http://www.anncoulter.org/columns/2004/033104p.htm
We don't need a "commission" to find out how 9-11 happened. The truth is in the timeline:
PRESIDENT CARTER, DEMOCRAT
In 1979, President Jimmy Carter allowed the Shah of Iran to be deposed by a mob of Islamic fanatics. A few months later, Muslims stormed the U.S. Embassy in Iran and took American Embassy staff hostage.
Carter retaliated by canceling Iranian visas. He eventually ordered a disastrous and humiliating rescue attempt, crashing helicopters in the desert.
PRESIDENT REAGAN, REPUBLICAN
The day of Reagan's inauguration, the hostages were released.
In 1982, the U.S. Embassy in Beirut was bombed by Muslim extremists.
President Reagan sent U.S. Marines to Beirut.
In 1983, the U.S. Marine barracks in Beirut were blown up by Muslim extremists.
Reagan said the U.S. would not surrender, but Democrats threw a hissy fit, introducing a resolution demanding that our troops be withdrawn. Reagan caved in to Democrat caterwauling in an election year and withdrew our troops – bombing Syrian-controlled areas on the way out. Democrats complained about that, too.
In 1985, an Italian cruise ship, the Achille Lauro, was seized and a 69-year-old American was shot and thrown overboard by Muslim extremists.
Reagan ordered a heart-stopping mission to capture the hijackers after "the allies" promised them safe passage. In a daring operation, American fighter pilots captured the hijackers and turned them over to the Italians – who then released them to safe harbor in Iraq.
On April 5, 1986, a West Berlin discotheque frequented by U.S. servicemen was bombed by Muslim extremists from the Libyan Embassy in East Berlin, killing an American.
Ten days later, Reagan bombed Libya, despite our dear ally France refusing the use of their airspace. Americans bombed Gadhafi's residence, killing his daughter, and dropped a bomb on the French Embassy "by mistake."
Reagan also stoked a long, bloody war between heinous regimes in Iran and Iraq. All this was while winning a final victory over Soviet totalitarianism.
PRESIDENT BUSH I, MODERATE REPUBLICAN
In December 1988, a passenger jet, Pan Am Flight 103, was bombed over Lockerbie, Scotland, by Muslim extremists.
President-elect George Bush claimed he would continue Reagan's policy of retaliating against terrorism, but did not. Without Reagan to gin her up, even Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher went wobbly, saying there would be no revenge for the bombing.
In 1990, Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait.
In early 1991, Bush went to war with Iraq. A majority of Democrats opposed the war, and later complained that Bush didn't "finish off the job" with Saddam.
PRESIDENT BILL CLINTON, DEMOCRAT
In February 1993, the World Trade Center was bombed by Muslim fanatics, killing five people and injuring hundreds.
Clinton, advised by Dick Clarke, did nothing.
In October 1993, 18 American troops were killed in a savage firefight in Somalia. The body of one American was dragged through the streets of Mogadishu as the Somalian hordes cheered.
Clinton responded by calling off the hunt for Mohammed Farrah Aidid and ordering our troops home. Osama bin Laden later told ABC News: "The youth ... realized more than before that the American soldier was a paper tiger and after a few blows ran in defeat."
In November 1995, five Americans were killed and 30 wounded by a car bomb in Saudi Arabia set by Muslim extremists.
Clinton, advised by Dick Clarke, did nothing.
In June 1996, a U.S. Air Force housing complex in Saudi Arabia was bombed by Muslim extremists.
Clinton, advised by Dick Clarke, did nothing.
Months later, Saddam attacked the Kurdish-controlled city of Erbil.
Clinton, advised by Dick Clarke, lobbed some bombs into Iraq hundreds of miles from Saddam's forces.
In November 1997, Iraq refused to allow U.N. weapons inspections to do their jobs and threatened to shoot down a U.S. U-2 spy plane.
Clinton, advised by Dick Clarke, did nothing.
In February 1998, Clinton threatened to bomb Iraq, but called it off when the United Nations said no.
On Aug. 7, 1998, U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania were bombed by Muslim extremists.
Clinton, advised by Dick Clarke, did nothing.
On Aug. 20, Monica Lewinsky appeared for the second time to testify before the grand jury.
Clinton responded by bombing Afghanistan and Sudan, severely damaging a camel and an aspirin factory.
On Dec. 16, the House of Representatives prepared to impeach Clinton the next day.
Clinton retaliated by ordering major air strikes against Iraq, described by the New York Times as "by far the largest military action in Iraq since the end of the Gulf War in 1991."
The only time Clinton decided to go to war with anyone in the vicinity of Muslim fanatics was in 1999 – when Clinton attacked Serbians who were fighting Islamic fanatics.
In October 2000, our warship, the USS Cole, was attacked by Muslim extremists.
Clinton, advised by Dick Clarke, did nothing.
PRESIDENT GEORGE BUSH, REPUBLICAN
Bush came into office telling his national security adviser, Condoleezza Rice, he was "tired of swatting flies" – he wanted to eliminate al-Qaida.
On Sept. 11, 2001, when Bush had been in office for barely seven months, 3,000 Americans were murdered in a savage terrorist attack on U.S. soil by Muslim extremists.
Since then, Bush has won two wars against countries that harbored Muslim fanatics, captured Saddam Hussein, immobilized Osama bin Laden, destroyed al-Qaida's base, and begun to create the only functioning democracy in the Middle East other than Israel. Democrats opposed it all – except their phony support for war with Afghanistan, which they immediately complained about and said would be a Vietnam quagmire. And now they claim to be outraged that in the months before 9-11, Bush did not do everything Democrats opposed doing after 9-11.
What a surprise.
Timeline leading up to 9-11, from Carter to W
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lukpac
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Huh? I think she missed the:
"Bush (II), advised by Dick Clarke, did nothing"
before 9/11.
"Bush (II), advised by Dick Clarke, did nothing"
before 9/11.
"I know because it is impossible for a tape to hold the compression levels of these treble boosted MFSL's like Something/Anything. The metal particulate on the tape would shatter and all you'd hear is distortion if even that." - VD
Re: Timeline leading up to 9-11, from Carter to W
In today's polarized political climate it's gotten to the point where people seem less and less capable of evaluating an action or policy objectively. It's not what a leader does, but his party affiliation, that matters. For Coulter, it seems that if a Republican does something, it's the right thing, but if a Democrat does the same thing, it's the wrong thing to do, or their motivations were questionable (and don't get me wrong, there are Democrats who display the same type of knee-jerk subjectivity).
How silly this is. Did Carter personally crash the helicopters? Did he personally plan the logistics of the failed rescue attempt? No, that was done by the military. Carter merely gave his approval to the mission. No matter who was president, Republican or Democrat, it's likely the mission would have turned out the same way, and there's no evidence to claim otherwise. In this paragraph Coulter tries to have it both ways, criticizing Carter both for not being tough and trying to be tough.
It's equally silly to give Reagan credit for this. What could he have done to make this happen, having only been in office for hours? Nothing (unless one believes the allegations that his team had negotiated with Iran to keep the hostages in captivity until after the election, to help him win).
When something bad happens to US troops under Carter's command, it's "disastrous and humiliating" and implicitly Carter's fault. When something equally bad happens under Reagan's command, he is not criticized or given any blame for it.
Because Coulter apparently thinks this was a good move by Clinton, she has to impugn his motives, using the logical fallacy of spurious correlation.
Since then, Bush has declared war on a country that had nothing to do with the attack, costing the lives of hundreds of US soldiers and billions of dollars, and diverting resources that could have better been used to continue the war on terror he successfully had started by invading Afghanistan.
Carter retaliated by canceling Iranian visas. He eventually ordered a disastrous and humiliating rescue attempt, crashing helicopters in the desert.
How silly this is. Did Carter personally crash the helicopters? Did he personally plan the logistics of the failed rescue attempt? No, that was done by the military. Carter merely gave his approval to the mission. No matter who was president, Republican or Democrat, it's likely the mission would have turned out the same way, and there's no evidence to claim otherwise. In this paragraph Coulter tries to have it both ways, criticizing Carter both for not being tough and trying to be tough.
The day of Reagan's inauguration, the hostages were released.
It's equally silly to give Reagan credit for this. What could he have done to make this happen, having only been in office for hours? Nothing (unless one believes the allegations that his team had negotiated with Iran to keep the hostages in captivity until after the election, to help him win).
President Reagan sent U.S. Marines to Beirut.
In 1983, the U.S. Marine barracks in Beirut were blown up by Muslim extremists.
When something bad happens to US troops under Carter's command, it's "disastrous and humiliating" and implicitly Carter's fault. When something equally bad happens under Reagan's command, he is not criticized or given any blame for it.
On Dec. 16, the House of Representatives prepared to impeach Clinton the next day.
Clinton retaliated by ordering major air strikes against Iraq, described by the New York Times as "by far the largest military action in Iraq since the end of the Gulf War in 1991."
Because Coulter apparently thinks this was a good move by Clinton, she has to impugn his motives, using the logical fallacy of spurious correlation.
On Sept. 11, 2001, when Bush had been in office for barely seven months, 3,000 Americans were murdered in a savage terrorist attack on U.S. soil by Muslim extremists.
Since then, Bush has declared war on a country that had nothing to do with the attack, costing the lives of hundreds of US soldiers and billions of dollars, and diverting resources that could have better been used to continue the war on terror he successfully had started by invading Afghanistan.
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TSmithPage
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