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A Combative Clinton Defends Record on Fighting Terrorism
WashPost ^ | 9-24-06 | Michael Grunwald

Posted on 09/23/2006 8:37:08 PM PDT by STARWISE

Former president Bill Clinton angrily defended his administration's counterterrorism record during a Fox News interview to be aired today, while accusing "President Bush's neocons" and other Republicans of ignoring Osama bin Laden until the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

Clinton had planned to discuss his climate change initiative during his appearance on "Fox News Sunday," but he turned combative after host Chris Wallace asked why he hadn't "put bin Laden and al-Qaeda out of business." Clinton shot back that "all the conservative Republicans" who now criticize him for inattention to bin Laden used to criticize him for over-attention to bin Laden.Clinton said he authorized the CIA to kill bin Laden, and even "contracted with people to kill him." He also said he had a plan to attack Afghanistan, overthrow the Taliban and hunt for bin Laden after the attack on the USS Cole, but the CIA and FBI refused to certify that bin Laden was responsible, and Uzbekistan refused to allow the United States to set up a base.

By contrast, Clinton said the Bush administration's neoconservatives "had no meetings on bin Laden for nine months," believing he had been "too obsessed with bin Laden."

(snip)

Clinton : There is not a living soul in the world who thought Osama bin Laden had anything to do with Black Hawk down or was paying any attention to it, or even knew al-Qaeda was a going concern in October '93.

Wallace : I understand.

Clinton : No, no, wait. Don't tell me that -- you asked why didn't I do more to bin Laden, there was not a living soul, all the people who now criticize me wanted to leave the next day. You brought this up, so you get an answer. But you -- secondly

(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...


TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; Crime/Corruption; Extended News; Foreign Affairs; Front Page News; Government; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: afghanistan; alqueda; binladen; bluedress; cia; clinton; clintonlegacy; douchebag; fraud; guilty; liar; lyingpos; monica; obl; pantsonfire; shameless
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To: ohioWfan; DrDeb; Wolfstar; snugs; NordP; rodguy911

Ping!


81 posted on 09/23/2006 9:38:22 PM PDT by STARWISE (They (Rats) think of this WOT as Bush's war, not America's war-RichardMiniter, respected OBL author)
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To: onyx

And my eyes are killing me .. LOL.


82 posted on 09/23/2006 9:40:12 PM PDT by STARWISE (They (Rats) think of this WOT as Bush's war, not America's war-RichardMiniter, respected OBL author)
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To: Prophet in the wilderness

'The hypocrisy of the Dems are being shown through...
The last 5 years, the Democrats/MSDBM would not even consider President Bush as our President because they claim he was not elected, but, now ? they are saying that President Bush was President during the time of 9/11 and he had 8 whole months to sort things out and try to find OSBL.... incredible how the Dems use manipulation to distort facts and spin things.'

Agreed...these people are incorrigible. 8 months and Bush should have done something while Clinton get a free pass when he could have axed ubl. Amazing...





83 posted on 09/23/2006 9:41:20 PM PDT by SegerSkriv (I'm Rick Jayyyyymmmzzzz)
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To: SeaBiscuit
"He also said he had a plan to attack Afghanistan, overthrow the Taliban and hunt for bin Laden after the attack on the USS Cole"

How come it has taken six (6) years before we ever HEARD of such a "plan"???

84 posted on 09/23/2006 9:44:05 PM PDT by danamco
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To: STARWISE

So are mine and I haven't read all the stuff you have posted yet. :)


85 posted on 09/23/2006 9:45:38 PM PDT by onyx (1 Billion Muslims -- IF only 10% are radical, that's still 100 Million who want to kill us.)
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To: goodnesswins
He doesn't look too healthy.....wonder if he takes high blood pressure meds.....

I have wondered for years what his REAL medical history is. If I recall correctly, I don't think Clinton ever released his medical records under any circumstances. He was very peculiar about that. I remember that the media never (and I mean NEVER) questioned or pressured Clinton into releasing that information. There's a lot of things that Clinton never got called on.
86 posted on 09/23/2006 9:46:16 PM PDT by dbehsman (NRA Life Member, and loving every minute of it!)
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To: Waryone

I like this reply.

It's worth remembering.


87 posted on 09/23/2006 9:46:25 PM PDT by Running On Empty
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To: STARWISE
Caught on tape: Bill Clinton Freaks Out

YouTube - Bill Clinton Freaks Out http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3UwJabtvSUQ

88 posted on 09/23/2006 9:51:15 PM PDT by Zon (Honesty outlives the lie, spin and deception -- It always has -- It always will.)
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To: danamco
While they are grilling Slick over his non-attention to al Qaeda, I wish to hell somebody would stick a microphone in Mr. Inconvenient Truth's face and ask him about his airline safety commission, whose report he altered to remove recommendations for hardening cockpits and beefing up passenger screening. Within a week the airlines contributed over $200,000 to the DNC. If you REALLY want to know why 9/11 happened, you need to read up on this. The reason al Qaeda targeted U.S. airliners was because they knew they were easy targets....thanks to Al Gore. Of course, Slick knew about this too. But nobody ever asks either one of them about it.

Bastards.

89 posted on 09/23/2006 9:52:38 PM PDT by Dems_R_Losers (Vote as if your life depends on it -- because it does!!!)
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To: All

He's just pissed because he knows that his "legacy" will be that he "screwed the pooch" (in more than one way).

He's unhinged, he's freaking out...looney-ville here he is! hahahahahahahaha


90 posted on 09/23/2006 9:57:38 PM PDT by E.C.I. (Evil Conservative Industries)
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To: STARWISE

History tells important stories and gives great advise. Clinton like Coolidge and Hoover was happy to have a do nothing Presidency. He chose to do little to nothing about the growing agression. Or are we to believe he was just ignorant to things happening around him i.e., Kim Jong Il getting Nukes, Saddam Hussein bilking the UN oil for food scandal and reconstituting his weapons programs. OBL rise to power and prominence as head of Al-Qaeda, the rise of the Taliban in Afghanistan. The direct attacks of radical Islamists including Mogadishu, Nairobi, Tanzania, Sudan. WTC Part I, the Cole and on and on. Limited response fueled and emboldened our enemies that is an important lesson of history. So what was it exactly that Sandy Berger felt he needed to risk his freedom to steal and destroy out of the national archives are we to believe that is nothing. Luckily we find the election of 2000 found the right man at the right place and time can you just imagine if Gore would have won. I firmly believe that would have been the end of the Democratic party the calls for years of failed policy would have fallen squarely on the Clinton/Gores. Anyway I digress... My point is that On Septemper the 11th 2001 this world changed and George W. Bush has held Freedoms light up since that day and history will be the judge of his actions.

One day the plaque on Rushmore may read "This likeness of the 43rd President of the United States, whose steadfast leadership and efforts to foster peace and democracy in a troubled world, solved the crisis of his time. His resolve in the face of enemies both foreign and domestic was as strong as the granite which herein bears his image."


91 posted on 09/23/2006 10:02:07 PM PDT by tomnbeverly (Democrats Will Take Your Tax Dollars and Support Illegal Immigrants, School, Housing and Health Care)
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To: tomnbeverly; ohioWfan; Wolfstar; DrDeb; snugs; onyx; MJY1288; mystery-ak; silent_jonny; kitkat; ...
One day the plaque on Rushmore may read

"This likeness of the 43rd President of the United States, whose steadfast leadership and efforts to foster peace and democracy in a troubled world, solved the crisis of his time. His resolve in the face of enemies both foreign and domestic was as strong as the granite which herein bears his image."

That is wonderfully stirring and a completely accurate inscription ... God bless President W. Bush. He BELONGS there. Thank you!


92 posted on 09/23/2006 10:09:48 PM PDT by STARWISE (They (Rats) think of this WOT as Bush's war, not America's war-RichardMiniter, respected OBL author)
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To: SegerSkriv

Actually, from the fiasco of the 2000 election, Bush really didn't have his Administration on sure footing until a few months after he was sworn into office, so ? really ? Bush only had about 5 months and the Dems know it ( and caused it ) but still think BUSH is super human to do in 5 months what Billy Bob had to do with 8 years.


93 posted on 09/23/2006 10:10:18 PM PDT by Prophet in the wilderness (PSALM 53 : 1 The FOOL hath said in his heart , There is no GOD .)
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To: GoBucks2002

No Republican has the guts.
Sadly you are right ..The republicans have neve rlearned to hit back and hit back hard. The MSM has been tourturing Bush for years and he's takin it many times too many in my opinion. Watch how the media runs to Klintoons side on this one ..They will cry foul and hit piece on every station in the US.Half the country believes Klintoons EVERY word as gospel .


94 posted on 09/23/2006 10:11:06 PM PDT by sonic109
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To: STARWISE

Wallce could have punched him


95 posted on 09/23/2006 10:13:22 PM PDT by woofie
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To: Honestfreedom
Dear Honest,

There are obviously a great many things you either aren't aware of, or don't recall.

First, the typical transition period should have begun shortly after the November elections. That did not occur, due to the continuous recounts, etc. There were several news reports that the Clinton White House was refusing to brief the Bush Transition Team on top secret issues, under the guise that the Presidency was still in question; hence, President Bush was not receiving the same security briefs that Vice President Gore received.

The transition period typically takes several months. In this instance, the Bush administration had just a few weeks to patch their government together. Clinton's crew did more damage on the way out, passing a whole host of last day Executive Orders that Bush had to address, tearing up the White House, damaging computers (remember all the White House keyboards had to be replaced because they pried the W key off of them - Michael Dell shipped hundreds of keyboards to the White House to replace them?). Time wasted, wasted, wasted!!!

Then Jim Jeffords jumps ship and the Democrats come up with their "power sharing" plan for the Senate? Or the spy plane that crashed in China? Or the political patty-cake the Dems played as Bush tried to install his permanent staff? How the media repeatedly bashed the President while newspapers were still counting dangling chads after January? The constant crowing by the MSM about how could the President reach across the aisle? The MONTHS that were wasted on this sh*t?

But the worst was Jamie Gorelick, that creature who SHOULD have been brought BEFORE the 9-11 commission instead of sitting on it, and her now infamous "wall of separation" between the CIA and the FBI. Let us not forget some of the horrible changes that took place within the intelligence agency under Clinton and Director Deutch, where the intelligence community was DOWNSIZED. (Presidential Decision Directive PPD/NSC - April 23, 1996). As early as 1994, even the left-leaning Federation of American Scientists had this to say about Clinton's handling of the intelligence community:

"The new Board will consist of representatives of the major national security agencies including CIA, DOD, State, Energy, Justice, and OMB. Evidently, however, the Board will not have any new authority to define policy, and existing bodies will not lose any of their authority. 'Nothing in this directive amends or changes the authorities and responsibilities of the DCI, Secretary of Defense, Secretary of State, Secretary of Energy, Attorney General, Director of the FBI, or Director of ISOO.'

"In lieu of anything that could be called a policy decision, the directive cites four guiding principles identified by the Joint Security Commission in its year-long study (S&GB 33):
our security policies must realistically match the threats we face and must be sufficiently flexible to facilitate change as the threats evolve.
our security policies must be consistent and enable us to allocate scarce resources effectively.
our security standards and procedures must result in the fair and equitable treatment of all Americans upon whom we rely to guard our nation's security.
our security practices and procedures must provide the security we need at a price we can afford.'

Of course, the nation did not need a Presidential directive (or a Joint Security Commission) to determine that security policies should be realistic, fair and cost-effective. What is needed is a mechanism to achieve these common sense goals at a time when there is no official consensus about the nature or magnitude of the threats we face, or about who will set the standard with which security policies will be made consistent."(Secrecy & Government, Issue Bulletin #38, August, 1994)

Hmmmm, so, let's see, incompetent personnel, poor policy decisions, incomplete or unshared information, all left overs from Clinton. Precious months wasted while the Dems hogged up the television, played power games, and picked their *sses. MSM bashing the President while he did he best to run the country and build momentum to get things done, all the while fighting to get his folks installed in KEY, NECESSARY positions for the government to run effectively.

We can fill pages and pages worth of information, but it's all out there, so start digging. But if you can't see the difference between Clinton and Bush with just this as a starting point, no amount of facts are going to help you.

96 posted on 09/23/2006 10:16:16 PM PDT by TheWriterTX (Proud Retrosexual Wife of 13 Years)
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To: Honestfreedom
what did Bush do regarding Bin Laden in his first 8 months

What 8 months? Seems I remember the dimrat Clinton out going people wouldn't' turn the keys to many of the offices and buildings from which the government is run and in which is the information - Don't I remember that even Cheney had to set up in another building for some months? (Not to mention the outrageous shenanigans for weeks and weeks of chad counting - that also delayed the incoming party getting information to get prepared...and do you really think the docs Berger stole and destroyed were the only ones? Remember how the computers, even in the White House, had been trashed???

And then, in President Bushes very first few weeks, there was the China/P3 incident - which Pres. Bush handled with perfection. (I wonder if that flight crew might not still be captive in China had Clinton or another rat been in office.)

So "in all fairness", if you have information that says the Clinton gang left pertinent information that the new administration could use - let us know.

I believe they put every stumbling block they could in the way...

97 posted on 09/23/2006 10:16:41 PM PDT by maine-iac7 ("...but you can't fool all of the people all of the time." Lincoln)
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To: Lurker

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH Just spit my coffee all over my screen ..That is TOO funny bro ..EXCELLENT !!!!!!!!!!!!


98 posted on 09/23/2006 10:17:13 PM PDT by sonic109
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To: GoBucks2002
No one will ever question them. No Democrat will ever want to. No Republican has the guts.

BJ Clinton is like the Islamists. He overreacts so much, that people are then afraid of "offending" him. He knows exactly what he is doing. He is a lying bully and a thug.

99 posted on 09/23/2006 10:17:31 PM PDT by DeweyCA
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To: TheWriterTX

AMEN !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


100 posted on 09/23/2006 10:20:40 PM PDT by E.C.I. (Evil Conservative Industries)
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