Can we shoot down the "Clinton refused to take UBL down" meme one more

[greenman3610]

time?

Sorry for my poor memory,
I know it's been batted around a lot, I know the 911 commission
shot that one down, but
do we have any authoritative links on the
real story, since it's in the news now....?

[seabeyond]

1. here is a good article from truth out i just read

http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/083006J.shtml

i am savong this for when i need the information. cassey said and there are threads verifying it on this board tonight, that there was never a time for clinton to be able to take him out and that he never said no to cia. clark said that piece in the film was bullshit. others probably have more specific information

[rurallib]

2. Like all the RW bullshit

they will never let this die. Nor will "Saddam & OBL conspired" or "Saddam had WMDs" or "Katrina response failure was local politicians fault" etc. Slowly the public wakes up. The true RW still thinks Dean Atcheson was a commie who sold out the US. That one still hasn't died for a true believer, though few people would accept it today.

[Monkeyman]

3. Yep Truth Out and My better halfs

http://janets-conner.blogspot.com

[Mabus]

4. Contemporaneous article and EO 13099

The link in the first excerpt takes you to the article. There are also links to a video of the speech that Clinton gave the night he went after OBL.

U.S. missiles pound targets in Afghanistan, Sudan

Clinton: 'Our target was terror'

August 21, 1998
Web posted at: 5:10 a.m. EDT (0910 GMT)

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- American cruise missiles pounded sites in Afghanistan and Sudan Thursday in retaliation for the deadly bombings of U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania on August 7.

"Let our actions today send this message loud and clear -- there are no expendable American targets," U.S. President Clinton said in a televised address to the American people Thursday evening. "There will be no sanctuary for terrorists. We will defend our people, our interests and our values."

****

U.S.: Bin Laden's network planning new attacks

Clinton said that information gathered by American intelligence showed that a network of terrorists affiliated with bin Laden was responsible for the bombings in Nairobi and Dar es Salaam, which killed 257 people, including 12 Americans.

"Our mission was clear -- to strike at the network of radical groups affiliated with, and funded by, Osama bin Laden, the pre-eminent organizer and financier of international terrorism in the world today," Clinton said. http://www.cnn.com/US/9808/20/us.strikes.02 /

You can also look at Executive Order 13099 in which Clinton named OBL by name as a terrorist.

Executive Order 13099 - Prohibiting Transactions With Terrorists Who Threaten To Disrupt the Middle East Peace Process
August 20th, 1998


By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, including the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.), the National Emergencies Act (50 U.S.C. 1601 et seq.), and section 301 of title 3, United States Code,

I, William J. Clinton, President of the United States of America, in order to take additional steps with respect to grave acts of violence committed by foreign terrorists that disrupt the Middle East peace process and the national emergency described and declared in Executive Order 12947 of January 23, 1995, hereby order:

Section 1. The title of the Annex to Executive Order 12947 of January 23, 1995, is revised to read "Terrorists Who Threaten To Disrupt the Middle East Peace Process."

Sec. 2. The Annex to Executive Order 12947 of January 23, 1995, is amended by adding thereto the following persons in appropriate alphabetical order:

Usama bin Muhammad bin Awad bin Ladin (a.k.a. Usama bin Ladin)

Islamic Army (a.k.a. Al-Qaida, Islamic Salvation Foundation, The Islamic Army for the Liberation of the Holy Places, The World Islamic Front for Jihad Against Jews and Crusaders, and The Group for the Preservation of the Holy Sites)

Abu Hafs al-Masri

Rifa'i Ahmad Taha Musa

Sec. 3. Nothing contained in this order shall create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable by any party against the United States, its agencies or instrumentalities, its officers or employees, or any other person.

Sec. 4. (a) This order is effective at 12:01 a.m., eastern daylight time on August 21, 1998.

(b) This order shall be transmitted to the Congress and published in the Federal Register.

William J. Clinton
The White House,
August 20, 1998.

(Filed with the Office of the Federal Register, 8:45 a.m., August 24, 1998)
http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/index.php?pid=54808