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Clinton defends himself in Fox interview
Associated Press ^ | 09/24/06

Posted on 09/24/2006 7:23:51 PM PDT by presidio9

In a combative interview on "Fox News Sunday," former President Clinton defended his handling of the threat posed by Osama bin Laden, saying he tried to have bin Laden killed and was attacked for his efforts by the same people who now criticize him for not doing enough.

"That's the difference in me and some, including all of the right-wingers who are attacking me now," Clinton said in the interview. "They ridiculed me for trying. They had eight months to try, they did not try."

Clinton accused host Chris Wallace of a "conservative hit job" and asked: "I want to know how many people in the Bush administration you asked, 'Why didn't you do anything about the Cole?' I want to know how many people you asked, 'Why did you fire Dick Clarke?'"

He was referring to the USS Cole, attacked by terrorists in Yemen in 2000, and former White House anti-terrorism chief Richard A. Clarke.

Wallace said Sunday he was surprised by Clinton's "conspiratorial view" of "a very non-confrontational question, 'Did you do enough to connect the dots and go after Al Qaida?'"

"All I did was ask him a question, and I think it was a legitimate news question. I was surprised that he would conjure up that this was a hit job," Wallace said in a telephone interview.

Clinton said he "worked hard" to try to kill bin Laden.

"We contracted with people to kill him. I got closer to killing him than anybody's gotten since," he said.

He told Wallace, "And you got that little smirk on your face and you think you're so clever, but I had responsibility for trying to protect this country. I tried and I failed to get bin Laden. I regret it, but I did try and I did everything I thought I responsibly could."

The interview was taped Friday during Clinton's three-day Global Initiative conference.

On NBC's "Meet the Press," also taped Friday and aired Sunday, Clinton told interviewer Tim Russert that the biggest problem confronting the world today is "the illusion that our differences matter more than our common humanity."

"That's what's driving the terrorism," he said. "It's not just that there's an unresolved Arab-Israeli conflict. Osama Bin Laden and Dr. al-Zawahiri can convince young Sunni Arab men, who have — and some women — who have despairing conditions in their lives, that they get a one-way ticket to heaven in a hurry if they kill a lot of innocent people who don't share their reality."


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Extended News; Foreign Affairs; Government; Israel; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: binladen; chriswallace; clinton; clintonlegacy; formerfirstrapist; foxnewschannel; heletbinladengo; republicannonsense; smirkforthebigjerk; x42
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To: Vn_survivor_67-68
Clinton did not look presidential he looked like a two year old throwing a temper tantrum in an adult body. There was nothing 'nice' or appealing about his performance and the 'kooks' do not need to be convinced, it is the middle can't decide moderates, required for election winning.

There is nobody in this nation that can remember that anybody was complaining about Clinton being obsessed with getting OBL. The wag the dog was over Iraq not OBL which was a bald face lie on Clinton's part.

So while I agree he came in looking to score some political points he flopped cause he look like a pathetic sore loser, and a bad one at that.

Nobody outside of the politically alert have a clue who Richard Clarke was or is so Clinton's continual ordering of reading his book was about WHAT? Does he gain a commission of book sales Sunday onward?
101 posted on 09/25/2006 2:50:13 PM PDT by Just mythoughts
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To: Just mythoughts

"...Clinton's continual ordering of reading his book was about WHAT? Does he gain a commission of book sales Sunday onward?"

All I know about the book (pub 2004) is that Clark wrote it after becoming disgruntled about Bush not making him Sec of Homeland Security.....thus he went very easy on Clinton and bashed the daylights out of Bush for going into Iraq, making some nebulous distinction between Iraq and the overall WOT......of course history is that the left and moozies followed suit.......so any chump that reads it now at Clintons urging will get a load of BushBashing and Clinton pretty much gets a pass, consistent with his "I failed, but I tried to get bin Laden, more than anyone since". Oh yeah, Clinton also threw in a "Clark was demoted" (by Bush).

I'll bet Billy boy practiced in front of a mirror before the Wallace interview.


102 posted on 09/25/2006 4:48:55 PM PDT by Vn_survivor_67-68
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To: KosmicKitty

THANK YOU for that! TOO FUNNY!


103 posted on 09/25/2006 9:01:51 PM PDT by anonsquared
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To: Chgogal

KosmicKitty was sweet enough to provide this in post #95 of this thread.

" It's been done http://wizbangblog.com/2006/09/23/compare-and-contrast.php "


104 posted on 09/25/2006 9:04:57 PM PDT by anonsquared
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To: roostercogburn

If this were a blowup by a Republican, there would be a different headline.


105 posted on 09/25/2006 9:06:05 PM PDT by KC_Conspirator
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To: Mind-numbed Robot
We both see the same strategy but interpret it differently.>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Lets hope that the Democrat Party will become like the snake swallowing its tail, which can happen no matter which interpretation comes to pass.

I think Hillary is thru, and that a fire breathing leftist demogogue is about to come forward to preach to the unwashed of the Dim party, even unto militancy and violence.

You know , the sort of revivalist you see at leftist meetings , who can make the masses glassy eyed and thoughtless.

Will it be Obama?

Or maybe someone we do not yet know?

106 posted on 09/28/2006 3:20:03 AM PDT by Candor7 (Into Liberal flatulance goes the best hope of the West, and who wants to be a smart feller?)
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