Transcript: Counterterror Experts Debate Clinton Claims on 'FNS'

Fox News ^ | October 1, 2006 | Fox News

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The following is a partial transcript of the Oct. 1, 2006, edition of "FOX News Sunday With Chris Wallace":

"FOX NEWS SUNDAY" HOST CHRIS WALLACE: Bill Clinton said a lot of things in our interview last week. How much of it was true? Well, we've assembled a panel of experts to discuss just that: Daniel Benjamin, a counterterrorism expert for the Clinton National Security Council; Michael Scheuer, who ran the CIA unit that hunted Usama bin Laden; and Lawrence Wright, author of a behind-the-scenes new book on the run-up to 9/11 called "The Looming Tower."

We should note we invited Richard Clarke, the counterterrorism expert President Clinton mentioned last week, but he declined.

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SCHEUER: Mr. Wallace, my opinion is not all that important. I went to a little Jesuit school in Buffalo called Canicius, and the priests taught us never to lie, but if you had to lie, never lie about facts. Mr. Richard Clarke, Mr. Sandy Berger, President Clinton are lying about the opportunities they had to kill Usama bin Laden. That's the plain truth, the exact truth.

Men and women at the CIA risked their lives to provide occasions to kill a man we knew had declared war and had attacked America four or five times before 1998. We had plans that had been approved by the Joint Operations Command at Fort Bragg. We had opportunities, many opportunities to kill him.

But that's the president's decision. That's absolutely the case. It's not a simple, dumb bureaucrat like me; that's not my decision. It's his. But for him to get on the television and say to the American people he did all he could is a flat lie, sir.

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'Truth Squad'

[nikos1121]

God, this is great!

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Bush critic hits Clinton's claims about bin Laden

"Mr. Clarke, Mr. Berger, Mr. Clinton did have opportunities that were delivered by the men and women of the CIA to kill Osama bin Laden," Mr. Scheuer said. "In the first eight months of the Bush administration, there were no such opportunities."

[I still care]

I was laughing watching this.

Last week, I felt so badly for Chris, because he was used by Clinton to mobilze the kook base and seemed genuinely taken aback at Clinton's attack.

I thought, this is "journalist's revenge".

[yoe]

"...CIA had mistakenly given information that led to the bombing of the Chinese embassy in Belgrade, and then the best opportunity to get bin Laden arises right after that, and, you know, and Clinton -- and Tenet had a failure of nerve." - - which the MSM and press releases from the White House said the bombing of the Chinese Embassy was the fault of old maps. Scheuer cuts through the fog with truth but the others seem to be holding back, maybe because the wall did not allow them to share information. Condi stepped into a thicket of 'who's on first' with the FBI and CIA - whose word did you trust? She also failed to see what people like Michelle Malkin and others knew about our borders; she ignored the daily report of the thousand of illegal aliens’ crossing over - another political hot potato. President Bush's 'hail fellow well met' approach with Fox was, IMHO, smoke and mirrors because of prior agreements with the Mexican government. The ‘long term problem’ Scheuer speaks of is I assume the WOT – the problem could be shortened tremendously by silence from Kennedy, Kerry, Murtha, Durbin, Pelosi, etc. and the uniting of the American people by standing with this courageous President. It is the left that is prolonging victory in the WOT.

Wallace got the group to show that Bill Clinton's intentions put many lives on the line and about as successful as piddling up a rope.

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IMO, Clinton 'lost it' and went well beyond any plan he might have had.

Wallace showed amazing restraint. Gut reaction to being poked by a finger like that is to strike back.

[7thson]

It is great but it will be buried because the press will lead and beat the Foley drum. No one will hear about this except political junkies - like us.

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"The ‘long term problem’ Scheuer speaks of is I assume the WOT – the problem could be shortened tremendously by silence from Kennedy, Kerry, Murtha, Durbin, Pelosi, etc. and the uniting of the American people by standing with this courageous President. It is the left that is prolonging victory in the WOT."

Agree! I consider the left one of the fronts on the WOT.

[gotribe]

What matters is the documents that back up what I have to say or what Mr. Benjamin has to say. The 9/11 commission ignored those documents, didn't publish them to the American people, let no one involved with the effort to get bin Laden testify to the American people. This is not a question of interpretation or judgment. This is a question of fact. And the documents will show the president had the opportunity.

Anyone know the legal status of these documents? Are they available to the public, since they were given to a congressional commission? Have any been leaked?

[TomGuy]

Video

FNS Reality Check segment in response to Clinton allegations the previous week.

FNS-Clinton-Reality-Check-100106, part 1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ywwOdVKGhK0

FNS-Clinton-Reality-Check-100106, part 2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mFBBF3BbULA

[TomGuy]

I thought, this is "journalist's revenge".

Back in the day when newspapers were king, there was a saying that went something like this: "Never pick a fight with those who buy ink by the barrel."

Ironically, that quote has been attributed to one William J. Clinton. However, it predates him by many decades.

The principle would apply to broadcast media, as well. It was curious, I thought, that when the actual BJ interview was broadcast, BJ was visiting a 'friendlier' nation. He was in Britain, I believe.

[PGalt]

Thanks for posting. Thanks to Chris Wallace.

[Beckwith]

I thought Scheuer was going to come out of his seat.

What I thought was really interesting was the background of Clinton's mouthpiece. A BA and MA, he was a journalist before becoming a member of Clinton's National Security Council.

Clinton placed a propagandist on the council rather than an expert on national security.

[rawcatslyentist]

Even liars like the Toon sometimes tell the truth, although inadvertently.

Did you catch the line where he accused Wallace of accusing him of "giving aid, and comfort to OBL, in Somalia"?

Where did that come from? Out of left field, or straight outta Freuds backside?

What did Sandy Steal? Was it documentation of a bargain/deal with OBL to move him outta Somalia? He seemed to move to Afgan shortly thereafter, and it wasn't because we were pressing him militarily!

[mewzilla]

Clinton NEVER rescinded the ban on assassination. They NEVER tried to kill Bin Laden.

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"Anyone know the legal status of these documents? Are they available to the public, since they were given to a congressional commission? Have any been leaked?"

Good questions!

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Wonderful! Thank you.

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You're welcome! Make sure you note TomGuy's post #11.

[poncho67]

"IMO, Clinton 'lost it' and went well beyond any plan he might have had"

I think we just saw first hand another example of that side of his personality, after numerous glances this is really only the second time he's done that (the other, of course, being "I never had sex with that woman...".

In both cases, the first sign this is coming is when he starts wagging the finger and his voice rising. Only Hillary can do it better!