Posted on 08/06/2002 2:40:34 AM PDT by Elle Bee
Clinton's Black Hawk History
We wish Bill Clinton a quiet retirement, if only he'd return the favor. But when the former President distorts history for the sake of political advantage, someone has to clean up afterward.
Responding to Bush Administration suggestions that some of today's corporate scandals first got out of hand under his watch, Mr. Clinton recently shot back: "These people ran on responsibility, but as soon as you scratch them they go straight to blame. Now, you know, I didn't blame his [President Bush's] father for Somalia when we had that awful day memorialized in 'Black Hawk Down.' I didn't do that."
We can understand Mr. Clinton wanting to defend himself, but as usual he can't get his own facts straight. His introduction of Somalia here is one of those breathtakingly brazen attempts to dodge responsibility for which Mr. Clinton is justly famous. Here's the real history:
President Bush the Elder sent U.S. forces into Somalia in December 1992 to aid the United Nations in relieving a massive famine. In May of 1993, four months into his term, President Clinton declared that mission accomplished and pulled out most of the U.S. forces. In a speech on the South Lawn to associate himself with the effort, he extolled the decision to intervene: "If all of you who served had not gone, it is absolutely certain that tens of thousands would have died by now." It was a "successful mission," he said, and "proved yet again that American leadership can help to mobilize international action ..."
But back in Somalia, with no U.S. deterrent, Somalia's warlords began fighting again. After a series of bloody attacks on U.N. peacekeepers, Mr. Clinton launched a new mission: In August 1993, he sent in a force of Rangers and Special Forces units to capture the brutal warlord Mohammad Farrah Aidid and restore order.
That force asked for heavy armor -- in the form of Abrams tanks and Bradley armored vehicles -- as well as the AC-130 gunship, but the Clinton Administration denied those requests. On October 3 on a mission to pick up Aidid, two Black Hawks were unexpectedly shot down; in the ensuing urban gun battle, 18 American soldiers were killed and another 73 injured.
Many military experts believe that if the U.S. forces had had armor, fewer would have died. Secretary of Defense Les Aspin resigned two months after Somalia, having acknowledged that his decision on the armor had been an error. A 1994 Senate Armed Services Committee investigation reached the same conclusion. But perhaps the most poignant statement came from retired Lieutenant Colonel Larry Joyce, father of Sergeant Casey Joyce, a Ranger killed in Mogadishu: "Had there been armor ... I contend that my son would probably be alive today ..."
Mr. Clinton's responsibility in Somalia doesn't stop there. Despite the mistakes that October day, Aidid had been struck a blow. The U.S. military, with 18 dead, wanted nothing more than to finish what it had started. Mr. Clinton instead aborted the mission. The U.S. released the criminals it had captured that same day at such great cost, and the U.N., lacking U.S. support, was powerless to keep order. Somalia remains a lawless, impoverished nation. Worse, the terrorists of al Qaeda interpreted the U.S. retreat from Somalia as a sign of American weakness that may have convinced them we could be induced to retreat from the Middle East if they took their attacks to the U.S. homeland.
Those are the facts. The reason Mr. Clinton can't blame the events of "Black Hawk Down" on President Bush's father is because those events had nothing to do with him. They were Mr. Clinton's responsibility, and his alone.
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. . . and Clinton didn't ask for her resignation, either--so actually he is "responsible." In a manner of speaking; you can't actually use that name and that word in the same sentance, of course.When the Marine barracks bombing occured Reagan declined to assign responsibility to the commanders on site, and a reporter asked Reagan if he was going to resign! Somehow that thought never occurred to a reporter after Waco, when massive civilian deaths followed federal agents' initiative . . .
Regards, Ivan
. . . and Bush2 simultaneously, in this case. A twofer.
. . . after a moment's reflection it hit me--Clinton is a disruptor. If x42 himself were posting on FR, his words would be pulled by the moderator for creating flame wars. We're barking up the wrong tree, even discussing the creep.
Agreed. Without publicity, he does not exist. At least in his own mind. What better way to wipe him off the planet than obscurity?
Regards, Ivan
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There was an excellent two hour program on The History Channel Sunday with the author of the book Black Hawk Down. In addition, there were the vets that were in Somalia commenting on this mission.
These men were upset that they didn't get to finish what was started. The militiamen of Somalia believe they have defeated the U.S. because Clinton pulled the troops out.
One vet on this program said, they would have kept fighting until not one building was left standing.
The most upsetting thing to see are our soldiers being dragged through the streets of Mogedishu (sp?)
Clinton is a POS!
I believe there is a lot of truth in what you say - however in the final analysis, historical truth usually wins. The lefties may try to change it, but as the effects of history lie all around us, it's not really possible. Even when Stalin controlled all academia in the USSR, it was not possible to conceal the extent of the Great Terror. It only requires a few historians who are willing to tell the truth, and God grant we never run out of those.
Regards, Ivan
doug...can you clear this up?
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