Bush: Weak terror response led to 9/11 (Bush hits back at Clinton)

UPI ^ | 9/22/05

[Uncle Joe Cannon]

Bush: Weak terror response led to 9/11

Sep 22, 2005, 19:00 GMT

WASHINGTON, DC, United States (UPI) -- President Bush said withdrawing from Iraq would be a mistake that would embolden terrorists just as U.S. responses to other attacks led to 9/11 hijackings.

Speaking Thursday at the Pentagon after an update on the war on terror, Bush said a pullback would be seen as weakness and make the United States less safe.

'The terrorists saw our response to the hostage crisis in Iran, the bombings in the Marine barracks in Lebanon, the first World Trade Center attack, the killing of American soldiers in Somalia, the destruction of two U.S. embassies in Africa and the attack on the USS Cole,' Bush said. 'The terrorists concluded that we lacked the courage and character to defend ourselves and so they attacked us.'

It was the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, carried out by al-Qaida operatives, that led Bush to launch the war on terror with an attack on Afghanistan, where al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden had been given sanctuary. Bush links the fighting in Iraq with the war on terror.

The president said the plan is to follow a strategy of making political gains in the affected counties, while training local personnel to assume security operations.

[Eastbound]

You forgot to say, 'And the war starts in five minutes.'

[Coop]

He can't be growing a backbone now.

...yelps the keyboard critic from the safety of his/her living room.

[inquest]

How about you answer your own question for the rest of us?

My question about what Bush did prior to 9/11? I pretty much answered that at #197. If anyone has anything relevant to add to that, they're free to do so.

[rintense]

You asked what Bush did in a similar time frame to what Clinton could have done. I gave you the answer. Bush did what Clinton *should* have done. Period.

[PGalt]

Hooray President Bush, The United States Armed Forces, and the coalition partners

[inquest]

My question was about what he did before 9/11. Actions taken on 10/11 were a bit late to prevent it.

[rintense]

Then you never answered my question- you expected Bush to solve 8 years of problems in 8 months?

[The Ghost of FReepers Past]

Good. That needed to be said.

[ReaganRevolution]

'The terrorists concluded that we lacked the courage and character to defend ourselves and so they attacked us.'

Thank you Mr. President. Hopefully this is a preview of things to come.

[conservative blonde]

I love it too. It's about time someone speaks the truth. Clinton has been yapping at Bush and it is about time Bush speaks up with the truth.

[RamingtonStall]

Bush wasn't even allowed to use the Transition Time Effectively because the Democrats were trying to Steal the Election like they did in 1960.

It is interesting for them to count 8 months when Bush did not assume the office until 1/21/2001 and 9/11/2001 was 7.5 months later.

Even when the Democrats blame him, they could at least give their charges plausible Lie-ability.

RamS

[Eastbound]

"Well that would be great (except the Meyers appointment and the no money for the hurricanes.) Somehow I can't go along with that. People suffered and are going to suffer tremendously from both these storms. America has a heart and soul."

Check the last paragraph.

[cubreporter]

Sorry, I still can't go along with that. There are people in need and who could refuse them? Yes, everyone should take care of their own first and foremost and we should do everything we can within our limits to help ourselves. However, I'll remain on the side of helping someone when they are down.

[Cincinna]

"The terrorists saw our response and concluded that we lacked the courage and character to defend ourselves and so they attacked us.
The hostage crisis in Iran, the bombings in the Marine barracks in Lebanon, the first World Trade Center attack, the killing of American soldiers in Somalia, the destruction of two U.S. embassies in Africa and the attack on the USS Cole,' "

All these events happened on Democrat Watch.
Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton

High time that the blame for terrorism is squarely placed on the Dem doorstep.
Thank you, Mr. President.
Better late than never.

[cubreporter]

Sorry, I still can't go along with that. There are people in need and who could refuse them? Yes, everyone should take care of their own first and foremost and we should do everything we can within our limits to help ourselves. However, I'll remain on the side of helping someone when they are down because I can lay my head on the pillow at night knowing I did the right thing. That's me.

[Arizona Carolyn]

He always manages to dance out of the corners. I'm not holding my breath they catch him this time.

[clawrence3]

THAT's the crucial point - GWB has stated this many times since 9/11 but the MSM plays down anything that would make Clinton look bad.

[CDB]

I believe I heard Leahy say his was the last vote that cut off funding for Viet Nam.

I actually felt ill when he made that statement recently.

So did I--and a lot of other folks, too (in all likelihood).

[Excuse_My_Bellicosity]

"Weak" response to terrorism under Klinton. Try "non-existent".

[Christian4Bush]

(to inquest) Then you never answered my question- you expected Bush to solve 8 years of problems in 8 months?

---

Not that I'm dumping on you, rintense...I appreciate your efforts to reason with the unreasonable...but it was more than 8 years...it was 26 years, as the President pointed out. The hostage situation, Beirut, et.al.

The point that you are making, as are those who are not getting ideological bj's from the Clintonistas, and the Carterista's, is that we had a history of allowing terrorists to hit us, and to hit us hard. And harder. And harder yet.

If the Democrats are going to sit there and say that it's all the Republicans' fault, then "truth in advertising" mandates that we make a list of the root causes of why we were attacked. Some happened during a Republican administration, but the overwhelming majority of them happened under Democratic administrations - the same Democrats who say that George W. Bush is evil, unilateral, a cowboy, etc.

I might also add, none of those events happened in the first eight months of the President's administration. When something did happen (9-11), George W. Bush acted. And it was not just a "law enforcement" operation. He laid it out in his address to the nation on September 20 of that year: "Whether we bring our enemies to justice, or justice to our enemies, justice will be done." He then backed it up, with the use of force. And more force.

This was a good move by the President today, if what he said was intended to be "a response to Clinton". I'm not terribly sure that's why he said what he said, when he said it. Sure, we would love to have W just wipe the floor with these leftists, including all of the people on the Left side of the aisle who said much more (and much earlier) about Saddam and WMD than Bush ever did.

There are some who are going to back the Clintons no matter what. BJ and She Who Must Not Be Named can do no wrong, and no Republican can do anything right. Many of them exist on this thread, and on this forum. And so long as they keep it clean, their posts have remained available to read. So do ours.

For all of the leftists that continue to say "the only poll that matters is the one on Election Day" (until they lose), I say that the U.S.A. Ten Months ago (my fictional newspaper) held a nationwide poll. Over 120 million people were questioned. A popular and electoral vote majority...over 62 million people...either agreed enough with George W. Bush (or disagreed with John Kerry) to keep him in office for another four years.

And "that's the way it is." /end rant