Posted on 08/17/2005 4:51:10 AM PDT by NotchJohnson
BILL CLINTON AND OSAMA
This is a complete crock. President Bill Clinton, always looking for a chance to revise history about the impact of his disastrous administration's policies, has now weighed in on the issue of Osama Bin Laden. He says, and I quote: "I desperately wish that I had been president when the FBI and CIA finally confirmed, officially, that bin Laden was responsible for the attack on the U.S.S. Cole. Then we could have launched an attack on Afghanistan early. I don't know if it would have prevented 9/11. But it certainly would have complicated it." Surely you jest, Mr. President.
The U.S. S. Cole was attacked by Al-Qaeda on October 12, 2000. Too late for Bill Clinton to do anything about it, right? Well...not really. What Clinton is really doing is making excuses for his previous 8 years of inaction. Let's take a look at what he could have done to prevent 9/11 along the way, shall we? Let's just hit the high points here...don't want to take up valuable space.
In 1996, Osama Bin Laden was expelled from the Sudan. He was offered to the United States on a silver platter. Bill Clinton turned down the offer, and Osama went to Afghanistan. Would that have prevented 9/11? Preventing Bin Laden from ever going to Afghanistan and setting up a base there? It just might have.
In 1998, Al-Qaeda bombed our embassies in East Africa. What did Bill Clinton do? Nothing, really. He was too busy dealing with Monica Lewinsky to be bothered with such things.
But then, in the same interview, Bill Clinton actually has the gall to say: "I always thought that Bin Laden was a bigger threat than the Bush administration did." Oh really? Why then did you do nothing about it? Because, Mr. President, you're lying. You didn't think Osama Bin Laden was a threat at all.
And 3,000 people paid the ultimate price for your inaction on September 11, 2001.
He's got his legacy, that's for sure.
The Bush (I or II?) Administration thought Clinton (Bill and Hill) was a bigger threat.
You all know I remain a clinton hater. So I am prepared for the firestorm over this.
I think Bill Clinton means it. This is the closest he can dare to come as a former president so I welcome his statement.
Clinton was very willing to use violence when he felt certain who was the "perp".
I recall clearly that we could not positively ID the "perp" after the USS Cole was bombed. We were all stunned. He had a difficut time politically getting the FBI on scene to help determine who did it.
I for one thank former President Clinton for saying this.
clinton+clinton+gore+gorlick= 3,000 dead on 9/11.
No other administration will have this legacy but clinton, clinton and gore.
I would agree. But the nice thing is that we can vote the Democrats out. As long as it isn't close, like it was in Washington State.
He did what with the wat now?
What were you doing for 8 long years?
Oh...I remember now........always looking under the next desk.
For this?
"I desperately wish that I had been president when the FBI and CIA finally confirmed, officially, that bin Laden was responsible for the attack on the U.S.S. Cole. Then we could have launched an attack on Afghanistan early. I don't know if it would have prevented 9/11. But it certainly would have complicated it."
clinton puffs his chest and takes a jab at President Bush, and you want to thank him for it?
Read it again if you must... This comment is poor attempt to make himself look better and make President Bush look worse. With this comment, he is saying that by the time it was confirmed that osama was behind the attack on the U.S.S. Cole, it was too late for him to act, because he wasn't president; unlike President Bush, who could have acted sooner, but for some reason did not.
I assume he was talking about the first Bush administration because there is no way that he could say that meaning the present administration and lightening not strike him!
Bill Clinton would do himself more good by just keeping his big mouth shut.
We were in Norfolk when the Cole was hit. Clinton was a lot more interested in the photo ops than in who was responsible for the attack.
Nah.......His legacy will be forever found in the letters BJ, and in retrospect, that is about all he was able to accomplish in 8 years.
I am unaware of this, but has anyone ever bothered to investigate whether when Clinton could have had Bin Laden given to him by the Yemen government, did he receive any financial gain from the Bin Laden family?
Probably a kook conspiracy theory, but almost everything Clinton did was either for sex or money; if he could get both, so much the better (for him).
Clinton is taking another remark from the CYA playbook. In fact, he rewrote this playbook in looser and more liberal terms. It is remarkable that this "man" is still considered by some to be a good President. This logic escapes me entirely.
"Bill Clinton would do himself more good by just keeping his big mouth shut"
I despise these people. For a long time, I'd get upset and rant about the Clintons everytime the press brought out the mics and cameras. But, I've finally decided that while he's not doing himself any favor by speaking out, he does us some good when he constantly reminds the country of his stupidity. All the more reason not to give THE BEAST power. In another era, he would have been banished to the hinterlands, but nowadays you can't shame anybody.
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