Posted on 09/21/2001 12:39:55 PM PDT by truther
President Clinton's affair with White House intern Monica Lewinsky may have interfered with his administration's failed attempts to eliminate Mideast terrorist Osama bin Laden, the Boston Globe reported Friday.
The liberal sister paper of the New York Times also raised questions about whether the ex-president's reckless personal behavior ultimately contributed to the deaths of 6,700 Americans in last week's terrorist attacks on the U.S.
"He authorized the attack (on bin Laden) on the same August weekend in 1998 he confessed his affair with Lewinsky to his wife, Hillary Rodham Clinton," the Globe said.
The paper called the confession of adultery an "added strain" for the president, noting that, "Some wonder whether he wasn't distracted by the legal and political quagmire of the Monica S. Lewinsky case" at the time he launched 75 cruise missiles into Sudan and Afghanistan.
"He met with national security and military advisers to plan the attacks between sessions with lawyers to prepare for his [Lewinsky] grand jury testimony," the Globe said.
"I think it is entirely possible that was a distraction," said Massachusett's Senator John Kerry, referring to Clinton's attempts to juggle his Lewinsky cover-up with military efforts to take out the terrorist who would later prove so deadly to U.S. civilians.
Others disagreed. Former Clinton national security official Nancy Soderberg insisted to the Globe that her ex-boss was able to "compartmentalize" the Lewinsky sex scandal while mapping out a strategy to get bin Laden.
She did not cite the best known example of Clinton's ability to compartmentalize sex and national security: a 1995 Oval Office phone call where he discussed troop deployment to Bosnia with Rep. Sonny Callahan.
The conversation was carried out while Ms. Lewinsky performed a sex act on the president.
As Clinton desperately tried to cover-up his affair with the young intern, the legal fight to preserve his presidency took up more and more of his time, staffers admitted. Meanwhile other issues like the war on terrorism were relegated to the back burner.
"Clearly, not enough was done," said Jamie Gorelick, a former deputy attorney general in the Clinton administration. "We should have caught this. Why this happened, I don't know. Responsibilities were given out. Resources were given. Authorities existed. We should have prevented this."
Even Soderberg, who declined to blame the Lewinsky scandal for the failure to get bin Laden, confessed that Clinton's war on terrorism was never the priority it should have been.
"In hindsight, it wasn't enough, and anyone involved in policy would have to admit that," she told the Globe.
Well, that's just about the stupidest thing I have heard from a representative of the previous administration (and there have been a lot!). It is really pathetic to watch some people justify the actions of that liar-in-command to this day.
The Republicans in the House were right to do this. Too bad Lott caved in, but then again, with all 45 Dems determined to vote "Not Guilty," Lott had no choice but to cut his losses.
Or are the hides of 6,000 innocents less meaningful than saving Clintoon's a$$....
Instead of "going back to work for the American people." I hate that SOB and his slut wife. Hillary is a HOG!
If the Democrats had not decided to support Beelzebubba come hell or high water, Alpha Gore would have become President in 1998 and would have had a better chance, as the incumbent, to win last November.
So maybe some good did come out of the Democrats' win-at-any-cost disregard of law, morality, and common decency, in that we have President Bush and his team rather than the ineffable Al Gore and whatever Clinton retreads he would have on his team to deal with the current crisis.
On the other hand, after 2 years and some months of a Gore presidency, he might have wound up with 48 electoral votes (Massachusetts, New York, and the District of Columbia).
And keeping Yassar Arafat waiting in the Rose Garden while he and Lewinsky... No wonder Arafat was unwilling to sign any peace agreement. He was probably still ticked off about the insult when x42 put him in a huddle with Chelsea.... The arrogance of that clan!
The fault lies with Linda Tripp, Ken Starr and Matt Drudge!< /sarcasm>
Why? By acting as he did, Lott got the worst of both worlds. He earned the contempt of virtually every conservative in the country. He lost the impeachment trial. He still had the press hammering away at the Republicans as "partisan" while the Dems were "bipartisan." And in the end he lost his leadership position when the Senate majority fell apart.
Maybe clinton would have gotten off, no matter what? But wouldn't he and the Dems have been further weakened if Lott had followed the Constitution and traditional principles of western law, and at least allowed the House Managers to bring witnesses forward to testify?
The conversation was carried out while Ms. Lewinsky performed a sex act on the president.
I shudder to think that he did this while discussing the LIVES of our dedicated military men and women!!! I'm still outraged at it. And I can't believe people can't see through this mans Presidency. It was a farce, it ruined our economy, and our National Security.
The Econony was recovering, and we were a more secure world, .. but today?? THANKS BILL CLINTON!!!
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