Posted on 05/28/2002 6:00:45 PM PDT by PhiKapMom
Nickles criticizes Clinton on attacks
2002-05-26
By Chris Casteel
The Oklahoman
WASHINGTON -- Any investigation of the Bush administration's response to terrorist threats should include an examination of the attacks launched against the United States during Bill Clinton's presidency, Sen. Don Nickles said.
Nickles, R-Ponca City, said he was "furious" when Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton recently gave a speech on the Senate floor and quoted a New York City tabloid questioning what President Bush knew before Sept. 11 about possible terrorist activity.
"I just thought it was very inappropriate," Nickles, the assistant Republican leader, said last week.
The United States was attacked several times during Clinton's presidency, he said, and despite strong rhetoric in the aftermath of the attacks, "we didn't do anything about it."
In some cases, such as attacks on the USS Cole and Khobar Towers in Saudi Arabia, the United States military was attacked directly. In others, such as the 1998 attacks on embassies in Tanzania and Kenya, hundreds of people working for the U.S. government were killed, he said.
Some lawmakers are calling for a special commission to study the intelligence gathering and processing preceding Sept. 11. That would be in addition to the congressional inquiry already under way.
Nickles said, "If we're going to have an investigation, we should have an investigation of why we didn't respond strongly to previous acts of terror.
"I'm pretty critical of the previous administration. They dropped the ball in the war on terrorism. They never engaged in the war on terrorism."
Nickles has prepared charts listing five terrorist attacks on the United States during the Clinton administration, not counting the Oklahoma City bombing, and showing the strong comments made by Clinton afterward. Nickles said those comments were never followed by effective action.
In an interview in his Capitol office, Nickles also said:
The past year has been frustrating since Vermont Sen. Jim Jeffords quit the Republican Party, giving control to Democrats.
Nickles has "decided not to decide" for now whether he will run for a fifth term in 2004 or whether he will run for Republican leader in the Senate.
The nation is doing more to protect itself after Sept. 11, but that the open nature of the United States means "we're always somewhat susceptible to some type of terrorist activity."
He wanted the president to veto the farm bill, which he called "socialistic," and force the next Congress to rewrite it with a more market-oriented approach. Bush signed the bill.
Nickles, 53, is the longest- serving and most influential member of Oklahoma's mostly Republican congressional delegation. He has been the second- ranking Republican leader in the Senate since 1996, but can't run again for the job as GOP whip because of a caucus term- limit rule.
For most of the time Nickles has been in the No. 2 job, Republicans were in the majority. That changed in May 2001 when Jeffords switched from a Republican to an independent aligned with Democrats.
In the past few months, Nickles has repeatedly expressed his frustration with the way the Senate was being run. He complained repeatedly during debate on the energy bill that Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle had bypassed the Energy Committee, which was ready to approve drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
"I'm very frustrated with the way the Senate is being managed by the Democrats," Nickles said. "The Senate is not the Senate I know and love and could and should be.
"I have great respect for this institution. Unfortunately, I think Tom Daschle and the Democrats are denigrating the institution."
Nickles also expressed some frustration with the White House, particularly some of the policy advisers.
"I think the administration was not well-served by some of their advisers early on, on both campaign finance (legislation) and the farm bill, when they pretty much sent signals that the president would sign whatever Congress passed.
"And I urged the administration to modify that position on trade, on budget bills, on appropriations and so on ... the defense bill. Always urge that we pass a good bill. But never say you'll sign any bill.
Nickles said the status of Republicans in the Senate, whether or not they're in the majority, will be a factor in his decision about future campaigns.
"I may not" run again, he said. "I don't know for sure. It kind of depends what the status is in the Senate. I'll take a look at it then.
"I basically decided not to decide for awhile. Why try to decide now?"
Nickles said he would announce at least a year in advance, which would be November 2003, whether he is running for another term to give potential candidates enough time to organize.
Sen. Don Nickles: Second-ranking Senate Re~publican since 1996.
I sense flustration in Sen. Nickles with President Bush and he may be just waiting to see the outcome of the 02 races to see if he thinks control can be returned to the Republicans in 04. However I suspect he'll continue to be somewhat flusterated by President Bush and his signing of some bills.
g
I'd like to see him be President some day.
Hitlery is a lot of things, but she's not stupid. Why risk going against a popular incumbent in 2004? Plus she'd have to fight through a whole mess of Dem presidential wanna-be's. It makes no sense. She'll wait to run in 2008, after she's won re-election to the Senate. If she runs at all.
Nickles has no slack in his rope...I think he knows a female dog when he sees one.
Fwiw---
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