Posted on 08/11/2002 8:22:39 PM PDT by kattracks
Disabled Vietnam vet retired Cat. James Smith, whose son James was killed during the disastrous raid in Somalia memorialized in the movie "Black Hawk Down," took exception Sunday to ex-President Clinton's recent attempt to blame President Bush's father for the 1993 debacle during a recent interview with Washington, D.C. TV station WJLA.
"He seems to forget that when Bush number one sent troops into Somalia he sent them in by the tens of thousands. And they had complete armor, mechanized infantry, artillery, air cover support," Smith told WABC Radio's Steve Malzberg.
While Bush the elder was president, the Somali warlords "decided to keep a low profile because they knew if they stuck their head up they were going to get it shot off," he insisted, adding, "So Bush number one did it correctly."
But things changed when President Clinton took over, the former soldier told WABC.
When his son's Ranger unit was sent to Mogadishu to capture notorious Somali warlord Mohamed Farah Adid, they didn't have the artillery, helicopter gunship or tactical air support they needed, he told Malzberg.
Smith's comments were prompted by Clinton's recent attempt to dodge responsibility for the episode, where he told WJLA, "Now, you know, I didn't blame (President Bush's) father for Somalia, when we had that awful day memorialized in 'Black Hawk Down.' I didn't do that."
Although then-Defense Secretary Les Aspin was forced to resign over the deadly blunder, Smith said he had no doubt that the decision to under-equip his son's unit came directly from the White House.
When he testified before the Senate Armed Services Committee on the episode, the former soldier said reporters privately agreed, telling him, "Les Aspin had nothing to do with this. This was a White House decision."
"They knew how the White House works. They knew there was no way Les Aspin made that decision on his own."
Smith recounted his trip to the White House to meet Clinton, an invitation he suspects was prompted by advanced word on his damaging Senate testimony.
Instead of taking responsibility, the Vietnam vet said the president "blamed Les Aspin, he blamed the Defense Department, he blamed the Joint Chiefs.... he blamed everybody except himself."
At one point, Smith recalled, Clinton even attempted to blame the Rangers "for being too aggressive."
"There were three fathers there," he told Malzberg. "The three of us just leaned over instantaneously and he backed off of that one."
After the exchange, Smith refused to shake the Commander in Chief's hand, handing him instead a 3rd Ranger Battalion patch.
"Don't forget them," he remembered telling Clinton.
"I honestly believed that the Rangers had died in vain; that the failure to provide proper combat support would have made the difference," he lamented.
Capt. Smith also revealed that he has another soldier son now in Special Operations who recently served in Afghanistan.
During a recent conversation with his son's Special Ops commander, he asked, "Sgt. Major, are we doing this one right or is this just a knee-jerk reaction?"
After a moment's hesitation, Smith said the commander responded, "Sir, we've got a real Commander-in-Chief this time. This time we're doing it right."
Listen to Steve Malzberg on WABC, weekdays 6 to 8 p.m. ET with Richard Bey on "The Buzz," and 9 a.m. to 12 noon ET Sunday.
Read more on this subject in related Hot Topics:
Bless you, ohiowfan.
When I was writing my earlier reply, patience in waiting for the justice of God was foremost on my mind but I felt to hold back on addressing it fully. The roads we travel through life often determine where we stand on this virtue. God has worked a deep patience in me in every area of my life because He has made me wait for ... everything! Health, peace, truth, vindication, acceptance, freedom from oppression, understanding ... He's made me wait. (Still am waiting for some of those things.) And through it all, I've learned that my little clock and calendar don't mean much, and I'll never have peace till I lay them down. I love the conversation between Gandalf and Frodo in Tolkien's The Fellowship of the Ring, where the old, wise Gandalf is trying to get Frodo to see that it isn't his to dole out judgment and death, that there are some who live who deserve to die, and many who die who deserve to live ... driving the conversation around to how he perceived that Gollum, whom Frodo wished had been killed by Bilbo, yet had a part to play in the great war of the Ring. Somehow, somehow, bill clinton, the boy president, still has a part to play in this whole drama, of that I am sure. In the end, for all of us, it comes down to trusting to the mercy of God, who loves bill clinton so much He is willing to be patient with him, giving opportunity after opportunity to repent fully, rather than see him in hell forever. And there is this other consolation to those of us who grieve over what God has allowed clinton to do to ravage America: God is in control, the government is on His shoulders, and the clintons are on a leash. I don't like how long it extends, but I know who holds the other end. They will be allowed to do nothing without God okaying it, and I know we can stop much of their evil through our prayers. So how's that for a good reason to forgive and pray! (It helps me; I just preached to myself while typing that!)
Good reason, Gretchen!
I know with certainty that God is in control, and my opinion as to why He allowed us to be subjected to the evil of Bill and Hillary Clinton is that we were heading rapidly in that direction as a nation. They were what we asked for, and deserved.
That is why I still believe without a question that George and Laura Bush were given to us because of God's mercy and grace, and because of the prayers of the faithful, and that we must not fail to pray for them without ceasing.
I'll work on the prayers for the xlintons, Gretchen! As much as I know that they are loved by God, I still find it difficult to do anything except pray for their destruction.
With the support of their press and publishing buddies I expect to see the Clintons pratically canonized in future history books.
Sometimes most Americans are so naive and stupid about the realities of the world. That is the only way one can explain the Clintons and the political leanings of the huge population of California.
To bad the secret service was there.
Yep.
Thank God for George W. Bush.
And congratulations to Steve for another great interview and to NewsMax for another excellent report.
Clinton strikes me as an example of everything that went wrong with people in the 1960s. Even though I'm somewhat younger than he is, I believe I have observed something. About that time, it seems as though some - certainly not all - males failed to develop into real men (in his case, lack of a good male authority figure may have had something to do with it). To hear him talk, nothing is ever his fault, and I feel certain he would push any woman - his wife, his mother, his mistress du jour - in front of a bus to save himself.
This story just reminded me of how that lack of manhood manifested itself in his job performance.
Thank God there is a real man in the White House now. I'm sorry it happened too late for the men in uniform we lost under Clinton's watch.
My suggestion to the Bush folks -- if he keeps up his attacks on Bush and Bush Sr., the President should revoke his Secret Service detail. Let's see how 'tough' this putz is when he has to face the US public face-to-face. It would be the quickest and most effective way of finally shutting him up.
Both Gorbachev and Yeltsin gave up power with more class than Clinton did. Thank heaven for the 22nd(?) amendment.
That is only a result of the Clinton Administration handcuffing the military. The on the scene commander indicated that he needed US Armor support to carry out his mission to capture Adid. It was denied. He made the mistake of trying to support his troops with air only. PBS did an American Experience piece on Black Hawk Down. Those Rangers and Delta Force guys are one tough bunch. They may have been bloddied but they kicked serious ass.
The problem that we paying for today is we didn't reload and bring all the whoop-ass. Instead Clinton pulled out and the ragheads began to question our resolve.
Changing direction, please don't forget the Chicago woman that was arrested for telling Clinton to his face that he had killed those boys.
I only vaguely remember this story. As I recall it, she told Clinton he killed "those boys" and a few minutes later I believe it was Hillary who pointed out the woman to the SS. She was held over night but I don't believe ever charged with anything though she may have been hit with an IRS audit. I wish I could remember the particulars so I could look it up. I had forgotten about her.
This ol' boy Billy needs somethin'.
And I'm sure y'all know what it is without me havin' to say it.
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