedom]

Q: The American people, by and large, do not know the name bin Laden, but they soon likely will. Do you have a message for the American people?


Bin Laden: I say to them that they have put themselves at the mercy of a disloyal government, and this is most evident in Clinton's administration.

[cubreporter]

Oh yes, she does love us to death too. It's wonderful to see her romping around our big yard chasing everything that crawls or flies. :) She's sweet and we're so glad we have her.

Yes, animals are great for people. They soothe, comfort and are fun. They are loyal and love you unconditionally. If more people had personalities like sweet dogs....I think the world would be a better place. I choose dogs cause I have one but...all animals are good and they don't kill their young. They protect their young. Thats pretty wonderful. We could all learn a lot from animals.

Ok...gonna go now and give my dog a great big hug now. :)

[hometoroost]

"leftist Democrat"

There was a time when that was not a redundant remark. Unfortunately, now the two are one in the same.

[MrB]

Clarke's a Democrat, therefor, by definition, a closet racist.

[Bigg Red]

Cheney is awesome.

&&

Cheney is always awesome! Every time I hear him, he leaves me with the feeling that, no matter what was happening around him, he would always talk in that same reasoned, sincere manner.

[Bigg Red]

Hmm! I think Dick Clark should go back to hosting American Bandstand! :-)

But, seriously, I saw him on with that buffoon Charlie Gibson on Monday morning and I wanted to go throught the television and smack his lying face when he started ranting about how the President sent soldiers to die in vain. I'd love to see him check in with any of our guys over there in Iraq and spout that bull clinton.

[Bigg Red]

I think that it was a huge mistake for the democrats to try to discredit GW Bush and his handling of terrorism.

&&

I wish I could agree with you there. But the Rats are getting one heck of a free ride on this one with the lamestream media playing only their side of it.