Why did Clinton allow 911 attacks to happen?

Question

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070821/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/cia_sept11

Read and weep, it was all Clintons fault! Dems dont stand a chance in 2008 now! Yes!

Answer 1

Did you really read that and come to the conclusion that it says it was Clinton's fault? If so, you're simply not very bright. Clinton's name isn't even mentioned in the article. The article basically says that the CIA didn't do it's job, which everyone already knew.

Answer 2

It's an internal CIA document, and deals only with the CIA.

Thing is, under Clinton, there was a separate, cabinet level anti-terrrorism position (Richard Clarke's) which held regular "principal's meetings" so the different agencies would share info and intel.

All that stopped under Bush. The Bush administration also specifically criticized Clinton for his "obession with bin Laden."

In case you didn't notice, the attacks happened under Bush, and it was the Bush administration who ignored the vaguely titled "Bin Laden determined to strike in the US" PDB document. They dismantled all the anti-terrorist programs under Clinton, which is fine to do, but then they did nothing to replace them. Cheney was in charge of a special anti-terrorism taskforce which didn't even convene until a few days before the attacks.

Nice try though. Maybe if you click your heels together while repeating that phrase.... naw, it's still the responsibility of the Bush administration.

Answer 3

And if George hadn't had one in each of those not hassle-free on for Saddam we does not be in Iraq. If George had paid interest to the threats that the Clinton administration noted, possibly 911 does not have befell. possibly if Rumsfield hadn't help supply Bin encumbered while he replaced into scuffling with the Soviets in Afghanistan, possibly he could have on no account lived to devise 911. possibly if George had pulled his head out of his ****, he could have had a miles better approach to bypass into Afghanistan that would have made it harder for Bin encumbered to flee. possibly if George hadn't sat around interpreting little ones books on 911 he could have scrambled some jets and further down a number of those jets earlier that have been given used as guided missles.

Answer 4

Though a more vigorous response to Al Qaeda in the 90's would obviously have been a good thing in the clarity of hindsight, I'm sure that, at the time, the response was considered adquate, considering the other demands on the nation at the time. I'm not sure what those demands could have been, as the economy was humming along, the Cold War was over, and crime was down. The Balkans, perhaps?

Answer 5

probably because Clinton was too busy trying to get a Republican majority to pass anti-terror legislation, that they never did until after 9/11/2001!

Answer 6

We could blame every administration back to Carter if we wanted to lay blame.. Fact is we were attacked by terrorists and now we are at war.. Period

Answer 7

It wasn't Clinton, all the mishaps are congresses fault.

Answer 8

Wrong.

Clinton offered many anti-terrorist initiatives in the 1990s

All partisanly blocked by Republicans

If they were inacted 9-11 MIGHT NEVER HAVE HAPPENED

Answer 9

Yes. Since they had been out of office a full 9 months, you must blame them, rather than the guy who ignored all threats and warnings. Just ask Richard Clarke who really dropped the ball. He served them both.

Answer 10

Apparently you didn't actually READ the article you linked to:

"While blame is heaped on Tenet and his deputies, the report also says that Tenet was forcefully engaged in counterterrorism efforts and personally sounded the alarm before Congress, the military and policymakers. In a now well-known 1998 memo, he declared, "We are at war."

The trouble, the report said, was follow-up.

In a statement, Tenet said the inspector general is "flat wrong" about the lack of plan.

"There was in fact a robust plan, marked by extraordinary effort and dedication to fighting terrorism, dating back to long before 9/11," he said. "Without such an effort, we would not have been able to give the president a plan on Sept. 15, 2001, that led to the routing of the Taliban, chasing al-Qaida from its Afghan sanctuary and combating terrorists across 92 countries."

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And here are some FACTS for YOU to "read and weep" about:

Clinton Administration developed the nation's first anti-terrorism policy, and appointed first national coordinator of anti-terrorist efforts.
Clinton Administration stopped the Al Qaeda millennium hijacking and bombing plots.
Clinton Administration stopped the planned attack to kill the Pope
Clinton Administration stopped the planned attack to blow up 12 U.S. jetliners simultaneously
Clinton Administration stopped the planned attack to blow up UN Headquarters
Clinton Administration stopped the planned attack to blow up FBI Headquarters
Clinton Administration stopped the planned attack to blow up the Israeli Embassy in Washington
Clinton Administration stopped the planned attack to blow up Boston airport
Clinton Administration stopped the planned attack to blow up Lincoln and Holland Tunnels in NY
Clinton Administration stopped the planned attack to blow up the George Washington Bridge
Clinton Administration stopped the planned attack to blow up the US Embassy in Albania
-- Tried to kill Osama bin Laden and disrupt Al Qaeda through preemptive strikes (efforts denounced by the G.O.P.).
-- Brought perpetrators of first World Trade Center bombing and CIA killings to justice.
-- Did not blame Bush I administration for first World Trade Center bombing even though it occurred 38 days after Bush left office. Instead, worked hard, even obsessively -- and successfully -- to stop future terrorist attacks.
--Named the Hart-Rudman commission to report on nature of terrorist threats and major steps to be taken to combat terrorism.
-Clinton Administration sent legislation to Congress to TIGHTEN AIRPORT SECURITY. (Remember, this is before 911) The legislation was defeated by the Republicans because of opposition from the airlines.
-Clinton Administration sent legislation to Congress to allow for BETTER TRACKING OF TERRORIST FUNDING. It was defeated by Republicans in the Senate because of opposition from banking interests.
-Clinton Administration sent legislation to Congress to add tagents to explosives, to allow for BETTER TRACKING OF EXPLOSIVES USED BY TERRORISTS. It was defeated by the Republicans because of opposition from the NRA.
-Clinton Administration increased the military budget by an average of 14 per cent, reversing the trend under Bush I.
-Clinton Administration tripled the budget of the FBI for counterterrorism and doubled overall funding for counterterrorism
-Clinton Administration detected and destroyed cells of Al Qaeda in over 20 countries
-Clinton Administration created national stockpile of drugs and vaccines including 40 million doses of smallpox vaccine.
-Of Clinton Administration's efforts says Robert Oakley, Reagan Ambassador for Counterterrorism: "Overall, I give them very high marks" and "The only major criticism I have is the obsession with Osama"
-Paul Bremer, current Civilian Administrator of Iraq disagrees slightly with Robert Oakley as he believed the Clinton Administration had "correctly focused on bin Laden.
-Barton Gellman in the Washington Post put it best, "By any measure available, Clinton Administration left office having given greater priority to terrorism than any president before him" and was the "first administration to undertake a systematic anti-terrorist effort"