How many 9/11s did Clinton stop?

[HootieMcBoob]

This blaming Clinton bullshit has got to stop!

I've been thinking about this since the questions on last night's debate were pointing in this direction and it seems to have been an RNC talking point for some time now and is starting to pick up steam.

Remember that when Clinton came into office he inherited:

U.S. troops in Somalia
An enormous deficit
A recession

And shortly afterward the WTC was bombed!

Did he whine about it? Did he complain and blame it on the previous administration? Hell no! He sucked it up and got to work doing something about it. Granted Somalia didn't turn out good at all but the record deficit was turned into a record surplus, the recession became the largest economic expansion ever and the people who bombed the WTC were caught, tried and jailed.

Now lets talk about how many 9/11 type events within our own borders were stopped while Clinton was in the White House -- of course we can't know absolutely how many there were but I can think of at least three:

- There were the people who were arrested in Brooklyn with the plans to blow up the bridges and tunnels in NYC.
- There was the plan to blow up LAX
- And there was the millennium, when we know there was at least one plan thwarted and that was to blow up the space needle in Seattle.

On top of that Clinton as we're beginning to find out, may have destroyed what remained of Saddam's WMD during the Desert Fox bombing that was trashed by the Republicans because it was interrupting their investigation of his penis.

All of this was done while the Repubs were doing everything in their power to topple our head of state. If that is not treasonous then I sure as hell don't know what is.

Bush was told by the outgoing admin that terrorism and Al Qaeda would be where they needed to focus their energies. They were given reports by the Clinton administration and they were given the Gary Hart report as well. They did nothing - absolutely nothing. They took no action whatsoever. They frankly didn't give a fuck.

Now, Bush can do nothing but whine and blame everybody else for everything that's ever gone wrong in his administration, and god knows it's a lot. The Republicans have to face up to the fact that their boy (and I do mean boy) seriously dropped the ball.

[GreyV]

1. Clinton was no angel...

Clinton was no angel, but his policies in Kosovo, Bosnia, Philippines, and his anti-Russian stance when it came to Chechnya scored lot of points with Muslims worldwide.

[HootieMcBoob]

3. No one ever said he was an angel

That's not my point at all. How can people hold the impression that Bush* is some kind of wonderful leader when all he does is blame everything on everybody else. He is incapable of accepting personal responsibility for anything at all, ever!

I always want to ask people this: If Bush* is such a wonderful "leader" then -- when he was sitting in that classroom on 9/11 after the first plane had already hit the world trade center. Over a half an hour after they knew it was a hijacking and not an accident -- and, after he was told that a second plane had hit the other tower -- why in god's name did the dolt sit there with a class of grade school kids for another half an hour??!! He knew that that we were under attack. His people surely knew that we were being attacked. The worst attack on American soil since the war of 1812 and this jackass is sitting there doing nothing! Who was running the show? Clearly not him. It's obvious to me that in a crisis situation his people don't even want him around. They're not interested in his ideas because he doesn't have any. In fact they want to keep him preoccupied. He's a joke!

[stepnw1f]

2. And that's what pisses me off...

Our candidates being penned into defending themselves, their comments on each other and Clinton's past actions as President. It's all bullshit! Clinton was a one of the best presidents we've had in a long time. The accusations and linkage to his name smack Monica Lewinsky. It's a right-wing ploy used over and over again. There is some good news however. In the Times there is an article that states how hard it's going to be for the White House to deflect criticism over the blunders over the Iraq scandal. And yes it is scandal. Here's the article:

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/01/30/politics/30ASSE.html?th

[LostInTheMaise]

4. All of them?

What do I win?

[HootieMcBoob]

5. exactly

:)

[swinney]

6. Clinton honesty

He said during the 1992 campaign--"If you want a perfect man do not vote for me".

I continue to make this challenge---

Name one--just one--Lie (intent to deceive statement) made by President Clinton over his eight years.

Name one.

Historians will evaluate Clinton and his record for integrity is excellent. Intent to Deceive. Remove ML and superb.

One of most honest administrations in history.

One of hardest working administrations in history.

One of most cohesive (members working cooperatively)administrations in history.

[Name removed]

7. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Name removed]

8. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[HootieMcBoob]

9. So, that's all you got?

pathetic

[K-W]

10. probably none

I like the sentiment here, and the fact that Clinton actually did more to fight terrorism than Bush is a good one, but there is another point you are making that I cannott agree with.

You imply that 9/11 type attacks are commonplace and likely without internvention. The massively overinflated threat posed by terrorists is a real problem for us.

The point is that terrorist attacks and plots are not a new problem. They are something we do need to worry about and have worried about. We dont need a dept of homeland security or a patriot act.

[HootieMcBoob]

12. So, you're saying the three specific incidents that I point out

are irrelevant? I think you miss the point of my post.

I'm not implying at all that 9/11 type attacks are commonplace, just the opposite in fact. There has only been one 9/11 type attack and it happened during Bush's watch, and he and the RNC are trying to shift blame to the Clinton administration.

Were these planned attacks discovered and stopped in their tracks during the Clinton administration or were they not?

That's the point.

And the larger point is that the blame that the RNC is trying to pin on Clinton is bogus. It's being picked up by the media now and it has to be dealt with.

The point is that the Bush* administration doesn't have the balls to accept "personal responsibility" for anything at all, ever.

[K-W]

14. I'm sure we agree

But I am just very concious of anything that seems to buy into the bogus terror threat.

[Oilwellian]

11. Buzzflash did a great synopsis

You'll find a common theme as you peruse the links. Clinton's GOP Congress refused to work with him to address terrorism concerns.

President Clinton's Efforts to End Terrorism PERSPECTIVES HOME
Support BuzzFlash

"For eight years the Clinton administration fought hard to counter terrorism, and while we didn't accomplish all that we hoped, we had some important successes."

Response from Roger Cressey, National Security Council senior director for counterterrorism from 1999-2001, and Gayle Smith, special assistant to the president for African affairs from 1998-2001, to Richard Miniter's book "Losing Bin Laden," "which includes a number of erroneous allegations about the Clinton administration's counterterrorism record, many of which were then published in this newspaper."
(LINK)

The FALSE Claim That Clinton Did Nothing to Stop Terrorism or Capture Those Who Performed Terrorist Acts

Claim: The Clinton administration failed to track down the perpetrators of several terrorist attacks against Americans.
Status: False.
(LINK)

Clinton Administration Counter Terrorism Initiative

I. Actions Already Announced by the President

(1) Pass the Omnibus Counter-Terrorism Act of 1995
(2) Provide more tools to federal law enforcement agencies fighting terrorism
(3) Conduct terrorism threat assessment of every federal facility in the country within the next 60 days
(4) Direct GSA to replace the federal building in Oklahoma City.
(5) Direct the FBI Director, the Attorney General, and the National Security Adviser to prepare a Presidential Decision Directive authorizing any and all further steps necessary to combat foreign and domestic terrorism.

II. New Legislative Proposals

(1) INVESTIGATIONS
(2) PROSECUTION
(3) PENALTIES

(LINK)

"The Clinton Wars" Excerpts: How the GOP Undercut Clinton's Efforts to Fight Terrorism

"...that details how the Republican Congress and former FBI Director Louis Freeh (who allied himself with the anti-Clinton forces) undercut Clinton's efforts to fight terrorism. The excerpt also touches upon how after the impeachment trial, pseudo-scandal mongering by the media -- including the New York Times -- helped deflect public attention from President Clinton's struggle with terrorism."
(LINK)

The Moscow Summit and Nuclear Terrorism
June 7, 2000

"The headlines surrounding the Moscow summit meeting between President Clinton and Russian President Vladimir Putin focused primarily on the growing but inconclusive dialogue over mounting a defense against ballistic missiles launched from rogue states. Only scant media attention has been paid to concrete agreements related to the threat of nuclear terrorism."
(LINK)

FBI reorganises to combat terror
November 12, 1999

"The US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has announced a major reorganisation, with a greater emphasis on the prevention of terrorist attacks against American interests."
(LINK)

President Clinton's Speech on Terrorist Attacks
August 20, 1998

"Our target was terror. Our mission was clear -- to strike at the network of radical groups affiliated with and funded by Osama bin Laden, perhaps the preeminent organizer and financier of international terrorism in the world today."
(LINK)

Responding to Terrorism
1997 Annual Defense Report

"Combating terrorism requires patience, courage, imagination, and restraint. Perspective is essential. Overreaction and bombast play into terrorist hands. Good intelligence, a professional security force, and a measured response are necessary. Most important for any democracy in its struggle against terrorism is a public that is informed and engaged, and understands the nature of the threat, its potential cost, and why the fight against terrorism is its fight too. It is how well the United States meets this challenge that will determine the winners, the losers, and the price paid by each."
(LINK)

President wants Senate to hurry with new anti-terrorism laws
July 30, 1996

"But while the president pushed for quick legislation, Republican lawmakers hardened their stance against some of the proposed anti-terrorism measures."
(LINK)

WHITE HOUSE FACT SHEET ON COUNTER-TERRORISM MEASURES
October, 1996

"Washington -- The counter-terrorism measures signed into law by President Clinton October 9 constitute a broad-based strategy ranging from increased security at federal buildings to tighter scrutiny of aircraft cargo."
(LINK)

Clinton, Peres sign counter-terrorism accord
April, 1996

"The United States will supply Israel with $100 million in equipment, training and aid under a counter-terrorism accord signed Tuesday at the White House by President Clinton and Israeli Prime Minister Shimon Peres."
(LINK)

FACT SHEET - Counter-Terrorism
The White House's Position on Terrorism

"To all my fellow Americans ... I say, one thing we owe those who have sacrificed is the duty to purge ourselves of the dark forces which gave rise to this evil. They are forces that threaten our common peace, our freedom, our way of life."

President Bill Clinton
State Fair Arena, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma April 23, 1995
(LINK)

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Thanks, BuzzFlash.


http://www.buzzflash.com/perspectives/Clinton_and_Terrorism.html

[HootieMcBoob]

13. Excellent

Thank you very much. That's just the kind of stuff I need.