Clinton defends record in terror fight

WASHINGTON - Former President Clinton angrily defended his administration's counterterrorism record during a Fox News interview to be aired today, while accusing "President Bush's neocons" and other Republicans of ignoring Osama bin Laden until the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

Clinton had planned to discuss his climate change initiative during his appearance on Fox News Sunday, but he turned combative after host Chris Wallace asked why he hadn't "put bin Laden and al-Qaida out of business." Clinton shot back that "all the conservative Republicans" who now criticize him for inattention to bin Laden used to criticize him for overattention to bin Laden.

Clinton said he authorized the CIA to kill bin Laden, and even "contracted with people to kill him." He also said he had a plan to attack Afghanistan, overthrow the Taliban, and hunt for bin Laden after the attack on the USS Cole, but the CIA and FBI refused to certify that bin Laden was responsible, and Uzbekistan refused to allow the United States to set up a base. By contrast, Clinton said the Bush administration's neoconservatives "had no meetings on bin Laden for nine months," believing he had been "too obsessed with bin Laden."

"At least I tried," Clinton said. "That's the difference (between) me and some, including all of the right-wingers who are attacking me now. They ridiculed me for trying. They had eight months to try. They did not try. I tried. So I tried and failed. When I failed, I left a comprehensive anti-terror strategy and the best guy in the country, (Richard) Clarke, who got demoted."

Clinton seemed particularly irked by Wallace's reference to his decision to pull troops out of Somalia in 1993, a move bin Laden later described as a sign of American weakness. Clinton argued that even though many Republicans demanded a withdrawal from Somalia the day after the downing of a Black Hawk helicopter, he kept a U.S. presence there for an additional six months to ensure an orderly transition to United Nations forces.

That's when the interview got testy, as a Fox transcript reflects:

Clinton: There is not a living soul in the world who thought Osama bin Laden had anything to do with Black Hawk down or was paying any attention to it, or even knew al-Qaida was a going concern in October '93.

Wallace: I understand.

Clinton: No, no, wait. Don't tell me that - you asked why didn't I do more to bin Laden, there was not a living soul, all the people who now criticize me wanted to leave the next day. You brought this up, so you get an answer. But you - secondly,

Wallace: - Bin Laden says, but it showed the weakness of the United States.

Clinton: Bin Laden may have said it - but it would have shown the weakness if we left right away. But he wasn't involved in that, that's just a bunch of bull. That was about Mohammed Aidid, a Muslim warlord, murdering 22 Pakistani Muslim troops. We were all there on a humanitarian mission; we had no mission, none, to establish a certain kind of Somali government or keep anybody out. He was not a religious fanatic -

Wallace: Mr. President -

Clinton: - there was no al-Qaida -

Wallace: With respect, if I may, instead of going through '93 and -

Clinton: No, no - you asked it. You brought it up.

Wallace, a 30-year broadcast veteran who worked at NBC and ABC before Fox, is not usually considered part of the network's conservative commentariat, but Clinton accused him of doing "Fox's bidding" by preparing a "conservative hit job."

He attacked Wallace for failing to ask Bush administration officials why Clarke was demoted from his counterterrorism job.

He also complained that Wallace had lured him to the interview "under false pretenses," but when Wallace offered to discuss his climate change project, he replied, "No, I want to finish this now."

And so he did, attacking President Bush for focusing on Iraq instead of Afghanistan, urging Americans to read Clarke's book, and accusing Republicans of "a serious disinformation campaign" to blame the Clinton administration for losing bin Laden.

"I got closer to killing him than anybody's gotten since," Clinton said.

yeah yeah... whatever.

Didn't Clinton who oversaw the massacre at Waco and the starvation and poisoning of Iraq, send a salvo of cruise missiles into a pharmaceutical plant in Sudan to herald his occupancy of the Desk?

Then he continued Reagan's strangulation of the social services. - oh, what was that you were talking about?

There is no part of the Constitution than allows this. There never was.

This is because the Bill of Rights and the Constitution are only as valid as the people want it to be. The piece of paper as well as the flag is not any protection because it will not fight for you as they only offer a superficial front to hide selective enforcement and backroom deals. It resolves to the rage of abuse from a mobilized population to make a government of the people.

>There is no part of the Constitution than allows

>this. There never was.

I'm sure its in one of those laws that congress passed to "override" the constitution to protect the children.

Maybe it was in the Patriot Act? Not couldn't have been the Patriot Act. That was passed after Clinton left.

Maybe it was one of those executive orders. You know those Presidential Executive orders that make the constitution null and void to protect the children. I think Bush issed one of them flushing the 4th Amendment allowing him to wire tap phone with out a search warrent.

I'm sure if I search thru those secret "unwritten" updates to the constitution I will find it somewhere.

As you should know, the only time the Bill of Rights are enforced is when the PEOPLE enforce it.