WHILE CLINTON SLEPT (AND DID OTHER THINGS)

9-12-03 | DICK MORRIS

[Jerrybob]

This is quite long and it is not breaking news, but I wanted it to get the broadest possible exposure.

In light of the 2nd anniversary of 9/11, I can think of nothing more fitting than to 1) never forget what happened on that day, 2) remember which group of human beings brought us this attack and 3) never forget which president slept (and did other things) while international forces aligned themselves to bring us 9/11/01.

[Eric in the Ozarks]

In any other country, the Clintons would've been put on trial.

[soothsayer99]

<> I guess it never occurred to you that the same could be said for the Repubs during the impeachment scandal. Maybe seeing neocons mock the President, call him a murderer and a rapist and put him on a sham trial, helped enbolden them.

[Quilla]

May be long, but certainly well worth the read. If there has ever been any doubt that Clinton is all about Clinton (me, me, me), this should erase it:

However, none of their efforts would have succeeded but for the fears, worries, and phobias that raged inside Bill Clinton's mind: fear that if he led American troops into a battle with casualties, his own draft record would return to bite him politically; worry that he would alienate his Hispanic constituency if he cracked down on illegal aliens; concern that an increase in the price of oil could spell his political doom; hesitation in the face of European intransigence and worry that his own foreign-policy experts would leak that he was incompetent and too political; willingness to believe he had a deal with North Korea when all he had was a vague and misleading statement of intentions; unwillingness to go to war with Saddam Hussein; trepidation that civil libertarian criticism would undermine his domestic support; and, finally, a morally relativist refusal to see Saddam, al Qaeda, or Kim Jong Il as forces of evil. These factors, more than any advice from his advisers, paralyzed Bill Clinton's efforts to stem the forces of terror.

[Jerrybob]

The only difference is: Bill Clinton IS a rapist and it was no sham trial.

[soothsayer99]

Remember that line next time you're angry at people for slamming Bush.

I'm not here to defend Clinton, and I'm not here to bash Bush. I'm here to make it known that I think that the mutual bashing is ruining the country. Conservatives and Liberals are so intent on undermining each other that they are united in only one thing ... undermining the whole nation in an effort to "get" one another.

[SolutionsOnly]

Character counts. Republicans were correct to call Clinton on his lack of it. As messy as it was, it exposed Clintons for the self serving narcissists they are.

[soothsayer99]

I disagree. Character only counts when you don't like the guy in the other party. I think the proof is in the bashing of Wes Clark. You may not think he'd be a good president, but he served his country well, is about as honorable as they come, and might be a good leader for us, just like Powell. But what do I read on these forums about him? Trash about how he "almost started WW3" and related garbage. He deserves on honest hearing if for no other reason than he served us all with bravery and distinction.

But no, he is bashed. It's not about character, it's about his joining the democrats.

[normy]

That still wouldn't account for his inaction for WTC93, Riyahd, Kohbar or the African Embassy. No I think Somalia and the others I mentioned emboldened them.

[cardinal4]

In any other country, the Clintons would've been put on trial.

A 100 years ago in this country they would have been strung up.

[1066AD]

All our terrorist problems were born during the Clinton years.
Maybe should read "All our major ..". Seems to me it started in late 60s/early 70s with PLO, Fatah(Arafat) etc, airplane hijackings, Munich Olympics etc and escalated thereafter.

[soothsayer99]

I'm glad you mentioned Somalia. I happen to believe that that action turned into a disaster because Clinton didn't want to put in enough force because of fear of Republican backlash.

It goes both ways, though. I think Bush Sr. didn't take Saddam out the first time because of fear of Democratic backlash.

So there you go ... two examples of cases where fear of the other party "forced" us to make bad decisions for the nation.

[SkyPilot]

bump

[bandleader]

You may be correct in your assumption that"In Any Other Country,The Clintons Would Have Been Put On Trial"We will(obviously)never know that but I think BeelzeBubba's real"Legacy"is the corrosiveness of"Moral Relativism"that he infected the country with during his most corrupt tenure as POTUS!!

[IncPen]

So there you go ... two examples of cases where fear of the other party "forced" us to make bad decisions for the nation.

Your point is well taken.

It also makes Bush's recent foray into Iraq all the more remarkable.

[cyncooper]

I'm not here to defend Clinton, and I'm not here to bash Bush. I'm here to make it known that I think that the mutual bashing is ruining the country. Conservatives and Liberals are so intent on undermining each other that they are united in only one thing ... undermining the whole nation in an effort to "get" one another.

I've had it with this "equivalence" garbage.

There is not "mutual bashing". There were and are legitimate questions and accusations against clinton that are based on factual events. The charges against Bush are based on some event, then twisted and spun out of all recognition to truth, or lately charges are made up out of whole cloth. All in retribution for pulling back the curtain on clinton.

There are now four books, if one counts this Morris book as reputable, that expose the clinton administration's handling of terrorism (or lack thereof). I will say flatly that the accusations against President Bush time and again fall because they are baseless. Charges made years ago against clinton stand today, unrefuted or not disproven, at best.

(And I'm just counting these four books JUST released, not the book that was released a few months ago, I think the author was Patterson--that makes five.)

[normy]

I think Somalia was way to early in his presidency to earn a Republican backlash. Not only that but Somalia occured because the White House wouldn't allow the General in charge the weapons needed to protect the forces on the ground. They feared it would be too high profile.

After the events in Somalia the Republicans would have loved to see vengance exacted on the perps but instead Clinton ran like a coward and embarassed our troops and our country. Clinton isn't reviled for the Black Hawk Down, he is revile for the cowardly way he reacted to it.

[SolutionsOnly]

You're wrong. Character counts across the board. There's absolutely nothing conditional about character. Wes Clark has already tripped up in this regard - fabricating claims that the White House attempted to coerce and intimidate him. That sort of behavior opens the door to legitimate critisism.

[cyncooper]

but he served his country well, is about as honorable as they come,

Even Ed Koch, a democrat as he reminds us, who plans on voting for President Bush in 2004, said last night on Hannity and Colmes that Clark has been disgraceful in his criticism of this war and this president while our troops are engaged as they are.

You'll need to realize that all complaints are not created equal, and it is a fact that the dems warrant theirs and are forced to manufacture accusations against honorable Republicans in order to maintain an "everybody does it" atmosphere. You'll note that when a legitimate charge is proven against a Republican, it is that very party that removes the offender from a leadership position.

[Bob]

Maybe should read "All our major ..". Seems to me it started in late 60s/early 70s with PLO, Fatah(Arafat) etc, airplane hijackings, Munich Olympics etc and escalated thereafter.

Unless you're taking the word our to mean the world's terrorist problems, the word major isn't needed.

The PLO, Fatah, and the Munich Olympics terrorism weren't specifically targetted at us. US-targeted terrorism was, for the most part, unorganized and sporadic until the 90's.

The terrorism problems Morris is addressing are specifically those targeted at the United States.