President Clinton's speech, on October 8, 1993, arguing against withdrawal

[BurtWorm]

from Somalia after the "Black Hawk Down" incident. This is quoted on Glenn Greenwald's "Unclaimed Territory, in response to the charge on FOX yesterday (and from wingers since 9/11) that Clinton advocated cutting and running, thus giving heart to bin Laden and, therefore, starting us down the path to 9/11. Greenwald also quotes Republican Senators (Hutchinson, Dole, Helms) who actually wanted the US to get the hell out of Somalia with its tail between its legs.


http://glenngreenwald.blogspot.com/2006/09/who-wanted-to-cut-and-run-from-somalia.html



And make no mistake about it, if we were to leave Somalia tomorrow, other nations would leave, too. Chaos would resume, the relief effort would stop and starvation soon would return. That knowledge has led us to continue our mission. . . .

If we leave them now, those embers will reignite into flames and people will die again. If we stay a short while longer and do the right things, we've got a reasonable chance of cooling off the embers and getting other firefighters to take our place. . .

So, now, we face a choice. Do we leave when the job gets tough or when the job is well done? Do we invite the return of mass suffering or do we leave in a way that gives the Somalis a decent chance to survive? Recently, Gen. Colin Powell said this about our choices in Somalia: "Because things get difficult, you don't cut and run. You work the problem and try to find a correct solution." . . .

So let us finish the work we set out to do. Let us demonstrate to the world, as generations of Americans have done before us, that when Americans take on a challenge, they do the job right.

[NewJeffCT]

1. As I said earlier today on here

I think they're most upset with Clinton at pointing out the actual truth, and not how the RW has rewritten it since 1993... (they've used Clinton running from Somalia for years now - so often that many think it has at least a grain of truth to it)

[BurtWorm]

2. 'Tis galling.

At the same time, it's amazing that they thought they could tell Clinton a lie about himself to his face and not expect to get wrath in return.

[louis-t]

3. After 13 years of hearing this lie, Wallace probably believed it was true.

Millions of Americans believe it's true.