Kristol: O'Neill War Memo Came From Clinton

[GAspnes]

NewsMax

A controversial White House memo outlining plans for a postwar Iraq that was drafted well before the 9/11 attacks had its origins in the Clinton administration, former Bush 41 White House official Bill Kristol said Sunday.

<snip>

"I'm sure that was left over from the Clinton administration. Of course (the Bush White House) had a plan for post-Saddam Iraq - it's been our policy to have regime change there for three years before the Bush administration."


Read the whole thing. Blaming Clinton, of course, gets them off the 'Iraq war planned in advance' charge, but that requires validation of the 'Iraq war planned in advance' charge.

Do these people even know how to spell "logic"?

[wryter2000]

1. Not Clinton but his penis

Danged dangler was always getting us in trouble.

[CatWoman]

4. ut, ut, ut,

that's CLENIS!!!!

:D

[ComerPerro]

2. Jesus Christ

Everything is Clinton's fault, isn't it.

Bush's campaign slogan should be: "Don't blame me, I'm just an idiot"

[Terwilliger]

3. further confirmation that this story will go nowhere

the American public doesn't want to hear it

OnEdit: yeah, there's no reason for the left to be angry </sarcasm>

[Bluzmann57]

5. It's ABC

"Always blame Clinton". Sooner or later one would think that the U.S. citizenry will get tired of the same old bullshit and tell bush and co. to 'fess up or be gone. Where oh where are the old style muckrakers to blow all this open and bring down these clowns? Apologies to all clowns out there.

[Sophree]

6. How the heck would he know???

" quotes this secret memo, 'Plan for Post-Saddam Iraq,' that apparently the Bush administration had in its first few months," Kristol told "Fox News Sunday."

"I'm sure that was left over from the Clinton administration. Of course had a plan for post-Saddam Iraq - it's been our policy to have regime change there for three years before the Bush administration."

I'm sure that was left over????? This is a guess and of course Newsmax's headline reports it as fact.

[lovedems]

9. Listen, I saw Madeline Albright on Charlie Rose

and she said they did want a regime change but it did not include PRE-EMPTIVE STRIKE. IF AND IF it ever came to that, their idea was that a regime change would mean the Iraqi people would rise up against Saddam WITH THE ASSISTANCE OF THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY. It would come from within Iraq and not be forced upon them. They didn't listen to Clinton about the OBL threat so why am I to believe that they would use his advice on Saddam? Blaming Clinton after 4 years of their irresponsible behavior is getting so old.

[Sophree]

12. I saw that

Albright on Charlie Rose- she was fantastic! She made so much sense, logically going down the list of reasons why this war was such a huge mistake.

And you're right, she did say their policy changed to "Regime Change" but it never involved preventive war.

[Must_B_Free]

7. True statement

But totally misconstrued to the point of being flat out deceptive.

What they are saying is that it was the same war plan given to Clinton in 1998 which he rejected for lack of international support and financial impraciticality.

[HereSince1628]

8. So I guess the documents are declassified, thats good

Cheney won't be able to hide them.

I come to this conclusion because Kristol is an editor and writer, not an employee of the US government...If he knows they were Clintons that implies he's seen them...

er, ah, well, not really, it just implies that someone told him so...

But it would be a good place to start a discussion about making those memos available to the general press.

BTW, I am pretty sure the regime change in Iraq was a desire of the Clinton administration. But wanting something and lying to make it happen are pretty different.

[baldguy]

10. Didn't the Bushies literally toss out EVERYTHING

that the Clintons were working on and start from scratch?

[htuttle]

11. This is a highly deceptive story

How does Mr. Kristol know that the memo was from Clinton? He doesn't. He doesn't even SAY he knows, he merely guesses:

"I'm sure that was left over from the Clinton administration. Of course (the Bush White House) had a plan for post-Saddam Iraq - it's been our policy to have regime change there for three years before the Bush administration."

He's not saying he knows it was left over from the Clinton Administration. He's saying 'I'm sure it was left over', as in "I'm sure I locked the door before I left...didn't I?".

How many reading-challenged freepers are going to skim this, and take that as a proven truth instead of merely Kristol speculating (as always)?

There is zero new information in this article, other than Bill Kristol's opinion.