Clinton aides admit little done to foil terrorism

The Orange County Register ^ | September 23, 2001 | BRIAN MCGRORY and MICHAEL KRANISH The Boston Globe

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

WASHINGTON The dual bombings ranked as one of the most insidious acts of terrorism ever committed against the United States: two American embassies in Africa decimated, more than 300 dead, and a shadowy prime suspect, Osama bin Laden, bragging that the battle had just begun.

[TonyBanks]

"Responsibilities were given out. Resources were given. Authorities existed. We should have prevented this."

Pass the buck.

Old Harry would not be proud.

[skr]

Clinton, in an NBC interview last week, said, "We did what we thought we could." He added: "I made it clear that we should take all necessary action to try to apprehend him (bin Laden) and get him. We never had another chance where the intelligence was as reliable to justify military action."

He made it clear, but he didn't make it happen.

His aides also say that the public and its Washington representatives failed to focus on terrorism because there was never a homeland attack to rally public opinion. Said Gorelick: "It's very hard to draw hypotheticals for people."

"Had Clinton scrambled 1,000 airplanes and called the nation's attention to the Africa embassy bombings, I don't think he would have had the support. What if he asked for $40 billion from Congress after the bombings? We couldn't even get enough money to protect the embassies," said Frank Wisner, a former CIA official, undersecretary of defense and ambassador to India during the Clinton administration.

Did they even try? How much persuasion would it have taken had they shown the video of the victims, made it clear that the embassies WERE American soil and put it to us that this continent was an attainable target?

[Angelwood]

When you "Wag the Dog," only the appearance of action and strong rhetoric is necessary.

[Beeline40@aol.com]

My cousin Mary worked for the foreign service for 10 years, 5 in Stockholm (where she met her wonderful marine hubby), and 5 years in South Korea. Her friend Barbra still in the foreign service stopped to visit Mary from DC this past week. She was working in the State Department when the planes went into the towers. She said we are next, and sure enough the pentagon got hit. Embassy personell wondered what took so long, they have a very fatalistic view, the embassies are hardly protected at all. When some of her friends called her from various embassies around the world, some said welcome to the war. Sad but true.

[victim soul]

"Had Clinton scrambled 1,000 airplanes and called the nation's attention to the Africa embassy bombings, I don't think he would have had the support. What if he asked for $40 billion from Congress after the bombings? We couldn't even get enough money to protect the embassies," said Frank Wisner, a former CIA official, undersecretary of defense and ambassador to India during the Clinton administration.

Is he trying to tell us that "the greatest communicator ever" with Dick Morris at his beck and call and a bunch of pro-Clinton media outlets couldn't convince the American people that it was necessary. No instead we allowed everyone including Hollywood to stuff Clinton down our throats (ooops a Freudian slip). Wag the Dog was not only an insult to our political system and The Presidency but more importantly it was a joke on all us average Joes -- They knew their man and Hollywood laughed at us!

[surfer]

We will be paying for decades for the crimes of x42(i)!

[GoreNoMore]

I liked Fox News trailer on the screen today, it read:

"The Clinton administration plan to get Bin Laden failed because of lack of intelligence."

I think that says it all.

[Cicero]

This article doesn't even mention the more serious derelictions of the clinton administration. Clinton let in huge numbers of illegal aliens, many of them with criminal records, for the sole purpose of getting more votes in the 1996 and 1998 elections. At the same time he gutted our military and our security agencies, putting both of them to work on missions that were NOT in the security interests of the United States.

The attack on Yugoslavia was exactly the wrong thing to do, aside from being an obvious war crime.

The intelligence services were instructed to devote most of their resources to phantom enemies such as right-to-lifers and so-called Christian fundamentalists.

Daschle and Lott share the blame, with their egregious decision to let that sack of dung remain in office after being impeached for numerous felonies. "How could two more years hurt?" they asked.

[Hillary 666]

Xlinton was too busy selling military secrets, fundraising for the DNC, and dealing with his personal problems.

[randog]

As more and more of x42's inaction and complicity in this attack come forward, I keep hearing George Will's prophetic words in my head:

Bill Clinton may not be the worst president we've ever had, but he certainly is the worst man to be president.

[skr]

Re: Post 8

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

[MJY1288]

Clinton's never once took on a tough problem, he would approach an issue only after he took a poll to see what he should do. A true mark of a loser, When it was time to choose a direction for him to go, he always chose the path of least resisitance. Another thing a true leader would never do.

Clinton's legacy was best described by George Will...."Bill Clinton's term/terms as president is much like a man who after crossing a field covered with snow, he turns and looks back, but there is no footprints"

Another good one from George Will..."Bill Clinton will not go down in history as the worst President we ever had, he will go down in history as the worst PERSON to ever become Prresident"

How true these remarks are!

[Mindy11277]

I liked Fox News trailer on the screen today, it read:

"The Clinton administration plan to get Bin Laden failed because of lack of intelligence."

I think that says it all.

I nearly fell off the couch laughing when I read that last night.

[cyn]

You have a talent for stating the main point succinctly -- a talent obviously not shared by everyone!

[timestax]

bttt

[timestax]

bttt

[toenail]

FR -- Lincoln Bedroom Sleepover for Gore Benefactor Surrounded by Questionable Coincidences

[Eva]

I heard Dick Morris say that Clinton took a poll and decided that there was not enough support to make the risks involved with going after Bin Laden worth his while. He was afraid that if the effort didn't go well and cost American lives, he would pay a political price.