Bill, Condi, Hillary, Where Will It Stop? (WOW!)

[underpants]

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/story?id=2493200&page=1

Hillary Clinton Lobs Another Bomb at Condoleezza Rice Over Whose to Blame for Not Getting bin Laden

Clinton said that he "left a comprehensive anti-terror strategy" for his successor's team to follow.

Rice told the Post: "We were not left a comprehensive strategy to fight al Qaeda."

That's about as direct a denial as you could get. No mealy-mouthing there.

Now, the argument has ratcheted up another notch with Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton entering the fray.

She told reporters on Capitol Hill: "I'm certain that if my husband and his national security team had been shown a classified report entitled 'Bin Laden Determined to Attack Inside the United States,' he would have taken it more seriously than history suggests it was taken by our current president and his national security team."

[Maven]

1. Oh, SNAP. Are we witnessing a--dare I say it--media strategy in action?

Brilliant chessplaying.

[Tellurian]

8. For Sure This Will Put an END to Bush & Condi

talking out of both sides of their mouths.. temporarily, of course

Bill and Hillary were both there..they know what went on..

Give em HELL..Hill!

This could be the beginning of the "GOTCHA CAMPAIGN!"

[olddad56]

33. I wonder if George and Condi are doing the "big Lewinsky"

[Tellurian]

34. hee, all the "little" minds wonder that...

[0007]

62. We're seeing it all, the smoke plus the licking of the cigar

[rodeodance]

17. "Washington enjoys watching heavy hitters do some heavy hitting."

....Washington is fascinated by all this, and eagerly awaits the next cannon shot regardless of where it comes from.

This is a town consumed with politics 24/7.

And with terrorism and national security such crucial issues as both parties struggle for supremacy on Capitol Hill, surely politics is why we sit around slack-jawed wondering what's next.

But it's more than that.

Washington enjoys watching heavy hitters do some heavy hitting.

[StClone]

29. That it is: Outing a fellow DUer

A DUer that goes by the name of Goldeneye doesn't post much any more. After spending hours on DU Goldeneye became so engrossed/enraged she changed her College major to Political Communications and transfered to the George Washington University and is in DC "to be where the action is." Goldeneye posts less, instead putting that time into study. In a recently PM sent me, I was informed of Goldeneye's meet-up with Mary Beth Cahill (from the Kerry Campaign). Wishing Goldie the best from our side. We need all the Goldeneyes we can get.

[gully]

2. NO matter what, I am so glad to see the Clintons and others addressing

this!

[Jersey Ginny]

45. Yes, it is about time. Dems need to punch back hard! n/t

[qanda]

3. Oh, it's on now!!!!

[Pithy Cherub]

4. Get your helmets, and bring your "A" game

because Elvis is baaaaaaaaaack! Those Dems who remain too timid to play, will be the designated cheerleaders. Game On!

:woohoo:

[Catherine Vincent]

5. And yet you don't hear a peep from President Shrubby.

edit: I take that back. I just found a post by Sabra with a link of Bush's comments.

[BlueStater]

10. He just opened his yap a little while ago

Said it's not the time for "finger pointing". :puke:

[tulsakatz]

18. ok, if not now, when?

I'm reminded of the very clever response from Anderson Cooper. After Katrina, some woman said 'now is not the time for finger pointing'. Anderson said, 'ok, if not now, when is the time for finger pointing? Because I'll be glad to come back, I'll pencil you in on my calendar!'

[thereismore]

32. finger pointin' will be left to the next administration. nt

[Joe Chi Minh]

38. Brilliant! Only righteous white-hot anger can inspire a retort like.

that.

[saigon68]

21. The Chimp can point his paw



[rocktivity]

37. It's NEVER the right time for finger pointing

when ALL the fingers can be pointed at YOU.

:evilgrin:
rocknation

[sendero]

43. The Republicans have been...

.. finger pointing for 5 long years. Enough is enough. We can point some fingers too, and we have plenty of facts to back up our own assertion that Bush's "war on terror" is an unalloyed failure, as is damn near every other area he as "administed".

[jazzjunkysue]

44. You're either pre-judging or won't move on. Either way, it's not time.

It's never time.

Add that to the pile of excuses, rationalizatons, and minimizations that amount to the worst presidency in our history.

We're pointing our own fingers, george, and they're all at you.

[zeemike]

6. The big dog started something that the democrats can finish n/t

[RedSock]

11. let's hope clinton doesn't follow this up ...

good words from clinton -- but let's hope he doesn't follow this up by playing kissy-face with poppy -- as has been his wont.

[notadmblnd]

31. I wouldn't be surprised if ole daddyo isn't behind this

little attack on Jr. and his gang of criminals.

[Tellurian]

69. Thinkin the same thing..

41 et al came up with the plan- Rove and Cheney were supposed to keep him in the loop-
They have put 41 out to pasture taken the reins and gone into a political twilight zone,
the stuff sci-fi movies are made of!

[Beetwasher]

7. AWESOME!!! The Repubs Really, Really Don't Want To Go Here! TOO BAD!!!

We got the facts AND have them on the defensive!!! SWEET! It's about damn time!!

Yes. Let's revisit it ALL! Let's get people to pay attention!

[clmbohdem]

9. Fight for it Dems!

[rocktivity]

12. Catfight! Catfight!!!!

The torture legislation thing had me feeling glum, but now I'm having more fun with this than Steve Colbert's speech!

:bounce:
rocknation

[JoFerret]

42. Catfight?

...what does that mean?

[rocktivity]

46. It's when two young females argue, usually over a young male

Given the position of these women and the position of the male, I thought it had an inappropriately ironic edge.

:headbang:
rocknation

[rodeodance]

13. "her husband's televised outburst"

...Clinton was referring to the now-famous Aug. 6, 2001, briefing that President Bush received at his Texas ranch.

Until now, her husband's televised outburst on Sunday seemed to be a case of a former president trying vigorously to protect his legacy from even the suggestion that he was tepid in dealing with the likes of Osama bin Laden.

Political observers opined that Clinton might also have been signalling his party to defend itself equally strongly this fall against insinuations that Democrats are weak on terrorism.

Legacy or politics? Or both? What was Clinton up to?

Now, his wife is in the mix, and that tips the scales.

[GoddessOfGuinness]

36. Outburst?

Why do people keep calling his self-defense an "outburst"? AnnCoulter ruptures her kidneys every time she's interviewed...nobody calls that an outburst.

I thought Bill was completely civil; except that he didn't allow Wallace to interrupt him and trample all over him. :wtf:

[Joe Chi Minh]

39. Absolutely right. Pity though.

I'd have liked to see Bill grab Wallace by the throat or pick him up by the lapels.

"Now you listen to me you little weasel, and shut your mouth real tight, or I'll tape it shut. Then listen and I'll try to speak in monosyllables for your benefit. Then I'll kick your ass from now to beakfast, right out of this studio, for posing as a journalist." (Diplomacy was never a special charism of mine).

[GoddessOfGuinness]

41. Heheh...Maybe we should show 'em what an outburst is.

:evilgrin:

[Captain Hilts]

67. Oh, I thought you were talking about Condi's "husb...." at his press conf.

[rodeodance]

14. wonderful headline

[Tellurian]

30. Very Brave...

to write that headline, T

Looking forward to hearing more of your opines.

[burythehatchet]

15. L.. L.... L... L... come on, SAY IT L... L..

LIHOP!

There now, feel better?

[liberalmuse]

16. Ouch!

And well deserved!

[rodeodance]

19. Rice said Clarke left cause he did not get a promotion.

Rice also disputed the former president's assertion on Sunday that the Bush administration had fired Richard Clarke, former White House anti-terrorism chief.

She said that Clarke "left when he did not become deputy director of homeland security."

The strong implication was that Clarke, passed over for promotion, left in a huff.

Clarke, now an ABC News consultant, says he resigned, but because he was frustrated with the White House's response to terrorism. .......

[MGKrebs]

22. They could both be true.

If Bush* was promoting political hacks into key positions- as he has been known to do- that might cause a few dedicated officers to leave in a huff.

[underpants]

23. Read the damned book!

BTW-rodeo dance thanks for posting the rest of the article.

Clarke left after 9/11 because he clearly was exhausted and had failed (there is great parallel with Clarke's famous apology on live TV and Bill at least saying that he regretted not getting OBL but that he did try) AND because they had completely ignored him...until it was too late. Clarke ran the whole operation for the entire first week. Hell even "Path to 9/11" showed that- suddenly Rice says "Richard you are in charge" in a very awkward "please help us" way. Clarke was the only competent one who was left.

[leftchick]

40. Condi Demoted Clarke BEFORE Sept. 11, 2001...

more goboldy gook quotes you have there from the M$M. Here is what really happened....

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x2223861

[demo dutch]

20. Oh it's an all out war now!! I say...bring it on!

[thereismore]

24. It's not like Hillary is saying something revolutionary. I'd say 60+ %

would agree.

[yodermon]

25. Clinton WAS shown such a report, in 1998, and guess what?!?!?

HE ACTUALLY DID SOMETHING ABOUT IT! :think:

Pay attention to the RED paragraph!

From ThinkProgress: (http://thinkprogress.org/2006/09/26/rice-clinton-terrorism/ )

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice yesterday accused Bill Clinton of making “flatly false” claims that the Bush administration didn’t lift a finger to stop terrorism before the 9/11 attacks.

…“What we did in the eight months was at least as aggressive as what the Clinton administration did in the preceding years,” Rice added.

The 9/11 Commission Report contradicts Rice’s claims. On December 4, 1998, for example, the Clinton administration received a President’s Daily Brief entitled “Bin Ladin Preparing to Hijack US Aircraft and Other Attacks.” :think: Here’s how the Clinton administration reacted, according to the 9/11 Commission report:

The same day, {Counterterrorism Czar Richard} Clarke convened a meeting of his CSG {Counterterrorism Security Group} to discuss both the hijacking concern and the antiaircraft missile threat. To address the hijacking warning, the group agreed that New York airports should go to maximum security starting that weekend. They agreed to boost security at other East coast airports. The CIA agreed to distribute versions of the report to the FBI and FAA to pass to the New York Police Department and the airlines. The FAA issued a security directive on December 8, with specific requirements for more intensive air carrier screening of passengers and more oversight of the screening process, at all three New York area airports. {pg. 128-30}

On August 6, 2001, the Bush administration received a President’s Daily Brief entitled “Bin Laden Determined to Strike U.S.” Here’s how the Bush administration reacted, according to the 9/11 Commission report:

{President Bush} did not recall discussing the August 6 report with the Attorney General or whether Rice had done so.{p. 260}

We have found no indication of any further discussion before September 11 among the President and his top advisers of the possibility of a threat of an al Qaeda attack in the United States. DCI Tenet visited President Bush in Crawford, Texas, on August 17 and participated in the PDB briefings of the President between August 31 (after the President had returned to Washington) and September 10. But Tenet does not recall any discussions with the President of the domestic threat during this period. {p. 262}

[underpants]

27. Great post

:thumbsup:

[AX10]

28. Great Post!

The war is on and we must win!

[CANDO]

65. And even more importantly.....

The Clinton Adm. didn't use it to scare the hell out of the American people! They quietly did what needed to be done by alerting the major metropolitan airports of this threat. They never, ever considered getting political mileage out of using FEAR! FEAR is what this sorry group of criminals are all about.

[hootinholler]

26. What a poorly written piece or fluff claptrap!

Whose (sic) to blame? ABC

-Hoot

[brentspeak]

35. Condi's handlers are doing their PR thing to rewrite her pathetic NSA

performance. They realize she doesn't have a snowball's chance on a hot grill to be elected President if the public realizes that she was barely interested in bin laden and al Qaeda prior to 9/11.

[against all enemies]

47. What did bush do after the report was read on August 6th?

Just answer that one question.

[Sydnie]

48. Sen. Clinton hits back at Rice over 9/11

WASHINGTON - New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton hit back at Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on Tuesday as the political fighting escalated over which president — Bill Clinton or George W. Bush — missed more opportunities to prevent the Sept. 11 attacks.

Clinton, D-N.Y., took aim at President Bush and Rice over their roles in 2001 before the attacks, part of the growing argument touched off after Bill Clinton gave a combative interview on "Fox News Sunday" in which he defended his efforts to kill Osama bin Laden.

"I think my husband did a great job in demonstrating that Democrats are not going to take these attacks," Hillary Clinton said. "I'm certain that if my husband and his national security team had been shown a classified report entitled 'Bin Laden Determined To Attack Inside the United States' he would have taken it more seriously than history suggests it was taken by our current president and his national security team."

The senator was referring to a classified brief given to Bush in August 2001, one that Democrats say showed the Bush administration did not do enough to combat the growing threat from al-Qaida.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060927/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/rice_clinton

[yorkiemommie1]

49. good for her!

i couldn't find contact info to thank President Clinton, so I sent him a note via Senator Clinton's website.

[truthisfreedom]

50. very, very hard to counter that one. if Condi could turn red, i'm sure

she'd be glowing today.

[Colonel Bat Guano]

51. Perfect statement

The more I hear this, the more I like it. It's going to get big press because it's Hilary.

The next step in the coverage is to compare Bill Clinton's reaction to a "Bin Laden is coming!" PDB -- he and Clarke acted THAT DAY -- and Bush's reaction to his PDB (best possible presentation is he did nothing).

http://thinkprogress.org/2006/09/26/rice-clinton-terrorism

Hilary and Bill know damn well the next logical step in the story is this comparison.

[Triana]

52. Way to go Hillary!

KindaSleazy will have a tough time arguing with that, won't she?

[blm]

60. So why did Hillary vote to CONFIRM Condi in 2005 and further foist her

incompetence upon this country, when it's now apparent that she and Bill knew all along Condi and all of BushInc were lying about 9-11 but chose to stay silent about it while publically supporting BushInc at every turn, even when the Downing Street Memos came out.

[Captain Hilts]

53. You go, girl! nt

[kitty1]

54. The gloves are off! pass the popcorn n/t

[rsmith6621]

55. here ya go...kitty

:popcorn: :popcorn: :popcorn: :popcorn: and somthing to drink :toast: :toast: :toast:

[Bhaisahab]

56. the right wing bias shows again

The senator was referring to a classified brief given to Bush in August 2001, one that Democrats say showed the Bush administration did not do enough to combat the growing threat from al-Qaida.

[msanthrope]

57. You know, she really has a talent for this. Good. n/t

[ljm2002]

58. Lovin' it...

...watching our Dems pile on.

I have been amazed, astounded and appalled that Bush et al were able to use a failure of such massive proportion, that happened on their watch and due to their negligence, as a bat to bash Dems with saying "they're weak on security". Good grief, does the stupidity of the public know no bounds??? THESE MOFO'S WERE IN CHARGE WHEN IT HAPPENED. THEY HAD BEEN IN CHARGE FOR 8+ MONTHS. GEORGE HAD TAKEN MORE VACATION DAYS THAN ANY PRESIDENT PREVIOUSLY IN THAT AMOUNT OF TIME, AND HAD IGNORED THE PDB THAT SAID BIN LADEN DETERMINED TO ATTACK IN THE U.S.

Whew, okay, that feels better.

[xchrom]

59. oh. my. -- that was well well done!

:applause:

you know THAT stung.

[Supersedeas]

63. the August PDB is something the Corp Media (esp ABC) would rather forget

[GetTheRightVote]

61. Thank God, they are final ly fighting real evil in the world, * & company

:kick:

[Ilsa]

64. LOL, At first when I read, "I'm certain that if my husband and his ...

... national security team..." I was thinking Condi slipped up again and called Dumbya her husband.

[Captain Hilts]

68. Me too! That slip happened at a private NYT reception...

for Condi. You KNOW that it's driving Maureen Dowd to drink NOT to be able to use it...

[kwassa]

66. Jon Stewart really skewered Condi over this last night with

some old footage of Condi testifying before a committee in 2004. The Daily Show is so good at finding these clips.

Condi didn't have a plan, she had some ideas fleshed out with action items and a direction .... or something like this. Jon says "isn't this what a plan IS?"