Allies, critics say Clinton fell short in terror fight

Boston Globe ^ | 9.21.01 | Brian McGrory and Michael Kranish,

[victim soul]

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.

[habs4ever]

Why, you ask? Because then they have to admit they are wrong.Liberals never do this, they just leave their mistakes behind for someone else to clean up, then critique the clean up job.That's what makes a liberal a liberal.

[NotJustAnotherPrettyFace]

So it wasn't surprising that President Clinton's words, back in August 1998, tumbled forth with uncommon fury. ''No matter how long it takes,'' he vowed, ''or where it takes us, we will pursue terrorists until the cases are solved and justice is done.''

Empty words coming out of the mouth of King Billy Jeff I, as usual.

[Saundra Duffy]

With people like congressman gary condit on the House Select Intelligence Committee . . . well, let's just say, clinton & condit are two of a kind. For victory & freedom!!!

[GretchenEE]

Reports were filed, then shelved. Battles were fought in Congress for such measures as multipoint wiretapping, but lost. There was never, officials acknowledge, a sense of urgency.

An apt description of everything about bill J. clinton's life and legacy. When it counts, you can count on him to drop the ball.

clinton's words are going to be coming back to haunt him more and more, as reporters turn into buzzards and start circling over his rotting life, having awakened to the pleasures of picking him apart.

[Saundra Duffy]

"This may be as close as anything will ever come to rough justice for the Clintons." Don't count on it, Queen Elizabeth of Iowa. The media will never let that happen but then again . . . it may be out of their hands. For victory & freedom!!!

[thirst4truth]

He was always trying to get "back to work for the American people."

[George W. Bush]

So it wasn't surprising that President Clinton's words, back in August 1998, tumbled forth with uncommon fury. ''No matter how long it takes,'' he vowed, ''or where it takes us, we will pursue terrorists until the cases are solved and justice is done.'' He said this before he found out that terrorists weren't nubile young interns. Then he lost interest.

[putupon]

Short? according to...oh well I'm sure someone beat to it.

[habs4ever]

So getting a hummer under the desk is "getting back to work for the American people"? amazing stuff.Think that line will work at your place of work?

"C'mon baby, do it for Uncle Sam and the Red, White and Blue"

[Pearman]

While being interviewed on the Hugh Hewitt radio show this morning, former Navy Secretary James Webb said that after eight years the civilian branch of our government is back in the hands of adults.

Consider, if you can, the implications of that statement.

[aculeus]

Clinton's legacy = WTC911.

[George W. Bush]

I saw a couple men stand up to Clinton yesterday on a news item. He and Mrs. Blair went to a station of rescue people. Bubba was going down the line of men and the two they showed crossed their arms and ignored him. He looked like a fish out of water. What station or network? Is there any way we could get some pictures or do a video capture?

[Uff Da]

Liberals

I think the term 'EXTREME LEFT WING FANATICS' is a more fitting description.

[JudyB1938]

And just where do you think he got that statement, "back in the hands of the adults"? I'll betcha he got it here at FR. FReepers are a SOURCE for the media AND the politicans.

LET'S ROLL ! ,,

[nhbob1]

Blair actually left Clinton alone with his wife? What was he thinking???!!!!!!!!!!!

[lormand]

Yet another article that fails to mention....

KLINTON PARDONNED PUERTO RICAN TERRORIST!!!!

He not only fell short, but he condoned terrorism.

[Gumlegs]

Great point.

[conservatism_IS_compassion]

What nations war with each other without preexisting cultural antagonism? The American Revolution is not an example; the colonists were spring-loaded to fight the British before the march to Lexington and Concord made it official. All cultural similarities notwithstanding, the colonists differed in many historical ways including:

-- a melieu where land was cheap and labor was dear
-- initial religious differences sufficient to have forced many of the founding colonists to emmigrate from England
-- American isolation from the English Civil War and,
-- the fact that England had by then changed to Great Britain.

The transparent object of Daddy Warbucks East is to inspire a war--one which might merit the monicker WWIII--as a path to glory. Americans vicerally understand that to war with any nation unnecessarily is folly; we have visceral contempt for the very concept of glory thus purchased. Moslems have a different culture. We must not ignore the possibility that they may differ in that respect.

The fact that not all Americans are religious follows from the cultural understanding of the various founders and Americans' deliberate choice to place their ability to cooperate among themselves above any dogma. Even those Americans who deny the existence of God vicerally reject earthly malevalence as a guiding principle.

That the American ideal of cooperation did not initially extend to the African slaves in the founders' midst is often remarked. But the fact is that Americans understand that even to begin to erase that exception--that anomaly still being turned into excrement and rejected by the American society--cost proportionately more treasure and absolutely more blood than any other struggle we have undertaken as a nation. We have no desire to move backward; we don't know how to do it.

And now we see examples, in these "Islamic heroes", of what Americans can see in no other way than as mockers of the idea of cooperation which is actually a founding ideal of our nation. The drawing together of American political factions is the least surprising result, followed closely by an increase in (non-Islamic) religious sentiment, and by the solicitious reaction of our president toward the possibility of persecution of American Moslems. That last reaction is due to the fact that the criminal conspiracy transparently targets the honor of that group, both here and in the Middle East.

Americans only recognize courage as the overcoming of fear in time of unsought crisis; they can at no sanely counted cost be forced to honor suicidal instant death in that same way. Any Moslem does well to understand the American culture enough to enable them to project the likely cost and unpromising benefits of letting such "heroes" control them.

[nutmeg]

FYI

[what's up]

Just a week before the WTC disaster, Senate Democrats were trying to pass a bill DECREASING the defense budget.

Democrats are putrid in national defense. Always have been, always will be.