Inhofe: Clinton Should be Held Accountable for Failure to Get Bin Laden

NewsMax.com ^ | Friday, Sept. 20, 2002 | Wes Vernon

[USA21]

Inhofe: Clinton Should be Held Accountable for Failure to Get Bin Laden

WASHINGTON-A senior member of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence says ex-President Clinton should be held accountable for his decision during his presidency, to give terrorist leader Osama bin Laden a pass. That confession by the impeached 42nd president was revealed in a taped statement publicized exclusively by NewsMax.com

Reacting to that tape, Sen. James Inhofe, R-Okla., in a statement relayed by his spokesman Gary Hoitsma, says Clinton’s comments constitute "an admission that he didn’t seriously go after Osama bin Laden,” although Clinton tried to justify it in "a self-serving” manner.

Inhofe, who is also the ranking Republican on the Armed Services Committee’s Subcommittee on Readiness and Management Support, tells NewsMax that Clinton "is admitting that he didn’t go after them [al-Qaeda] when he could have, and he’s making excuses as to why he couldn’t or wouldn’t.”

Asked how the former chief executive should be held accountable, Hoitsma, again speaking for the senator, replied, "We would want to do that in some way. It’s a matter of picking the right forum.” Presidents and ex-presidents are rarely called before congressional committees.

At the moment the Intelligence Committee is looking into some things that went on in the intelligence community leading up to 9/11, although that probe "is not a matter of holding anyone accountable for wrongdoing or anything like that,” Hoitsma notes.

Some lawmakers have privately complained to NewsMax.com that the Intelligence Committee channels so much of what it does through so many political filters so as to reach a consensus that very little is accomplished when it comes to pressing for accountability.

Senator Inhofe says "objectively,” during the Clinton presidency, "not very much was done to deal with some of the terrorist incidents that had happened during that time.” Each time terrorist acts were committed, they were viewed by the Clintonites as law enforcement issues "instead of acts of war against America.”

The Oklahoma conservative listed the first World Trade Center bombing in 1998, the Khobar Towers bombing in Saudi Arabia in 1996 (death toll: 17), the embassy bombings in Africa (killing over 200), and violent action against the USS Cole (leaving 17 American sailors dead).

These attacks on Clinton’s watch were "downplayed,” and there were "never serious consequences for the perpetrators.”

Inhofe sees 1998 as "the lost year,” when the entire country was focused on a single issue (the Monica Lewinsky scandal) "that had nothing to do with any serious public policy.”

As the senator sees it, this was "when the [then] president was lying to the country [and under oath] about his personal problems,” and "dragged the country through the trauma of an impeachment trial.”

[Verginius Rufus]

Just checked my math--should have said 99% vs. 1%.

[Political Junkie Too]

I wouldn't have been surprised if the vote was 102% to 0%. The day will come when so many Republicans come out to vote that Democrats will have to fake enough votes to actually exceed the number of registered voters to win, and they'll still get away with it.

-PJ

[E.G.C.]

As someone who is a lifelong resident of Oklahoma, All I gotta say is way to go, Sen. Inhofe for telling it like it is.

Oklahoma's core values and the core values of X42 and their ilk are 180 degrees different. It's quite obvious the Democrats are seeking power to missuse and abuse for the express purpose of seeking retribution and revenge againt those who would dare to speak negatively of them.

Any friend of X42 is a sham representative of Oklahoma. A true representative is one who shares the core beliefs of our state which is conservative and christian. Our loyalty here in Oklahoma is not to goverment or to Democrats, it is to our state and a higher authority.

Sen Inhofe meets those standards and is most certain to win over David Walters on November 5th. He is someone with more stability and trust.

[IH83WTS]

Bill nor Hillary will never be held accountable for anything because, well, they're Bill 'n Hillary. They are above the law. They've appointed themselves the royal family of the USA. Didn't you hear?

[Liz]

indexing

[Gritty]

And while we're listing things for which the Toon and his wife need to be held accountable, add "Oklahoma City" to The List.

Anybody who thinks he didn't have something to do with that - at least the cover-up - is smokin' somethin' strong!

[Verginius Rufus]

Supposedly Stalin was once re-elected by 125% of the voters in his district. American Stalinists ought to be able to outdo the Russian kind.

[floriduh voter]

Paul Harvey's taped Saturday blurb on the radio stated that the reason President Bush reads up on Winston Churchill is because he is related on his mom's side.

Further, the Bush family is also related to Princess Diana. That may explain why Prince William and Lauren Bush were emailing each other last year - they're distant cousins.

[bushfamfan]

What is this about Clintoon confessing on a tape? When and where was this tape made? That's great if they've got that. It's pretty obvious that Clintoon let Bin Laden get away.

[A Navy Vet]

With the help of local activists, Sen. Inhofe and Rep. Duncan Hunter kept clinton from handling over control of what was once the entire Long Beach Naval Station property to COSCO (ChiComs). Inhofe is a hero to the patriots of the Long Beach/South LA area. I personally worked with his staff back in 1998 and a more accomodating congressional office I've never heard of.

[PhiKapMom]

And now Walters cannot figure out which story to use about the Ron Brown plane -- 1. He had a back problem and couldn't fly and 2. he had a funeral to attend. I have heard him give both reasons and I wasn't even in OK when Ron Brown's plane went down.

This letter in the Daily Oklahoman this morning says it all:

TO THE EDITOR:
Tom Boettcher seems like an intelligent man. He's been asking, "Does it matter?" For a number of us, looking at the faces of the Democrat Party and seeing David Walters, Gene Stipe, Bill and Hillary Clinton, Al Gore, Jesse Jackson, and Ted Kennedy, that question was answered long ago. But now Boettcher has his answer. It's a resounding "No!"

There is no line the Democrats won't cross, no shame and no regrets. I'd now like to ask this of Boettcher and any other Democrats who had been unclear on this point: What will you do with the answer?
John Scott, Harrah