What Would Clinton Do? -- About Cindy

Sweetness & Light ^ | August 24, 2005 | N/A

[Sam Hill]

Surely you remember the media furor that occurred after the parents of a Medal Of Honor soldier blamed Bill Clinton for his death? I don't either.

In reality, the reports about this were few and far between. One of the rare accounts came from a foreign newspaper, the London Sunday Times:

May 29, 1994Dead Hero's Father Tears into Clinton

It was the moment President Bill Clinton wanted to restore his tattered reputation with the military before his departure for the D-Day celebrations in Europe this week, James Adams reports.

He had just presented posthumous Congressional Medals of Honour, America's highest military decoration, to the widows of two soldiers for valour in Somalia. After inviting the families for a moment of quiet reflection in the Oval Office, the president approached Herbert Shughart, the father of one of the two soldiers, and offered his hand.

To his astonishment the handshake was declined. ''You are not fit to be president of the United States,'' said Shughart Senior. ''The blame for my son's death rests with the White House and with you. You are not fit to command.''

The president reeled and the unprecedented onslaught continued for some minutes. According to witnesses it was a ''highly charged emotional moment'' which resulted in Clinton trying to explain to Shughart,Sr. why the events of that day last October were not his fault.

Shughart and his colleague, both sergeants, were killed trying to rescue fellow rangers from a vicious fire-fight in which 18 died and 75 were wounded. A later Pentagon investigation revealed that the troops had been refused the right equipment and there was no political or military plan to justify the Americ an presence in Somalia. Although the president has tried to escape the blame, he is largely credited with the failure of the whole American effort to bring peace to Somalia. According to witnesses to the Oval Office scene, the Shughart family remained unconvinced by the president's arguments.

''The medal doesn't help anything, other than that we are grateful that Randy will be remembered in such an honourable way,'' said Lois Shughart, the soldier's mother.

This incident is also recounted in Lt. Col. Tom McKenney's book, The Clinton Chronicles:

Eventually, after Clinton had sat on the paper work for eight weeks, two of the slain soldiers, Master Sergeant Gary Gordon and Sergeant First Class Randall Shughart, were posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor. As usual in such cases, the medals were presented to the next of kin.

Following the May 23 presentation at the White House, the families of the two men were invited into the Oval Office for a private visit with Clinton. Inside the office, the father of Sergeant Shughart refused to shake Clinton's hand, then look him in the face and calmly told him that he was responsible for his son's death, that it was for no purpose, that he was not fit to be President, and not fit to be Commander in Chief.

Clinton was visibly shocked, amazed, and momentarily speechless. It is revealing that he was surprised that the man should feel that way. Clinton really doesn't think the way most people do, seeming to lack a sense of personal responsibility. After a brief, awkward silence, Clinton caught his breath. Becoming angry, he turned to the mother of the dead soldier and said, "What's he jumping on me for? I didn't kill the kid!"

The Shugharts should feel lucky, I guess. At least Clinton didn't have them arrested or sic the IRS on them, as he did with his others who refused to shake his hand, such as Patricia and Glenn Mendoza.

[morans14]

Spot on!!

[clawrence3]

Be sure to Freep this poll "Should the President Meet With Cindy Sheehan?"

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/1469769/posts?page=19

[Doogle]

..hey you not to far off about the "pets" being in danger.
Remember "buddy" the white house dog? He couldn't talk, but he could point.



Doogle

[TNCMAXQ]

Probably a moot point anyway. Sheehan and her flunkies wouldn't be out there protesting Clinton. They'd be all for war, as long as a Dem had initiated it.

[Polyxene]

Bubba and the Heinous Harridan never owned a house, so poor ol' 'slamo-Cindy wouldn't have had anywhere to go to protest!

[cubreporter]

My thoughts exactly!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[exile]

"What Would Clinton Do? -- About Cindy"

Well Cindy is a bit long in the tooth, so he'd probably need some beer. Oh and some tiparillos

[samantha]

if Clinton had to deal with Cindy Sheehan, he would put a bag over her head and have carnal relations with her of course after he made her get a boob job.

[Lowell]

Clinton would meet her, talk to her, buy her dinner and then try and share a cigar with her for desert.

[Cobra64]

Without a doubt.....Clinton would get her in private and fondle her breasts......

I wouldn't touch that b!tch with your hands. LOL

[Sam Hill]

"Bubba and the Heinous Harridan never owned a house, so poor ol' 'slamo-Cindy wouldn't have had anywhere to go to protest!"

Actually the Clintons own a house on the coast of Santa Barbara--given to them gratis by the Thomases.

Anyway, Cindy could have gone to Martha's Vineyard during one of Clinton's many vacations there.

In fact, I'm sure there were often protestors there. But the media was never interested in people protesting Clinton.

[Cobra64]

He truly is: The Worst President in the history of the United States!" Bar none!!!

Carter is Number Two.

[snowrip]

The following is a letter to ex-President Clinton from James Smith, a former Ranger whose son Corporal James E Smith was killed in Somalia. Mr. Smith, a decorated Vietnam-era Ranger himself, rejected the traditonal letter of condolence written by the White House, and returned this in reply:

10 Mallard Lane

Long Valley, N.J., 07853

President William Clinton
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue
Washington, D.C., 20500

October 25, 1993

President Clinton:

As a warrior who was disabled in the Vietnam War and as a father of a warrior killed in action in Somalia, I cannot accept your letter of condolence for the death of my son Ranger Corporal James E. Smith. To accept your letter would be contrary to all the beliefs I, my son and the Rangers hold so dear, including: loyalty, courage and tenacity.

During the battle for Anzio, in World War II, an inept indecisive field commander sent the Rangers into battle where they were slaughtered. Fifty years later the Rangers again were ordered into battle, where they were surrounded and outgunned. But this time it was not the fault of the field commanders. No - this time it was the fault of the Commander in Chief, the President of the United States. Your failure to provide the requested combat support reveals a lack of loyalty to the troops under your command and an extreme shortage of moral courage.

I had the honor to meet the Rangers who fought along side my son and were with Jamie when he died. I heard of magnificent acts of courage and sacrifice. I had Rangers, with tears in their eyes, apologize for letting my son die or their failure to break through and rescue the trapped Rangers. The failure is not theirs, it is yours. Trucks and Humvees cannot replace the requested tanks, armored personnel carriers and Spectre gunships.

As a combat veteran I know that there are no certainties on the battlefield; however, as an Infantry Officer I will always speculate that significantly less casualties would have resulted if you, as Commander in Chief, provided the Rangers with the requested combat support - equipment with which Rangers routinely train and for which approval should have been automatic. The Rangers were pinned down for twelve hours - long hours when the Rangers were fighting for their lives and a Delta Force medic fought to save my son. Jamie bled to death because the requested armor support was not there to break through to the Rangers.

Rangers pride themselves on the Ranger Creed. "Driving on to the Ranger objective", or "Surrender is not a Ranger word" are not hollow phrases to the men of the black beret. These soldiers understand the word tenacious and wanted to complete their mission. As Ranger after Ranger told me, they were hitting Aidid's forces and command structure hard. But, the United Nations was actually impeding Ranger missions by offering sanctuary to Aidid's supporters. Your willingness to allow this dangerous situation demonstrates a lack of resolve in supporting the men you sent into battle.

My son is no longer here to "Lead the Way"; however, I am. Until you as President and Commander in Chief are either willing or able to formulate a clear foreign policy, establish specific objectives and, most important, support the men and women in uniform, I will "Lead the Way" in insuring that you no longer send America's finest to a needless death. When you are capable of meeting these criteria, then I will accept your letter of condolence.

Sincerely,

[signature]
James H. Smith
Captain/Infantry (Retired)

[TBall]

If she owned a cat it would be missing.

[Mo1]

At the same time Clinton was making crosses out of pebbles he found on Normandy beach--for the cameras

[Mo1]

I never knew any of this

That's because the media was too busy flooding the news of him and Hellary with scenes of them dancing on the beach in their bathing suits

[Sam Hill]

Close. Very close. But there were photos of him actually making the cross. (As you know.)

Isn't it weird that they have all been disappeared?

[Sam Hill]

"I never knew any of this. Clinton was so insulated from criticism that it would be laughable if it weren't so sad."

As I mentioned, there are very few articles about it still around. I don't think there were many more even at the time.

If it had happened to a Republican, it would have been the biggest thing since Watergate.

[Cathy]

Never heard one word about that father - unbelievable. I remember Hillary and Bill dancing on the beach and Hillary's fat a** on full view.

[Mo1]

Isn't it weird that they have all been disappeared?

Yep .. I was surprised that I was able to find that one