The Washington Post has an article about Bill Clinton's appearance on Fox News Sunday which will air today. Let's put it this way, Clinton looks very, very bad indeed here. The Post did not try to spin this in a positive direction by editing out the worst behaviors, as I would have expected. It is not that they highlighted the bad actions, either. They simply did not hide them. Clinton comes across as out of control. Man – I gotta watch this one.
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 in 1993 to pull troops out of Somalia, 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 another six months to ensure an orderly transition to United Nations forces.
That's when the interview got testy, as a Fox transcript reflects:
Go over and read it. Testy would not be the word I would use. I would use 'tantrum'. It is that bad.
Nice, focus on Clinton’s behavior, while completely ignoring what he said. HE TRIED.
Care to comment on the report from 16 intelligence agencies confirming that the Iraq war is fueling terorrism:
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-intel24sep24,0,2161892.story?coll=la-home-headlines
You worry about Clinton responding angrily about being attacked by right wing historical revisionists, when your Iraq invasion/occupation has done FAR worse damage to America and our safety than anything Clinton has done. Nice spin.
Tried as in 1998 Iraqi Liberation Act?
Does the intelligence report mention anything about radical imans preaching in mosques worldwide lectures on “Death to America” or Death to Isreal” or “Islam wil dominate the world” or “Death to the Pope” or “Death to Cartoonists”?
Clinton seeks the limelight speaking ill-will about American policy to foreign audiences therefore he is open to criticism. If he were dignified he would do what dignified Presidents do, stay out of the limelight and discontinue his snide remarks about America spoken before foreign audiences.
In any case, Clinton is not helping his treasured image much with his red-faced, finger-waving rantings. Clinton rants are more like protests seen by Islamists everytime anyone mentions anything Islmaists don’t like to hear about Allah.