So an interesting audio tape has been uncovered of a speech that the newly former President Bill Clinton gave to a group of businessmen in Melbourne, Australia on September 10, 2001. This was one of those well-paid gigs that Bill is famous for now. The recording was released last week by Michael Kroger, the former head of the Liberal Party in Australia who recently rediscovered the long forgotten taping. So here is the gist of what Clinton said only 10 hours before the attacks on September 11, 2001 -
If you listened to the audio, you will hear laughter in the background. The aborted hit on bin Laden was purportedly planned and aborted in 1998 and the "little town called Kandahar" was actually bin Laden's training camp outside of Kandahar. I wonder what would have happened if Clinton had not feared what his legacy would have been and how many American lives could have been saved. Oh, and just in case you have forgotten, this aborted attempt didn't come out of nowhere. The reason Clinton had been thinking about bid Laden was that bin Laden's Al Qaeda was responsible for the bombing our embassies in Tanzania and Kenya in 1998 where 240 were killed and over 4000 were injured to be followed up in 2000 with the attack on the USS Cole in the port in Yemen where 17 sailors died and 39 were injured. Oh, yeah, and the World Trade Center bombing in 1993 too. Yeah, I know, it's the "what ifs" that get us every time, but I just hope that $150,000 speaking fee was worth it the next day.
"I'm just saying, you know, if I were Osama bin Laden - he's a very smart guy, I've spent a lot of time thinking about him - and I nearly got him once. I nearly got him. And I could have killed him, but I would have to destroy a little town called Kandahar in Afghanistan and kill 300 innocent women and children, and then I would have been no better than him. And so I didn't do it."
If you listened to the audio, you will hear laughter in the background. The aborted hit on bin Laden was purportedly planned and aborted in 1998 and the "little town called Kandahar" was actually bin Laden's training camp outside of Kandahar. I wonder what would have happened if Clinton had not feared what his legacy would have been and how many American lives could have been saved. Oh, and just in case you have forgotten, this aborted attempt didn't come out of nowhere. The reason Clinton had been thinking about bid Laden was that bin Laden's Al Qaeda was responsible for the bombing our embassies in Tanzania and Kenya in 1998 where 240 were killed and over 4000 were injured to be followed up in 2000 with the attack on the USS Cole in the port in Yemen where 17 sailors died and 39 were injured. Oh, yeah, and the World Trade Center bombing in 1993 too. Yeah, I know, it's the "what ifs" that get us every time, but I just hope that $150,000 speaking fee was worth it the next day.
Funny thing, Bev. I remember an interview I once saw with Dick Morris on Fox News. This was several years ago, when Morris, as a former Clinton strategist who saw the light, was commenting on Bill's then-new autobiography.
ReplyDeleteMorris said the whole book was "I woulda, coulda, shoulda..." And, unfortunately, it gives a clear picture of what it's like to have a conversation with Bill Clinton. He's always talking about what he could have done or what could have been. Kind of a permanent case of "woe is me."
As for him making a moral case for chickening out of getting rid of bin Laden only hours before 9/11? Doesn't surprise me. I'm honestly not shocked by this cowardly sociopath anymore.
In fact, I'm willing to bet that the night before he either complained that his fee wasn't high enough or that he didn't get enough time to talk...and then the next day he moaned about how if only this had happened a year earlier (read: during Bill's presidency), he could've shown us all what kind of a leader he really was. (Too bad he never had a real chance to show us during those eight years he was in the Oval Office.) But alas, he didn't get the opportunity. Too bad. Woe is him.
What a jagoff.
All this was gone over in the 9/11 Commission's report, which made it clear that prior to 9/11 international terrorism was treated as a minor problem that could be dealt with primarily by cops, diplomats and surrogates rather than the military (see page 131 of the link below). There were also doubts about the reliability of the source (that would be a hell of an 'oops').
ReplyDeletehttp://www.9-11commission.gov/report/911Report.pdf
A Republican from my home state of Alabama just accused Democrats of "waging a war on whites".
ReplyDeleteTo quote Sterling Archer: "Phrasing!"
Rustbelt - All I can think about is Hillary going to be shy about protecting us? Will SHE be ready for the 3am call? Bill apparently was so self-absorbed to really take terrorism seriously. He was too busy banging interns. And everyone blames Bush for not paying attention in the months before 9/11, but it looks like he took his cue from Clinton's lackadaisical attitude because we can just assume that the security briefings were "Not to worry about global terrorism, no terrorist would dare try to harm Americans on American soil!" even after WTC #1 and even after the USS Cole attack which is actually an act of war.
ReplyDeleteIt's hard to blame Bush for 9/11 simply because it takes time, lots of time for a new administration to gin things up to where it's not on automatic anymore. The State Department etc can run with only interim directors and do every time a new POTUS takes over. Bush's people took the briefings to heart, and got caught blindsided...BTW, the attack was so audacious that I doubt anyone could have caught it unless one of the participants had decided he didn't want to die and ratted out the others.
ReplyDeleteAnthony - Really, how many people do think have actually read the 9/11 Commission report? What bothers me is that it is "All Bush's fault". And it's not.
ReplyDeleteThis also bothers me. Unlike almost all outgoing Presidents, Clinton just wouldn't go away after Jan. 22, 2001. He insisted on interjecting his opinion on everything. And in the immediate aftermath of 9/11, Clinton contacted Mayor Giuliani's office because he wanted to do his Jesus Christ act and walk amongst the first responders and search/rescue teams at still burning site. Giuliani had to remind him that he was no longer President and would not be allowed until Bush came. [Which now is that iconic photo of Bush on the heap with that bullhorn and the fireman.] Clinton wanted that to him...maybe because he needed absolution from the masses that it wasn't his fault...naaaah, he just wanted to be in the middle of it. He still can't stand to not be the center of attention.
Critch- I think that you are right. I don't think it could have been stopped. But the hindsight seems to stop at Jan. 22, 2001 with Bush-haters. Clinton hesitated to apprehend bin Laden when he had numerous opportunities. To blame Bush for all Clinton's hesitations angers me. Maybe this little audio moment with the tittering laughter and all, will set at least that part of the record straight.
ReplyDeleteKit - I read that about the "waging war on whites" statement. Sigh.....he's probably the TP favorite too...
ReplyDeleteOh this is fun - Carter, another former President who can't keep his mouth shut, announced that he considers Hamas to be a "legitimate political actor" and blames Israel for all the ills of the region. Carter sickens me. Not only does this fly in the face of US policy about Hamas as a terrorist organization, but he keeps doing it. This isn't his first endorsement of Hamas contrary to US policy. He had a nice visit with them a few years ago and where he stated the same thing.
ReplyDeleteOh, he will say as he did before, that he is only speaking as a "private citizen", but that's a load of crap. The day he was sworn in as President of the United States, he ceased being a "private citizen" forever and always. We have now reached the point where we should see the logic for disposing of former leaders/kings/emperors etc. Too harsh?
Bev, I think 9/11 could have been pushed off. If Clinton had killed bin Laden, he would have put an end to their immediate plans. They still would have struck, but not on 9/11. Beyond that, I really don't think Americans would have been ready to go to war to stop a threat they didn't yet feel personally.
ReplyDeleteThat said, I don't blame Bush even 1% for 9/11, though I do blame Clinton for ignoring the threat.
Carter is a real turd. The man LOVES dictators, terrorists and murderers. I think there's something wrong in his peanut.
ReplyDelete2 news stories from around the world:
ReplyDeleteAs the Israel-Gaza thing dies down, Ukraine starts heating back up with the BBC reporting "heavy fighting" around rebel-held Donetsk.
LINK
In Afghanistan, a man in an Afghan army uniform opened fire on US soldiers, apparently killing an American general.
LINK
Bev,
ReplyDeleteMost people (including people with access to the relevant intelligence) didn't take Al Queda seriously as they should have prior to 9/11. So its a whole lot of people's fault IMHO.
That lack of shall we say, seriousness didn't end with 9/11. Our decision to rely on surrogates allowed bin Laden to escape Tora Bora.
*Shrugs* Of course, its easy to say what would have been the correct thing to do in retrospect.
couple of things jumped to mind when I heard about this. First, what did Sandy Burger steal and destroy from the records department? Second, regarding Bush, I agree with Critch. Don't forget, the decision by algore to contest the election put Bush behind the 8 ball in terms of choosing his administration's appointees. I'm not one of these people who blames everything i the world on Clinton. But he really didn't accomplish very much when you get right down to it other than go overboard eliminating controls on the financial markets. That was a joint venture with the Republicans in congress, though
ReplyDeleteYes, Anthony, hindsight is always 20/20. And I am not really wanting to blame Clinton as much as much as pointing up that the Bush Administration has taken unfairly directed harsh criticism for not preventing the attacks. I think this points up that we did not and continue to not taken global terrorism very seriously.
ReplyDeleteTennJ - Yeah, what did Sandy Berger destroy? No doubt something that would protect HIS reputation more than Clinton's I bet. And we tend to forget that the whole Bush v. Gore recount rattled around until mid-December. Ah, good times, good times...
ReplyDeleteIt's not that I think Clinton didn't accomplish anything. It is that Clinton took credit for the good stuff that Republicans forced him to agree to, and blamed Republicans for the bad legislation that came from the left side of the aisle. But I would prefer any Clinton including Chelsea to any Obamas.
Twisting a line from his wife, how much indifference does it make?
ReplyDelete