CNN's Zahn Forwards Notion Impeachment Hurt Hunt for bin Laden(Newsweek's Fineman-Imus transcript)

MRC ^ | Wednesday June 23, 2004 | BrentBaker Megan McCormack

[fight_truth_decay]

Impeachment process to blame for 9-11? Interviewing impeachment manager Bob Barr, CNN's Paula Zahn on Monday night advanced the notion that "analysts...are suggesting that this impeachment was a great distraction to the country and might have slowed down any kind of progress that was being made on the hunt for Osama bin Laden." In contrast, Newsweek's Howard Fineman, appearing on Imus in the Morning, held Bill Clinton culpable for doing a "big nothing" in response to a series of terrorist attacks on his watch. Fineman pointed out how Clinton said he was worried about how "it would look like he was pursuing a wag-the-dog strategy," but Fineman contended that was his own fault "for having sacrificed his own ability to, to defend the nation because of what he did in the Oval Office."

MRC analyst Megan McCormack took down some of the conversation between Fineman, who appeared by phone, and Don Imus on MSNBC's June 22 simulcast of the Imus in the Morning radio show:

Fineman: "To me the bottom line of this whole thing is, that what we're all looking at this book now through the post-9/11 lens. And one of the things we're looking back at the Clinton administration for, fairly I think, is, you know what they did after the World Trade Center bombing in '93, after the Khobar Towers in '96, after Kenya and Tanzania, after the USS Cole, and it all adds up to, for the most part a big nothing, and Clinton himself in his book talks about how there was discussion after '98 of some kind of major retaliation of strikes involving al-Qaeda and so forth, which they were just beginning to realize was so powerful. But Clinton was told he couldn't dare do that politically, because it would look like he was pursuing a wag-the- dog strategy and he was trying to take attention away from his own problems, and that to me is the biggest reason yet, why we should, we should, why he goes down the list in history, for having sacrificed his own ability to, to defend the nation because of what he did in the Oval Office."

Fineman soon elaborated: "I haven't read the whole book, but I've read a good bit of it and when Clinton gets to controversial stuff like the draft or like Monica Lewinsky, its in such a jumbled style, and its so, its not laid out clearly, that Russert would take all of it, he would clearly kind of unscramble the assertions that Clinton's making, and the evasions that he goes through he, and would try to get the historical record straight using this document to do it, and Clinton's not about to assist anybody in doing that."

Fineman took on Clinton's hypocrisy and, in a rarity for a member of the media, noted how Clinton destroyed the reputations of others in order to protect himself: "He as he was forced to do, he admits the Gennifer Flowers thing, and basically says that Gennifer Flowers should kill her lawsuits against James Carville and George Stephanopoulos and he says that she should leave them alone. And I think there's an example of Clinton being hypocritical, where he says that his whole aim in life after he survived this alcoholic stepfather was to not want to hurt anybody. That he was always, he always wanted to make peace, he never wanted to hurt anybody. But they destroyed a lot of reputations in his, in Clinton's defense..."

Imus: "...For him to describe as his worst day having to tell his wife the truth....If that was his worst day, what was it when Vince Foster killed himself, that just a troubling day, or how was that day, how did that day go down?"

Fineman: "Well, or when many Americans were killed in the Keynan-Tanzania bombing, the Khobar bombing, or you know in the USS Cole attack and-"

Imus: "What kind of day was that?"

Fineman: "Or when he had to order troops in and knew he was putting people in harm's way. I mean, there are lots of others. But he's, listen, this is the maddeningly self-involved Bill Clinton that we've known all along. Some of his insights in here about politics are brilliant, and he's obviously a guy with enormous capacity...I come away having read large chunks of it, not all of it, just thinking what a sad, what a sad waste it was, what a sad waste it was."

Yet many of Fineman's colleagues are enthusiastically promoting it.

[marty60]

Ofcourse it never occurs to the blond airhead that IF Clinton wasn't such a lying fool, the impeachment would never have happened. But, as leties are prone to do, it's blame everyone else.

[bray]

She is close! If BJ had not used the entire Justice Dept to fight his perjury & campaign finance charges, they might have been able to fight terrorism. He demoralized the DOJ, Military and Law enforcement for his personal sickness. He coddled rather than fought terrorists.

Pray for W and Our Troops

[ALOHA RONNIE]

.

OSAMA = 1995 Unindicted Co-Conspirator for 93' WTC Bombing

OSAMA = 1998 Indicted for 2 African Embassy Bombings

CLINTON = 1995 Refusal of Sudan Offer to bring OSAMA here

CLINTON = 1996 Refusal of Sudan Offer to bring OSAMA here

CLINTON = 2000 Refusal of Sudan to bring OSAMA here

CLINTON = OSAMA = 9/11

.

[Alamo-Girl]

Thanks for the ping!

[Made In The USA]

Trying to understand their twisted logic... So if I'm late for work because I was speeding and missed an important meeting... it is the fault of the State Police for having pulled me over and possibly having enforced the law.

Bubba failed to prosecute a war on terror, failed on many levels in his Presidency - simply because of Bubba. A leader takes responsibility, takes accountability. A leader doesn't offer excuses or rationalize. The buck "didn't stop there" during those 8 years.

[Made In The USA]

"...it would look like he was pursuing a wag-the-dog strategy," but Fineman contended..."

Clinton was in fact favoring of a wag-the-dog strategy. He wasn't sure what it was - but he knew that since it has some tail in it, it must be good!

[F16Fighter]

MEMO TO PAULA ZAHN:

Stick a straw into the nozzle on your brain. Let a little air out...

Then go and have your nails and hair done. That's your area of expertise.

[Mr. Buzzcut]

Silliness. It's not as if he needed to personally go out and find UBL. Make it a priority and assign the responsibility to the appropriate agencies.

Clearly, "providing for the common defense" was never top on his to do list.

[weegee]

It is the number one reason not to engage in secret adulterous affairs. They can lead to blackmail by your enemies, put you in a compromising position, and distract you from your job.

Whether or not there was an investigation, Bill Clinton spent a lot of time demonizing his political opponents, savaging and stalking the women who came forward, and trying to bury his tracks.

[weegee]

Additionally WTC I came in 1993 and Khobar came in 1996. Both events quite before the impeachment and both after or during election cycles where he proved popular enough to elect. A president with any understanding of the threat of terrorism would have used either of those events and his political popularity to rally the nation.

You neglect to mention that between 1993 and 1996 was the OKC bombing in 1994. Bill Clinton seized that opportunity to blame it on a VRWC and "evil hate filled polarizing" talk radio.

Bill Clinton looked like he was going to be a one term president until he showed himself to be a "victim" standing in the way of total "anti-government" anarchists. OKC did play into his 1996 re-election.

National Security was put on the trail of a "domestic" threat. Sadly that "threat" did not include Islamofascists.

[CyberAnt]

Puhleeeeeze! CLINTON HURT THE HUNT FOR BIN LADEN. He didn't do anything about it and I'm sick and tired of people blaming anybody and everything except the person responsible - BILL CLINTON!!

Clinton whines and whines he never had an opportunity for greatness .. YES HE DID .. he had several opportunities .. WTC 1993 (he never even went to look at the damage), Oklahoma City (his goons hid the truth), TWA 800 (his goons hid the truth), and the Cole bombing (he did nothing).

[Thom Pain]

Let's not forget that Newt was responsible for the Klintoon's tryst with Monica. You see, Newt "forced" the Gov't to shutdown because he wouldn't spend us blind. It was during the shutdown that Klintoon had illicit sex with "...that woman, Ms Lewinski" while his daughter was upstairs and could have walked in on them at any time!

Oh, and I'm sure Cheney is to blame somehow...

/sarcasm

[Michael Smith]

"...impeachment was a great distraction to the country and might have slowed down any kind of progress that was being made on the hunt for Osama bin Laden."

There was no hunt for bin Laden under the Clinton administration. To suggest that lobbing a few cruise missiles at empty tents and an aspirin factory constituted a "hunt" is goofy. CNN continues to live up to the name of Clinton News Network, and that's precisely why they have sunk to the bottom in cable news ratings. For many years when they were the only game in town, they enjoyed the privilege of being allowed to spoon-feed outright propaganda to viewers who didn't know any better. Now that they do know better, thanks primarily to Fox News Channel, they have abandoned CNN in droves.

[Huck]

this is the maddeningly self-involved Bill Clinton that we've known all along

Fineman is such a homo.

[jwalsh07]

I like it, brief and to the point.

[Huck]

Which is rare for me. I thought the same thing.

[small voice in the wilderness]

Harry Palmer And The Thong of Doom

[fight_truth_decay]

I believe it was said on Oprah he was left alone with all these lovely young ladies and therefore; he did it because he could. It was the Republicans fault that he was left alone with all these "children"..the temptation was so great! We know the outcome.

I might change the senario to: It gave him a perfect opportunity to romance Monica with fewer interruptions..this fit his plan. He knew what he was doing, with whom, when and he acted. She talked..he lied.."the devil with the blue dress on" temporarily became our National anthem.

It was a right wing conspiracy definitely! ;)

Evil Right Winger
F_T_D

[Reader of news]

Yes, Clinton hurt the hunt for OBL. I meant he was more interested in Monica than in the Presidency.

[snooker]

Here is a Freeper with the answe she was searching for ...