How Bill Clinton Compromised America's National Security

Human Events, Sep 18, 2006 by Patterson, Robert "Buzz"

Democrats across the U.S. decried ABC's recent mini-series "The Path to 9/11" as right-wing propaganda meant to defame the Clinton Administration 's anti-terror efforts during the 1990s. Though the creators of the mini-series based the show on the 9/11 Commission Report and hired 9/11 Commission Chairman Tom Kean as a lead consultant, former President Clinton and man\ Democratic leaders demanded that ABC pull the movie from broadcast. ABC refused.

Clinton's negligent dealing with terrorism is clearly described in the following excerpt from Lt. CoI. Robert "Bu~ " Patterson 's 2003 book, Dereliction of Duty: The Eyewitness Account of How Bill Clinton Compromised America's National security (Regnery-a HUMAN EVENTS sister company), that details the Clinton Administration 's true record. Lt. Col Patterson was the currier of the "nuclear football" for President Clinton.

Derliction of Duty is available at www.HEBookService.com

The White House Situation Room was buzzing. It was fall 1998 and the National security Council (NSC) and the "intelligence community" were tracking the whereabouts of Osama bin Laden, the shadowy mastermind of terrorist attacks on American targets overseas. "They've successfully triangulated his location," yelled a "Sit Room" watch slander. "We've got him."

Beneath the West Wing of the White House, behind a vaulted steel door, the Sit Room staff sprang into action. The watch officer notified National security Advisor Sandy Berger. "Sir. we've located bin Laden. We have a two-hour window to strike."

Characteristic of the Clinton Administration, the weapons of choice would be Tomahawk missiles. No clandestine "snatch" by our Special Operations Forces. No penetrating bombers or high-speed fighter aircraft flown by our Air Force and Navy forces. No risk of losing American lives.

President Not Available

Berger ambled down the stairwell and entered the Sit Room. He picked up the phone at one of the busy controller consoles and called the President. Amazingly. President Clinton was not available. Berger tried again and again. Bin Laden was within striking distance. The window of opportunity was closing fast. The plan of attack was set and the Tomahawk crews were ready. For about an hour. Berger couldn't get the commander in chief on the line. Though the President was always accompanied by military aides and the secret Service, he was somehow unavailable. Berger stalked the Sit Room, anxious and impatient.

Finally, the President accepted Berger's call. There was discussion, there were pauses-and no decision. The President wanted to talk with his secretaries of Defense and State. He wanted to study the issue further. Berger was forced to wait. The clock was ticking. The President eventually called back. He was still indecisive. He wanted more discussion. Berger alternated between phone calls and watching the clock. The NSC watch officer was convinced we had the right target. The intelligence sources were conclusive. The President, however, wanted a guaranteed hit or nothing at all. This time, it was nothing at all. We didn't pull the trigger. We "studied" the issue until it was too late-the window of opportunity closed. Al Qaeda's spiritual and organizational leader slipped through the noose.

This lost bin Laden hit typified the Clinton Administration's ambivalent, indecisive way of dealing with terrorism. Ideologically, the Clinton Administration was committed to the idea that most terrorists were misunderstood, had legitimate grievances and could be appeased, which is why such military action as the administration authorized was so halfhearted, and ineffective, and designed more for "show" than for honestly eliminating a threat.

When on Feb. 26, 1993, Egyptian and Palestinian terrorists blew a hole six stories deep under the North Tower of the World Trade Center, President Clinton had been in office 38 days. Eight months after President Clinton left office, al Qaeda terrorists flew hijacked U.S. commercial airliners into the North and South Towers of the World Trade Center and into the Pentagon. The towers came down, as the terrorists finished the job begun eight years earlier. From 1993 to 2001, Islamic terrorists attacked American targets 10 separate times. If there's anything beyond scandal that we should most remember about the Clinton years, this is it: They were the years that terrorists brought their war to the United States.

The Clinton Administration never responded decisively, even when given the opportunity, as it was obliged to do, with its own "war against terrorism." If we had a national interest in sending troops to Haiti and Rwanda, certainly the Clinton Administration had an obligation in the name of our national security to deploy and use the military resources necessary to deal with al Qaeda as its deadly presence became known and its declared war on America became public and costly. By failing to answer the threat as it should have, the Clinton Administration was guilty of gross negligence and dereliction of duty to the safety of our country, which the President was sworn to defend.