[Anyone] Dubya misses another chance

[Mike in Taos]

War On Terror: The man in charge of the CIA's Osama bin Laden desk on Bill 
Clinton's watch says that despite the former president's finger-wagging, 
Clinton did not do all he could to get the man who spawned 9/11.

Michael Scheuer is a 22-year CIA veteran and was head of that agency's bin 
Laden unit from 1966 to 1999. In a follow-up to Clinton's volcanic interview 
the week earlier on "Fox News Sunday," FNS host Chris Wallace invited him as 
one of three counterterrorism experts to analyze the truthfulness of 
assertions made by the "wizard of 'is' " in defending his pre-9/11 actions, 
or lack thereof.

Wallace asked the former head of "Alec Station," who'd previously said the 
CIA gave Clinton eight to 10 shots at killing or capturing bin Laden, why 
the al-Qaida leader was never killed or captured.

Scheuer responded that Clinton was correct in saying he got closer to bin 
Laden than anyone. "But, of course, he always refused to pull the trigger," 
he added.

Clinton always seemed to have an excuse too, such as "one time (when) they 
were afraid to have shrapnel hit a mosque when they killed bin Laden."

On another occasion, the Clinton team felt compelled to warn the United Arab 
Emirates to recall its princes, who were on a hunting trip with bin Laden. 
Said Scheuer:

"Richard Clarke called the emirates and warned them they should get out of 
that area, which cost us the chance to kill him."

As for Clinton's claim that he "worked hard to try to kill" bin Laden and 
"authorized the finding for the CIA to kill him," Scheuer said that "we were 
never authorized, while I was chief of operations, to kill Osama bin Laden. 
In fact, Richard Clarke definitely told us we had no authorization to kill 
bin Laden."

Scheuer went on to say:

"Mr. Richard Clarke, Mr. Sandy Berger (and) President Clinton are lying 
about the opportunities they had to kill Osama bin Laden" and that "for him 
(Clinton) to get on television and say to the American people he did all he 
could is a flat lie, sir."

According to the man charged with finding bin Laden: "Men and women at the 
CIA risked their lives to provide occasions to kill a man we knew had 
declared war and had attacked America four or five times before 1998. We had 
plans that had been approved by the Joint Operations Command at Fort Bragg. 
We had opportunities, many opportunities to kill him."

According to the 9/11 Commission Report, on Dec. 4, 1999, the National 
Security Council's counterterrorism coordinator, Clarke, sent Berger a memo 
suggesting a strike in the last week of 1999 against al-Qaida camps in 
Afghanistan. But the commission found that "in the margin next to Clarke's 
suggestion to attack al-Qaida facilities in the week before Jan. 1, 2000, 
Berger wrote, 'No.' "

For each opportunity, the Clinton team had an excuse for failure, from 
collateral damage to American casualties to how the Muslim world might react 
to either success or failure.

One time, Secretary of State Madeleine Albright thought an attack on bin 
Laden might interfere with the Mideast peace process, claiming: "Bombing 
Muslims would not be helpful at this time."

As for Clinton's claim that the Bush administration "had eight months to 
try; they did not try (but) I tried," Scheuer observed:

"Mr. Clarke, Mr. Berger, Mr. Clinton did have opportunities that were 
delivered by the men and women of the CIA to kill Osama bin Laden," but in 
"the first eight months of the Bush administration there were no such 
opportunities."

The Clinton administration had the opportunity to mortally wound al-Qaida 
and kill or capture bin Laden. But it was worse than the gang that couldn't 
shoot straight. It was the gang that couldn't shoot at all.

In 1999, the Clinton adminstration cravenly offered pardons to 16 hard-core, 
remorseless terrorists of the Puerto Rican terror group Armed Forces for 
National Liberation - the FALN. (Two of them rejected the deal.)

During the 1970s and '80s, the FALN waged a war against the people of the 
United States that included 130 plus bombings. Their most heinous attack was 
the January 1975 lunchtime bombing of Fraunces Tavern here in New York City. 
It killed four people,
Clinton invoked executive privilege to avoid explaining his reasons for 
releasing terrorists on the American public.



By the end of Mr. Clinton's first year, al Qaeda had apparently attacked 
twice. The attacks would continue for every one of the Clinton years.

• In 1994, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed (who would later plan the 9/11 attacks) 
launched "Operation Bojinka" to down 11 U.S. planes simultaneously over the 
Pacific. A sharp-eyed Filipina police officer foiled the plot. The sole 
American response: increased law-enforcement cooperation with the 
Philippines.

• In 1995, al Qaeda detonated a 220-pound car bomb outside the Office of 
Program Manager in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, killing five Americans and wounding 
60 more. The FBI was sent in.

• In 1996, al Qaeda bombed the barracks of American pilots patrolling the 
"no-fly zones" over Iraq, killing 19. Again, the FBI responded.

• In 1997, al Qaeda consolidated its position in Afghanistan and bin Laden 
repeatedly declared war on the U.S. In February, bin Laden told an Arab TV 
network: "If someone can kill an American soldier, it is better than wasting 
time on other matters." No response from the Clinton administration.

• In 1998, al Qaeda simultaneously bombed U.S. embassies in Kenya and 
Tanzania, killing 224, including 12 U.S. diplomats. Mr. Clinton ordered 
cruise-missile strikes on Afghanistan and Sudan in response. Here Mr. 
Clinton's critics are wrong: The president was right to retaliate when 
America was attacked, irrespective of the Monica Lewinsky case.

Still, "Operation Infinite Reach" was weakened by Clintonian compromise. The 
State Department feared that Pakistan might spot the American missiles in 
its air space and misinterpret it as an Indian attack. So Mr. Clinton told 
Gen. Joe Ralston, vice chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff, to notify 
Pakistan's army minutes before the Tomahawks passed over Pakistan. Given 
Pakistan's links to jihadis at the time, it is not surprising that bin Laden 
was tipped off, fleeing some 45 minutes before the missiles arrived.

• In 1999, the Clinton administration disrupted al Qaeda's Millennium plots, 
a series of bombings stretching from Amman to Los Angeles. This shining 
success was mostly the work of Richard Clarke, a NSC senior director who 
forced agencies to work together. But the Millennium approach was 
shortlived. Over Mr. Clarke's objections, policy reverted to the status quo.

• In January 2000, al Qaeda tried and failed to attack the U.S.S. The 
Sullivans off Yemen. (Their boat sank before they could reach their target.) 
But in October 2000, an al Qaeda bomb ripped a hole in the hull of the 
U.S.S. Cole, killing 17 sailors and wounding another 39.

When Mr. Clarke presented a plan to launch a massive cruise missile strike 
on al Qaeda and Taliban facilities in Afghanistan, the Clinton cabinet voted 
against it. After the meeting, a State Department counterterrorism official, 
Michael Sheehan, sought out Mr. Clarke. Both told me that they were stunned. 
Mr. Sheehan asked Mr. Clarke: "What's it going to take to get them to hit al 
Qaeda in Afghanistan? Does al Qaeda have to attack the Pentagon?"

Still: Bill Clinton did not fully grasp that he was at war. Nor did he 
intuit that war requires overcoming bureaucratic objections and a 
democracy's natural reluctance to use force. That is a hard lesson. But it 
is better to learn it from studying the Clinton years than reliving them.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


>From: Thos Myers <totem at laplaza.org>
>Reply-To: anyone at laplaza.org
>To: anyone at laplaza.org
>Subject: [Anyone] Dubya misses another chance
>Date: Tue, 3 Oct 2006 21:33:48 +0000 (GMT)
>MIME-Version: 1.0
>Received: from halo.zianet.com ([216.234.192.180]) by 
>bay0-mc9-f5.bay0.hotmail.com with Microsoft SMTPSVC(6.0.3790.2444); Tue, 3 
>Oct 2006 14:45:05 -0700
>Received: (qmail 99209 invoked by uid 0); 3 Oct 2006 21:45:05 -0000
>Received: from mail.zianet.com (HELO halo.zianet.com) (216.234.192.175)  by 
>zianet.com with SMTP; 3 Oct 2006 21:45:05 -0000
>Received: (qmail 89137 invoked by uid 0); 3 Oct 2006 21:33:50 -0000
>Received: from nacho.zianet.com (216.234.192.105)  by zianet.com with SMTP; 
>3 Oct 2006 21:33:50 -0000
>Received: none (zianet.com: domain at laplaza.org does not designate 
>permitted sender hosts)
>Received: (qmail 75779 invoked by alias); 3 Oct 2006 21:33:50 -0000
>Received: (qmail 75776 invoked from network); 3 Oct 2006 21:33:50 -0000
>Received: from expendable.zianet.com (HELO ?216.234.192.138?) 
>(216.234.192.138)  by 0 with SMTP; 3 Oct 2006 21:33:49 -0000
>X-Message-Info: txF49lGdW40f2mpmLzpzjaVBcfZBJX81l3vsMUyV2zs=
>Return-Path: <totem at laplaza.org>
>Delivered-To: mailman-anyone at lists.laplaza.org
>Delivered-To: laplaza.org-anyone at laplaza.org
>Errors-To: anyone-admin at laplaza.org
>X-BeenThere: anyone at laplaza.org
>X-Mailman-Version: 2.0.11
>Precedence: bulk
>List-Help: <mailto:anyone-request at laplaza.org?subject=help>
>List-Post: <mailto:anyone at laplaza.org>
>List-Subscribe: 
><http://lists.laplaza.org/mailman/listinfo/anyone>,<mailto:anyone-request at laplaza.org?subject=subscribe>
>List-Id: Open Forum for Taos residents <anyone.laplaza.org>
>List-Unsubscribe: 
><http://lists.laplaza.org/mailman/listinfo/anyone>,<mailto:anyone-request at laplaza.org?subject=unsubscribe>
>List-Archive: <http://lists.laplaza.org/pipermail/anyone/>
>X-OriginalArrivalTime: 03 Oct 2006 21:45:05.0877 (UTC) 
>FILETIME=[30731850:01C6E735]
>
>
>Flustered Bush Misses Air Force One Flight  October 3, 2006
>   CAMP SPRINGS, MD—Despite sprinting through the Andrews Air Force Base 
>south terminal, President Bush narrowly missed his Air Force One flight to 
>Boise earlier today after arriving just moments after the plane's doors had 
>closed.
>   The 12-person crew was not able to accommodate the president due to 
>strict federal guidelines requiring all passengers to arrive at their 
>departure gate 15 minutes prior to takeoff—guidelines flight officials say 
>are especially important considering heightened security around the 
>president. When Bush inquired into the possibility of being placed on 
>standby for Air Force Two, the exasperated commander in chief was informed 
>that the flight was full and Vice President Dick Cheney was unwilling to 
>give up his seat.
>   Enlarge Image   The president was left "high and dry" at Andrews AFB 
>today.
>
>   "I understand it's frustrating to miss a flight," said Air Force One 
>Chief Boarding Coordinator Derek Morganson, who attended a special meeting 
>with the president to discuss the government-funded airline's exchange 
>policy. "But Mr. Bush has to understand that we are entrusted by the White 
>House with a very important job, and we can't make exceptions for one 
>person just because it suits his schedule. No airline would operate like 
>that."
>   Morganson was able to offer the president a standby seat on an affiliate 
>airline's 3 p.m. flight to Reno, though Bush said he failed to see "how 
>that helps [him] in the slightest."
>   After concluding a "pointless talk" with desk personnel at Gate 14, Bush 
>took questions in the air-base food court, where he denounced the airline's 
>actions.
>   "This is so typical," said Bush while eating a $9 chicken-Caesar-salad 
>wrap. "Of course, they had all the time in the world to check my bags and 
>they told me I'd be all set, but all of a sudden, I'm not allowed on the 
>plane. Now my biggest suitcase is halfway to who-knows-where and I'm stuck 
>in this stupid airport. Don't these people ever communicate with each 
>other?" said Bush, who refused an offer to put him up at a nearby Radisson 
>Hotel for the evening.
>   "Plus, I just remembered that my charger is in that suitcase, and I'm 
>down to one bar on my cell phone," Bush continued. "How the hell am I 
>supposed to call Laura?"
>   Bush told reporters his heart sank when he saw the departure–arrival 
>monitor and realized that he had missed the last boarding call: "For 
>Christ's sake," the president said. "This is a nightmare."
>   Enlarge Image   "I remember when Air Force One used to care about 
>customer service. Now it's all about their bottom line."
>   President George W. Bush
>
>   Although he did not offer a specific cause for his delayed arrival at 
>the airport, the president mentioned rush hour and "losing the goddamn keys 
>again" as factors. Bush admitted he may have misjudged the amount of time 
>needed to pass through security, especially with thousands of military 
>personnel heading out on international flights. But he maintained he had 
>arrived at the gate while the plane was still on the tarmac, and said it 
>would have taken the crew "all of two seconds" to let him board the Boeing 
>747-200B aircraft.
>   Bush, who describes himself as a "perpetual traveler" who had 
>exclusively used Air Force One for both work and his frequent vacations, 
>said he will begin looking into other carriers.
>   "They just lost their best customer," said Bush after purchasing a Robin 
>Cook novel and settling in at Runway Café. "I remember when Air Force One 
>used to care about customer service. Now it's all about their bottom line."
>   Air Force One representatives expressed regret for any inconvenience 
>experienced by President Bush and assured him that the many useful comment 
>cards he filled out will be seriously considered, even though "Air Force 
>One Presidential Air Transport wasn't the one who missed his flight."
>   Bush, who is scheduled to attend tomorrow's Governor's Association 
>Luncheon in Boise, said the airline's treatment of him was "inexcusable and 
>ridiculous."
>   A ticket agent did eventually arrange an itinerary to get the president 
>to Boise, first putting him on a shuttle flight aboard Marine One to 
>Pittsburgh, where he will transfer to the cargo hold of a C-130 air 
>transport delivering three Apache helicopters to Edwards Air Force Base in 
>California, before riding with a military-supply-truck convoy to an 
>undisclosed location in the Nevada desert, where he will then accompany 
>test pilots from Fallon Naval Air Station to the Idaho border and pick up a 
>rental car paid for by Air Force One.
>   "Not only did I miss my flight, but now I'm going to miss my connecting 
>motorcade to the Idaho Capitol building," said Bush. "Yeah, I'll make the 
>meeting, but I'll bever get there in time for my keynote address or the 
>seafood brunch."
>
>
>_______________________________________________
>Anyone mailing list
>Anyone at laplaza.org
>http://lists.laplaza.org/mailman/listinfo/anyone