More about Clinton's real record on fighting terrorism
National Review (Hat tip: Betsy's Page) reprints an article by Byron York from 2001 that shows what Bill Clinton's real record on fighting terrorism was like:
Clinton stands to be remembered in history as one of the most irresponsible and self-absorbed presidents in America's history, and I think his wife, Senator Hilary, is destined to be in the same position as well.
Update: more shocking news from a bit earlier: WorldNetDaily reports about how the Canadian Red Cross has issued a belated and limp apology for having led to the death of 3000 people by infected blood. But that's not the half of it. Apparently, former president Clinton was involved at the time he was governor of Arkansas:
June 25, 1996, a powerful truck bomb exploded outside the Khobar Towers barracks in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, tearing the front from the building, blasting a crater 35 feet deep, and killing 19 American soldiers. Hundreds more were injured. When news reached Washington, Presi dent Bill Clinton vowed to bring the killers to justice. “The cowards who committed this murderous act must not go unpunished,” he said angrily. “Let me say again: We will pursue this. America takes care of our own. Those who did it must not go unpunished.” The next day, leaving the White House to attend an economic summit in France, Clinton had more tough words for the attackers. “Let me be very clear: We will not resist” — the president corrected himself — “we will not rest in our efforts to find who is responsible for this outrage, to pursue them and to punish them.”Yep, that pretty much describes how Clinton managed his business when it came to America's security at the time he was president. And polling his response to terrorist attacks? Let's be clear here, it's dealing effectively with the terrorists and stopping them that matters, NOT how popular the politician in question is with the public.
As Clinton spoke, his top political strategist, Dick Morris, was hard at work conducting polls to gauge the public’s reaction to the bombing. “Whenever there was a crisis, I ordered an immediate poll,” Morris recalls. “I was concerned about how Clinton looked in the face of [the attack] and whether people blamed him.” The bombing happened in the midst of the president’s re-election campaign, and even though Clinton enjoyed a substantial lead over Republican Bob Dole, Morris worried that public dissatisfaction with Clinton on the terrorism issue might benefit Dole.
Indeed, Morris’s first poll showed less support for Clinton than he had hoped. But by the time Morris presented his findings to the president and top staffers at a political-strategy meeting a few days later, public approval of Clinton’s response had climbed — something Morris noted in his written agenda for the session:
SAUDI BOMBING — recovered from Friday and looking great
Approve Clinton handling 73-20
Big gain from 63-20 on Friday
Security was adequate 52-40
It’s not Clinton’s fault 76-18
The numbers were a relief for the re-election team. But soon there was another crisis when, on July 17, TWA Flight 800 exploded and crashed into the Atlantic Ocean on its way from New York to Paris. There was widespread suspicion that the crash was the result of terrorism (it was later ruled to be an accident), and Morris’s polling found the public growing uneasy not only about air safety but also about Clinton’s performance in the Khobar investigation. Morris found that the number of people who believed Clinton was “doing all he can to investigate the Saudi bombing and punish those responsible” was just 54 percent, while 32 percent believed he could do more. Morris feared that White House inaction would allow Dole to portray Clinton as soft on national security.
“We tested two alternative defenses to this attack: Peace maker or Toughness,” Morris wrote in a memo for the president. In the “Peacemaker” defense, Morris asked voters to respond to the statement, “Clinton is peacemaker. Brought together Arabs and Israelis. Ireland. Bosnia cease fire. Uses strength to bring about peace.” The other defense, “Toughness,” asked voters to respond to “Clinton tough. Stands up for American interests. Against foreign companies doing business in Cuba. Sanctions against Iran. Anti-terrorist legislation held up by Republicans. Prosecuted World Trade Center bombers.” Morris found that the public greatly preferred “Toughness.”
So Clinton talked tough. But he did not act tough.
Clinton stands to be remembered in history as one of the most irresponsible and self-absorbed presidents in America's history, and I think his wife, Senator Hilary, is destined to be in the same position as well.
Update: more shocking news from a bit earlier: WorldNetDaily reports about how the Canadian Red Cross has issued a belated and limp apology for having led to the death of 3000 people by infected blood. But that's not the half of it. Apparently, former president Clinton was involved at the time he was governor of Arkansas:
As governor of Arkansas, Clinton awarded a contract to Health Management Associates to provide care to the state's prisoners. The president of the company was a long-time friend and political ally of Clinton and was later appointed by him to the Arkansas Industrial Development Commission. Later, he was among the senior members of Clinton's 1990 gubernatorial re-election team.Yikes. This is very serious. And the international press is guilty of ignoring and hiding this information from the public. Something that seems to be the least known Clinton scandal.
Health Management Associates struck a deal with the state, signed by Clinton, to collect and sell blood from Arkansas prisoners. Because of the exploding AIDS crisis, U.S. regulations did not permit the prisoner blood to be sold legally within the United States. But HMA found a willing buyer in Canada – Connaught, a Toronto blood fractionator, which didn't know the source of the supplies. The blood was also sold to other countries.
Sales continued until 1983, when HMA revealed that some of the blood might be contaminated with AIDS and hepatitis.
Whistleblower Michael Galster, who conducted orthopedic clinics in the Arkansas prison system during the period blood was collected, charged HMA officials knew the blood was tainted as they sold it to Canada and a half-dozen other countries.
His thanks was an arson attack on his clinic.
I don't know about you, but I think there should be indictments over this crime. If ever there was a reason for an international human-rights tribunal to be invoked for trial and punishment of those responsible for a massive human-rights violation, this would seem to be the appropriate case.I couldn't agree more. The RC should be ashamed of themselves for their brutality and contempt for human life, and the world media that supressed this info should also be ashamed for sweeping it under the rug. And Clinton too should be investigated.
Labels: Canada, jihad, political corruption, terrorism, United States
