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Monday, September 25, 2006 - 1:15am Bill Clinton Fights Back Against the Right The right wing has been disparaging President Bill Clinton for over a decade. Oftentimes, that criticism is right on the money, but it is occasionally off the mark. Such is the rhetoric that blames Bill Clinton for not killing Osama bin Laden during his presidency. The neo-conservatives decided not to even try to kill Osama bin Laden, so they've decided to find a scapegoat in President Clinton.
To understand what Clinton did or didn't do with regard to bin Laden, you must understand what the political climate and mentality was like before September 11th. The U.S. government and American public was vehemently against troops on the ground anywhere. After a small number of military deaths in Somalia, the public and conservatives everywhere were the ones demanding a removal of troops.
I can't tell you whether Clinton had a chance to kill Osama bin Laden or not. The U.S.S. Cole bombing by Osama bin Laden's Al Qaeda group is often cited by conservatives as a chance for Clinton to retaliate. However, the attack was on October 12, 2000, just weeks before George Bush would become the President-elect.
At the time, it was not known who was responsible for U.S.S. Cole attacks. The full report would not be completed until January 19, 2001, only one day before President Bush came into office.
So perhaps there is fault with both presidents. Presumably, President Clinton knew the content of the report at least a few days if not a few weeks before it was completed. He could've retaliated even though it would be on the eve of the end of his presidency. However, President Bush was handed the complete report the day he walked into office and it was only one day old. He did nothing for eight months.
President Clinton appeared on Fox on Sunday and stated that he tried to kill Osama bin Laden, but was also attacked for it by the same people who are disparaging him now for not going further. Fox News scumbag Chris Wallace interviewed Clinton and did his best to smear him. Wallace, like most Fox News reporters, provided a slanted and distorted view of the situation and ended up sounding like the complete idiot that he is.
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