Bill Press: Don't blame it on Bill Clinton

By Bill Press
Tribune Media Services

WASHINGTON (Tribune Media Services) --Here is one of the first rules of politics: It’s not enough that I do well; I must also destroy my enemy.

Sadly, even in America’s war against terrorism, that rule still drives a lot of Republicans. I see it on the op-ed pages. I get avalanches of it in my e-mail. I hear it in their public statements. For them, it's not enough that most Americans give George W. Bush credit for doing a good job in leading the nation against Osama bin Laden. They're not satisfied unless everybody also holds Bill Clinton responsible for getting us into this mess.

Yet the evidence shows his detractors have more to answer for than he does.

The attacks of September 11 were only a few hours old when conservative Congressman Dana Rohrbacher, R-California, blamed Clinton, not the terrorists: “We had Bill Clinton, backing off, letting the Taliban go, over and over again.”

Talk-show host Rush Limbaugh trumpeted on the pages of the Wall Street Journal: “Mr. Clinton can be held culpable for not doing enough when he was commander-in-chief to combat the terrorists who wound up attacking the World Trade Center and Pentagon.”

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, who resigned in disgrace, also chimed in, citing Clinton’s “pathetically weak, ineffective ability to focus and stay focused.”

Don't you love it? Gingrich and company derail the president and the country for two whole years over a minor sex scandal in the White House -- magnifying one act of oral sex into a full time, $50 million Independent Counsel investigation, weeks of House Judiciary Committee hearings, impeachment by the House of Representatives and trial in the Senate -- and then they accuse Clinton of not staying focused on government business!

Have they no shame?

The truth, of course, is just the opposite. Given how distracted he was by the Lewinsky scandal, (which was of his own making, but blown out of proportion by his political enemies), it’s amazing Clinton was able to continue governing at all. And during that time, as The Washington Post reveals, he did a great deal to combat terrorism, much of it behind the scenes.

Clinton’s most public response, of course, were the cruise missile attacks of 1998, directed against Osama bin Laden in Afghanistan and the Sudan, following the terrorist bombings of U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania.

Operating on limited intelligence -- at that time, Pakistan, Uzbekistan and Tazikistan refused to share information on the terrorists whereabouts inside Afghanistan -- U. S. strikes missed bin Laden by only a couple of hours.

Even so, Clinton was accused of only firing missiles in order to divert media attention from the Lewinsky hearings. A longer campaign would have stirred up even more criticism.

So Clinton tried another tack. He sponsored legislation to freeze the financial assets of international organizations suspected of funneling money to bin Laden’s Al Qaeda network -- identical to orders given by President Bush this month -- but it was killed, on behalf of big banks, by Republican Senator Phil Gramm of Texas. Those actions, we knew about. Others, we did not, until recently. Starting in 1998, for example, Clinton gave the CIA a green light to use whatever covert means were necessary to gather information on Osama bin Laden and his followers, and to disrupt and preempt any planned terrorist activities against the United States.

As part of that effort, the CIA, under Clinton, trained and equipped some 60 commandos from Pakistan to enter Afghanistan and capture bin Laden. The operation collapsed when Pakistan experienced a military coup and a new government took over.

In 1998, Clinton also signed a secret agreement with Uzbekistan to begin joint covert operations against Osama bin Laden and Afghanistan’s Taliban regime. U.S. Special Forces have been training there ever since, which is why the Pentagon was immediately able to use Uzbekistan as a staging area for forays into Afghanistan.

Clinton targeted bin Laden even before he moved to Afghanistan. In 1996, his administration brokered an agreement with the government of Sudan to arrest the terrorist leader and turn him over to Saudi Arabia. For 10 weeks, Clinton tried to persuade the Saudis to accept the offer. They refused. With no cooperation from the Saudis, the deal fell apart.

Conclusion: Rohrbacher, Limbaugh, Gingrich are dead wrong when they blame Bill Clinton for September 11. Did Clinton get Osama bin Laden “dead or alive?” No, but he came close, several times -- long before tracking down terrorists became a national priority.

Find this article at: http://www.cnn.com/2001/ALLPOLITICS/10/18/column.billpress/index.html

-- Cherri (jessam6@home.com), October 21, 2001

Answers

So you're saying, what, Bill is a big loser? In getting Binny as well as in putting himself into a situation of a minor scandal, and allowing it to be blown out of proportion by his perjury?

This is an icky icky man. No one cares about him. His friends have turned from him. Yet you are still trumpeting style over substance, where failure is somehow success, because mere intention somehow trumps results?

This is pathetic.

-- Who? (Yawn-o-Rama@Who.Huh), October 21, 2001.

"Did Clinton get Osama bin Laden “dead or alive?” No, but he came close, several times -- long before tracking down terrorists became a national priority."

Close? What to they say about horseshoes? In defense of Clinton/Gore, it took the WTC atrocity to mobilize public support for a serious anti-terrorist campaign. Clinton would have been opposed by his own party as as well as by his political opponents if he had proposed spending the money and person-power (not to mention the limitations on civil rights) that President Bush has been authorized as a result of Sept 11. Sad, but understandable.

Nonetheless, I am grateful that this happened under Bush's watch rather than Clinton or Gore. Many Liberals are saying this too.

-- Lars (lars@indy.net), October 21, 2001.

Lars have you ever heard of Bosnia?

How about the term BLOWBACK?

and you say you are GRATEFUL? for what? that we have a guy who ran pussyass to Jebraska the first day? Who's lying press-scumball Are-i- Fleecing-her, then spent a good chunk of day 2 (when the bodies down on Church St were still warm) excusing his bosses actions with some made-up crap that AFO was a target? This is the guy you are grateful for?

As to many Liberals saying the same thing, I agree. If nothing else PEPOLE, the last 5 weeks should prove to you(sans Russ Feingold maybe), all these crooks drink from the same moonshine jug.

America can survive even the WTC/Pentagon disasters. What we cannot survive is 90% approval ratings and legislation flying thru Congress 400 to 1 and 99 to 1. Coupled with bs like "you are with us or you are with the Terrorist's" is downright toxic for a Free Society.

-- (pas@fortheeasilyamused.com), October 21, 2001.

Yes, I have heard of Bosnia. I believe that was the place there America (under Clinton) saved Muslims from "ethnic cleasing" by the Serbs. What's your point?

Yes, I am GRATEFUL that the war on terrorism is being directed by the Bush team rather than the Clinton team or the Gore team, altho I think any team would have ultimately responded in a similar way. What other way is there to respond to a murderous sneak attack by a hidden enemy that is part of a world conspiracy?

Yes, I have heard of BLOWBACK. Sometimes (most times) it is necessary to cut a deal with bad guys in order to defeat badder guys. Our priorities (correct priorities IMO)in the 80s was to defeat the Soviet Union. We aided their enemies. That has come back to haunt us, yes. Were you predicting in 1989 that our support of the Muhajadin in Afghanistan against Soviet imperialism would lead to the WTC atrocity? Congratulations, you are very brilliant.

Question: Do you think that America should solicit the cooperation of China in going after terrorists now? Do you think that such support comes without a price? Do you think that that price might not come back to us as BLOWBACK in 10-20 years?

Welcome to Realpolitik.

-- Lars (lars@indy.net), October 21, 2001.

The Clinton administration was spending a lot of time working on the effort to defeat terrorism but the Republicans, who controlled Congress, were not very interested in this. They were not interested in spending money on something they didn't believe was a problem, until now, after Bush took office and 6,000 have been killed. Back then, the Repugs were more interested in Clinton's penis. When Kenny Starr and Dan Burton and the whole slew of hypocritical scumbags came along, they basically tied Clinton's hands by forcing him to focus on defending his personal affairs rather than doing the business he intended. This was exactly what they had hoped to do, and they did it. They wanted to focus on penises rather than terrorists, so now 6,000 have been killed. Nice going Repugs!

-- (repugs@love.cock), October 21, 2001.

Simulation, Simulation!

-- Boswell (fundown@thefarm.net), October 21, 2001.

Lars:

Do you expect to overcome mindless reflex with thoughtful answers? If you were to remove every trace of hatred from this anonymous loser, there would be nothing left to animate the husk!

-- Flint (flintc@mindspring.com), October 21, 2001.

Boswell,

Is that meant to be like when Gomer Pyle kept screaming "Citizens arrest, citizens arrest!" at Barney Fife? While amusing it doesn't do much to address the topic of the thread.

Cherri,

While your post tries to highlight that Clinton gets too much credit for being the root of all our current problems you are wasting your time. Bill Clinton represents the most evil thing in the world to these people, namely being a popular Democratic President. There is nothing good that he has done or ever will do. Anything good that happened during his administration was pure dumb luck or actually done by someone else (not a Democrat).

If he is not actually the anti-christ himself he is most certainly his lackey. I am surprised that someone hasn't claimed that a remote ancestor of Clintons' was an unindicted co-conspirator of John Wilkes Booth. Of course he probably did have an active role in Hitler's rise to power.

Any of the bombs dropped in Afghanistan that accidently go astray and kill innocent (uh huh) civilians are solely the responsibility of Klinton because he probably manufactured them or spewed his demon seed on them thereby thwarting the fine craftsmanship authorized by the conservative Republican congress and blessed by the righteous prayers of the morally correct christians.

Face it you can't change the obssessed. It's a fixation with them and nothing you or any other person can say, show or prove is going to change the mantra for the boogy man.

"It's Clinton's fault."

-- Jack Booted Thug (governmentconspiracy@NWO.com), October 22, 2001.

PUBLIC RELATIONS DEBACLE AFTER SEN. HILLARY JEERED AND BOOED BY HEROES

Senator Hillary Clinton's inner circle is furious at MIRAMAX king Harvey Weinstein after the former first lady suffered through a public relations nightmare during Saturday's AMERICA: A TRIBUTE TO HEROES concert in New York City.

Hillary Clinton was jeered and booed by thousands gathered at Madison Square Garden as she took to the stage -- unannounced -- to introduce a movie clip.

VH1 cameras captured firemen and police heroes wildly booing Clinton, who attempted to raise her voice above the shouting crowd.

"Get off the stage! We don't want you here!" yelled one New York City police officer just feet from the senator.

Anti-Clinton slurs spread and intensified throughout the Garden, with many standing near the stage lobbing profanities.

Event-planner and close Clinton friend Harvey Weinstein was visibly shaken as he heard the crowd erupt with boos and jeers, according to an eyewitness.

The junior senator from New York ending up giving the shortest presentation of the evening, clocking in at under 20 seconds.

"How could we not know this would be the wrong forum for Hillary?!" shouted one confidante. "These are cops and firemen who listen to right-wing talkradio. They still think she killed Vince Foster, for Christ sake!"

Other New York politicians received warmer welcomes during the 5-hour concert which featured Paul McCartney, Mick Jagger, Elton John and others.

Former President Bill Clinton, who took the stage minutes after his wife, worked over scattered boos with talk of the rescuers' heroism.

Following the Clintons, James Taylor soothed the heroes with an acoustic FIRE AND RAIN.

The concert raised millions of dollars for September 11 relief efforts.

Fair use, for educational purposes.

Last edited by Deb Mc on 10-22-2001 at 12:31 AM

-- libs are idiots (moreinterpretation@ugly.com), October 22, 2001.

Yes it is Clinton's fault. He was responsible for all this. He left our military in shambles with a gazillion deployments with no real mission and lives wasted. He had no clue what to do with the military while this article makes Clinton sound like a DoD genius, pure spin.

Flint, ditto

-- Maria (anon@ymous.com), October 22, 2001.

Flint:

It is my considered belief that the anonymous loser is none other than Mr. Polly (Louis).

-- Mr. Keene (TracerOfLost@ssho.les), October 22, 2001.