Terrorists had a friend in Clinton White House called Robin

economic times ^ | 9/29/01

[knak]

Our Political Bureau

NEW DELHI

MANY functionaries of the United States State Department, who handled South Asia under the Clinton Administration, may have to face embarrassment when the Bush regime gets down to locating the factors that made it easier for terrorists to carry out the September 11 carnage.

These functionaries, it is reliably learnt, ignored the warnings about the activities and intentions of the terrorist groups operating out of Afghanistan and Pakistan.

One of such reports had come from Michael Sheehan, the head of counter-terrorism wing of the State Department. Sheehan’s report also listed the measures that the US should have taken to prevent its homeland security from being breached.

The fact that his recommendations were ignored was one of the reasons why Sheehan left the State Department to take up a job with the United Nations.

Mention is also being made of the notes put up by the former assistant secretary of state for South Asia Karl Inderfurth. He is also believed to have alerted against the looming threat and asked for urgent remedial measures.

These facts are sure to surface once the Bush regime has taken care of its immediate priority: Retaliatory strike against the harbourers of terrorists.

While the aftermath of the terrorist attack has seen partisan quarrels taking the backseat, some uncomfortable questions about the failure to foil the terrorists are sure to be asked when the focus shifts to the domestic preparedness to deal with the threat.

Attention is sure to be focused on the role of Robin Raphel, former assistant secretary of state, in downplaying the threat from Taliban, as the gaze turns inwards.

The diplomat who had upset India by her insensitive remarks over Kashmir, aggressively pushed for staying engaged with the Taliban even when evidence available with the State Department pointed to the futility of winking at the abysmal human rights record and fundamentalist agenda of the clerics ruling from Kabul.

The examination of documents may give a new turn to the debate on whether there was an intelligence failure behind the success of the terrorists.

Sources, who are familiar with the contents of the reports submitted by the counter-terrorism and South Asia desks of the State Department, feel that attacks were perhaps facilitated by the failure to act on the intelligence available with it.

[sam]

"Consider the source, here, before you all go off half-cocked. This is an article in Economic Times bylined from New Delhi. The author shows strong leanings towards India. Robin has, apparently, said somethings about the Kashmir that has rubbed India the wrong way. "

Bingo!

[MeekOneGOP]

YIKES! Don't scare me like that.

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LOL! Thanks, Liz! Made my morning! ;-)

[aruanan]

Any background on Robin? Was she a former pizza delivery chick for the Clinton campaign back in Arkansas or maybe a waitress?

[aruanan]

gave the terrorists the signal that they could beat any nation, anywhere (watch and listen to the speech where the terrorists start their worldwide campaign) because they had just beaten Russia.

A more accurate way of describing this would be to say that their victory over the Soviets strengthened their belief that they could engage anyone anywhere in the world and beat them on behalf of Allah. It would be an error to imply that because of the money spent by the U.S. in enabling them to defeat the Soviets in Afghanistan (not a bad thing) that they were given a signal--ie., told to do something or given the okay to start doing something--by the ones (the CIA) who were funding them.

[vannrox]

"...Attention is sure to be focused on the role of Robin Raphel, former assistant secretary of state..."

[wingnuts'nbolts]

As far as inferring that the Clinton's may have contributed to what happened 9/11 we do know that the organizations that are responsible for what happened 9/11 contributed to avaricious x42 and appendage.

[Slyfox]

Osama may not have flown those planes into the WTC, but he did encourage the men who did. The Clintons may not have flown the planes into WTC but they did everything in their power to allow those men all the chances they needed to do it.

[rocker68]

The Islamic Committee for Palestine was mentioned in the video above as being a money raiser for Islamic Jihad. They showed video of their old headquarters in Tampa Florida, and said they relocated to "an undisclosed location" in the Tampa area.

This video is about 6 years old. Does anyone know if this group still exists in the country? If so, can any freepers provide their main headquarters address? (out of curiosity), I am interested to know if they are still in the Tampa area. Thanks.

[68-69TonkinGulfYachtClub]

The 103d US Congress may not have flown those planes into the WTC,
but they helped disarm citizens from protecting themselves.

How the Brady Bill Passed (and subsequently - "Instant Check")
When the Brady Bill was passed into law on November 24, 1993,
the Senate voted on the Conference Report
and passed the Brady Bill by UNANIMOUS CONSENT.

NOT ONE SENATOR FROM EITHER PARTY VOTED AGAINST THIS.

[Carry_Okie]

Add Unocal to the list.

[cricket]

Sunday bump. . .

[thinden]

mark

[dixie sass]

Were these negotiations being made during Kosovo? I would be that they were and that it had to do with the oil issue and a pipeline.

[LiberteeBell]

bump

[backhoe]

Ndex!

[Uncle Bill]

Post #41: "Before joining the Foreign Service, Raphel worked as an economic analyst at the Central Intelligence Agency"

[First_Salute]

Bump again.

[piasa]

Update :

The FBI searched Robin Raphel’s home last month