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Boston Globe: Clinton-Lewinsky Affair Complicated Attempts to Get bin Laden
NewsMax | Friday, Sept. 21, 2001 | Carl Limbacher

Posted on 09/21/2001 12:39:55 PM PDT by truther

Boston Globe: Clinton-Lewinsky Affair Complicated Attempts to Get bin Laden

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.


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Front Page News; News/Current Events
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Old news, B.G.
1 posted on 09/21/2001 12:39:55 PM PDT by truther
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To: truther
"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."

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.

2 posted on 09/21/2001 12:51:38 PM PDT by CatOwner
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To: truther
Getting ready to blame Ken Starr for expecting the President to live by the rule of law.
3 posted on 09/21/2001 12:52:13 PM PDT by OldFriend
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To: truther
Had Bill Clinton NOT been committing adultery, lying under oath, and then stonewalling, he wouldn't have been in that position.

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.

4 posted on 09/21/2001 12:58:15 PM PDT by hchutch
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To: truther
Two things: the hasty and ill-conceived attacks on Afghanistan and Sudan were designed to distract attention away from the scandals, and Clinton was getting BJs while discussing national defense with congressmen.
5 posted on 09/21/2001 1:07:58 PM PDT by js1138
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To: truther
Hillary's famous last words: It was the " Vast Right-Wing Conspiracy "
who made the whole thing up to "get" her husband.
6 posted on 09/21/2001 1:08:58 PM PDT by Liz
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To: js1138
Remember how Baldwin called for a group to attack Henry Hyde for his role in the impeachments? I wonder if Baldwin would call for a redirection of those mean-spirited assaults, perhaps looking to a true source of evil and desturction.

Or are the hides of 6,000 innocents less meaningful than saving Clintoon's a$$....

7 posted on 09/21/2001 1:15:13 PM PDT by bobono
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To: truther
"The conversation was carried out while Ms. Lewinsky performed a sex act on the president."

Instead of "going back to work for the American people." I hate that SOB and his slut wife. Hillary is a HOG!

8 posted on 09/21/2001 1:21:27 PM PDT by blam
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To: bobono
Actually the fool stated that Henry H. and his family should be taken our and stoned to death.
9 posted on 09/21/2001 1:22:06 PM PDT by VRWCTexan
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To: hchutch
What's usually forgotten is that the initial Congressional authorization for the investigation later headed by Kenneth Starr came when the Democrats still held the majority in both houses of Congress.

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).

10 posted on 09/21/2001 1:22:53 PM PDT by Verginius Rufus
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To: js1138
Clinton was getting BJs while discussing national defense with congressmen.

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!

11 posted on 09/21/2001 1:27:50 PM PDT by afraidfortherepublic
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To: truther
"Hey! It's not Bill Clinton's fault!"

The fault lies with Linda Tripp, Ken Starr and Matt Drudge!< /sarcasm>

12 posted on 09/21/2001 1:30:45 PM PDT by SAMWolf
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To: truther
Yeah right! Blame the republicans, after all it was a RIGHT WING CONSPIRACY! This guy has absolutely NO SHAME!!
13 posted on 09/21/2001 1:35:57 PM PDT by RoseofTexas
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To: OldFriend
Bingo! The NY Times is actually trying to blame the Republicans for pursuing Bill Clinton and distracting him. I don't think the Times realized how bad they make their boy look.
14 posted on 09/21/2001 1:39:14 PM PDT by Kermit
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To: hchutch
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.

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?

15 posted on 09/21/2001 2:03:31 PM PDT by Cicero
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To: truther
I remember one of the BIG issues in the '92 election was whether CHARACTER really mattered! What one did in their personal life should not be an issue regarding leadership abilities, etc. HAHAHAHAHA
16 posted on 09/21/2001 2:16:39 PM PDT by Alissa
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To: truther
The families of 6,000++ people would like to hear from those who said.."He's only got a few years left in office, what harm can he do?" (paraphrased, disclaimer for you quote-purists)
17 posted on 09/21/2001 2:22:42 PM PDT by 101viking
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To: truther
Oh brother, why don't these people just end their own misery, and by extension, ours?
18 posted on 09/21/2001 2:26:47 PM PDT by MissAmericanPie
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To: truther
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.

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!!!

19 posted on 09/21/2001 2:35:56 PM PDT by Vets_Husband_and_Wife
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To: ilbay,mitzi,nycgal
bump
20 posted on 09/21/2001 2:41:19 PM PDT by Liz
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