George W. Bush learned from Clinton's mistakes. The Bush-haters will never stop carping about the reasons we're fighting in Iraq. The reality is this: Five years after Osama bin Laden brought the war to our shores, there have been no attacks on U.S. soil. Bush has kept this country safe for 1,825 days. Thank you, Mr. President.
In his insufferable 957-page autobiography, "My Life," former President Bill Clinton devotes a total of four paragraphs to the first World Trade Center bombing in 1993.
"I wrote this book to tell my story, and to tell the story of America in the last half of the twentieth century," Clinton brags early in the book.
Clinton must have been suffering selective amnesia when he wrote the book. To sidestep the opening skirmish of what could end up being the greatest struggle the United States has faced — the war against Islamic fascists — says a great deal about Clinton and his failure to prevent the tragic events that led to Sept. 11, 2001.
The deaths of 3,000 Americans five years ago was the culmination of an eight-year campaign of terror waged against the U.S. by Osama bin Laden and his al-Qaida network. Attack after attack went unanswered by Bill Clinton. His weakness emboldened our enemies. The assaults escalated to the horrific events of 9/11.
The attacks on U.S. soil by Muslim fanatics came nine months into the presidency of George W. Bush, but they were planned, rehearsed and financed while Bill Clinton was president.
The attacks of 9/11 were successful because our enemies saw weakness in Bill Clinton (and by extension, the American people). They were successful because Clinton and his top advisers were negligent. Our enemies succeeded because Bill Clinton defanged the CIA and FBI during his tenure in the White House. They succeeded because the U.S. military rusted under another oblivious Democrat who put all his faith in the hands of the United Nations.
The path to 9/11 was clearly delineated for anyone willing to pay attention. It was Bill Clinton's job to connect the dots and respond accordingly to protect American lives. Clinton failed us.
On Feb. 26, 1993, during the second month of Clinton's presidency, a powerful bomb exploded in a parking garage under the World Trade Center, killing six people and injuring 1,040 others. Clinton considered the plot to bring down one of the nation's most recognizable buildings as a "law enforcement" matter instead of the opening salvo of a global war to wipe out the United States and Western civilization.
It would be the first of many mistakes Clinton and the left-wing cabal he installed in the State and Defense departments would make.
On Oct. 3, 1993, 19 Americans died and 84 were wounded in an ill-planned mission to Somalia to capture warlord Mohammed Aidid. The bodies of American servicemen were dragged through the streets of Mogadishu by Aidid's militia. The failed mission was the basis of the best-selling book "Black Hawk Down," later made into a movie.
Instead of sending adequate troops to hunt down Aidid after the murder of U.S. servicemen, Clinton decided to cut and run, the same policy that leading Democrats are advocating today. Clinton's decision to abandon Somalia sent a message to terrorists all over the world that the United States doesn't have the stomach to fight. Somalia remains a terrorist haven to this day.
On Nov. 13, 1995, five Americans were killed when a bomb exploded at a U.S.-operated Saudi National Guard training center in Riyadh. Osama bin Laden denied involvement, but praised the attack.
In February 1996, the government of Sudan offered to turn over Osama bin Laden and his top al-Qaida lieutenants to the United States. Bill Clinton passed up a chance to bring the terrorist mastermind to justice, allowing bin Laden and his henchmen to escape to Afghanistan, where they would continue to plan for 9/11.
In June 1996, 19 Air Force personnel were killed and 300 Americans and others were wounded when terrorists drove a truck full of explosives into the Khobar Towers, a military housing complex in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia.
The Taliban came to power during the Clinton administration, capturing Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan, in September 1996. The Taliban would offer sanctuary to bin Laden and his terrorist network.
Powerful bombs destroyed the U.S. embassies in Tanzania and Kenya on Aug. 7, 1998, killing 257 people, including 12 Americans, and injuring 4,500 others. Clinton knew bin Laden was behind the bombings. Clinton knew bin Laden vowed to bring the war home to America. Clinton's response? He ordered cruise missile strikes against empty terrorist training camps in Afghanistan and blew up an aspirin factory in Sudan. Osama bin Laden would live to fight another day.
On Oct. 12, 2000, the USS Cole was attacked in the port of Aden in Yemen. Terrorists drove a speedboat full of explosives into the side of the destroyer, killing 17 sailors and wounding 39 more. No response from Clinton.
History has been far too kind to Bill Clinton. It's understandable that Bill Clinton would gloss over his sorry record of fighting terrorism. This is the same man who lied to the American people about his Oval Office dalliance with a female intern. It's the liberal media that deserves much of the blame for covering up the failure of the Clinton administration to protect this nation.
The warning signs were there. Clinton chose to ignore them. Because of Clinton's negligence, thousands of Americans died.
George W. Bush learned from Clinton's mistakes. The Bush-haters will never stop carping about the reasons we're fighting in Iraq. The reality is this: Five years after Osama bin Laden brought the war to our shores, there have been no attacks on U.S. soil. Bush has kept this country safe for 1,825 days. Thank you, Mr. President.
We need to think long and hard about the future of this country, especially now that Hillary Clinton is promising to bring back the "Clinton years" as she prepares to run for president in 2008. Are you willing to put your life on the line under another Clinton presidency?
Tony Phyrillas is a columnist for The Mercury in Pottstown, Pa. E-mail him at tphyrillas@pottsmerc.com
Tony Phyrillas is a leading conservative political columnist and blogger based in Pennsylvania. He is a veteran journalist with 25 years experience as a reporter, editor and columnist for several newspapers. Phyrillas received recognition for column writing in 2010 from the Associated Press Managing Editors, in 2007 from Suburban Newspapers of America and in 2006 from the Society of Professional Journalists, Keystone Chapter. A graduate of Penn State University, Phyrillas is the city editor and political columnist for The Mercury, a two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning daily newspaper in Pottstown, Pa. In addition to The Mercury website (www.pottsmerc.com), his columns are featured on more than a dozen political websites and blogs. Phyrillas is a frequent guest (and occasional host) on talk radio and has been a panelist on the "Journalists Roundtable" public affairs TV program on the Pennsylvania Cable Network (PCN). Phyrillas was named one of the '10 Leading Greek-American Bloggers in the World' in 2007 by Odyssey: The World of Greece magazine. BlogNetNews.com ranked Phyrillas the Most Influential Political Blogger in Pennsylvania for three consecutive years (2007-2010). You can follow Phyrillas on Twitter @TonyPhyrillas
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