Apparently as tired as I am of the constant Republican blaming of Clinton for all of Bush’s problems, former deputy chief of staff Steve Ricchetti responds in today’s Washington Post with a well written rebuttal. He sets the record straight on Iraq, North Korea, The Balkans, and points out the history of terrorism in the last few decades:
Nearly 500 of our citizens died at the hands of foreign terrorists during the Reagan administration, including 241 Marines at barracks in Lebanon, to which that administration’s response was promptly to withdraw. The 1980s were the most ravaging decade of terrorism against Americans before Sept. 11, 2001. Except for a single bombing run against Libya one day in April 1986, there was no significant military response.
Under the Clinton administration, fighting terrorism became a national priority. Counterterrorism funding doubled. Force was used against Osama bin Laden and Iraq. Multiple terrorist plots were stopped, including plans to blow up tunnels and the United Nations headquarters and to strike U.S. targets during our millennium celebrations. Al Qaeda cells were rolled up in more than 20 countries. Dozens of important terrorist fugitives were apprehended.
Where were Republican leaders then? Some were busy opposing key efforts to strengthen laws designed to combat terrorists. Others criticized significant counterterrorism funding requests. Perhaps I missed Krauthammer’s column at the time chiding his Republican friends for “kicking the can” down the road.
By the way, if any leading Republicans were calling for military action against Afghanistan during the Clinton administration, it is hard to find evidence of it in the public record of that time. Republican presidential candidate George W. Bush certainly did not.
As for the allegation that Sudan “offered up” Osama bin Laden to us in 1996, it’s a right-wing lie. It didn’t happen. If a more robust strategy for combating international terrorism was obvious before 9/11, President Bush had nine months to initiate it. He did not.
Don’t forget that the Clinton administration worked long and hard toward a solution to the Palestine-Israel conflict. The Bush administration has completely disengaged from this area, ignoring it in favor of a war in Iraq. The source of most violence and hatred in the region is Israel, not Iraq. Why not work on the underlying cause instead of diverting attention elsewhere?
Wash your own finger before you point at my spots.
Not to sure about the quote –
Under the Clinton administration, fighting terrorism became a national priority. Counterterrorism funding doubled. Force was used against Osama bin Laden and Iraq. Multiple terrorist plots were stopped, including plans to blow up tunnels and the United Nations headquarters and to strike U.S. targets during our millennium celebrations. Al Qaeda cells were rolled up in more than 20 countries. Dozens of important terrorist fugitives were apprehended.
Perhaps one forgets that on TWO seperate occasions, Osama was offered on a silver platter to the Clinton administation (by the Sudan and Pakastan) yet both offers were declined.
But as the writer (and others) claim, the “offering up” of bin Laden has been concocted by wily spinners. In addition, I find it very hard to believe that either Sudan or Pakistan would have the ability to hand over bin Laden – do you suppose that their own people would willingly capture and turn over their greatest hero to the infidel Americans?