Ashcroft: Gov't Blinded Itself to Enemies

[jimnyc]

WASHINGTON - In a veiled swipe at the Clinton administration, Attorney General John Ashcroft testified Tuesday the nation was stunned by the Sept. 11 attacks because "for nearly a decade our government had blinded itself to our enemies."

Appearing before a commission investigating the worst attacks in the nation's history, Ashcroft also said he moved quickly once in office to overturn a "failed policy" that he said allowed American agents to capture terrorist leader Osama bin Laden but not assassinate him.

In a nationally televised appearance, Ashcroft said the Justice Department had become addicted to a legal wall that had been put in place to separate criminal investigators from intelligence agents . "Even if they could have penetrated bin Laden's training camps, they would have needed a battery of lawyers" to take action, he said dismissively.

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20040413/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/sept_11_commission_35

 

[acludem]

Of course Ashcroft is going to blame Clinton. When ever anything goes wrong, it's always Clinton's fault. Ashcroft didn't even mention terrorism when discussing his priorities upon entering office or in the months leading up to 9/11.

Once again, I can't defend the Clinton Justice Department. Janet Reno was, other than John Ashcroft, the worst Attorney General in the history of this country. But I do not believe Ashcroft and the Bush administration are free from responsibility here either.

acludem

 

[preemptingyou03]

acludem,

Can you agree though that for liberals to try to force Bush and Rice to apologize for 9/11, is kind of tacky? I mean... we can fight terrorism all we want and we can't stop everything. Why should our sitting president, who responded wonderfully after 9/11, be forced to apologize for a terrorist attack that was done by terrorists?

It's the blame-game... blame American first game. If Bush says he's sorry, it makes him look like he was at fault. But if he doesn't, he'll come across as cocky and "too good" to apologize. It is sad that your party is using politics on this issue.

Also, people are pointing to this PDB... people are forgetting... Osama bin Laden declared war on us in 1998, under Clinton. He declared war on us. Isn't that a threat?

He attacked us five times, lastly our battleship in Yemen, and when Donald Rumsfeld sent a missile into that terrorist's house in Yemen, who had the blood 17 American soldiers on his hands, Dems went nuts saying we don't have the right to attack terrorists that are based in friendly nations, even though Yemen didn't make an attempt to capture him.

You blast his policy of preemption in Iraq, but say he should have used preemption in Afghanistan, even though doing so, without Pakistan's support, would have been costly...

No matter how much you people try to find loopholes, what Bush is doing is right and historic. Like the 1930s with Churchill and like the 1980s with Reagan, you "ACLU Dems" fail to see history in the making.

I loved hearing the media last night, "What is your biggest mistake?" and "Do you feel you can speak well and get your point across?" and other asinine statements.

 

[JIHADTHIS]

Originally posted by acludem
Of course Ashcroft is going to blame Clinton. When ever anything goes wrong, it's always Clinton's fault.

Keep drinking the Kool-Ade. You Clinton lovers will go to your graves thinking he was the greatest president of modern times. He did nothing to respond to any of the attacks that happened on his watch. You'll just refuse to admit that his administration was asleep at the wheel for 8 years. You'll have nothing constructive to add, you never do. Just bitch and whine over and over. You'll just say that I'm a narrow minded neocon redneck or some other incorrect label. Or you'll try to change the subject.

Have another sip........

 

[Phoenix]

The 9/11 commision is a quagmire! I doubt that it is going to yeild anything of much use that has not already been thought of or acted on since 9/11. I don't look for the commission to reach a partisian conclusion and yeild a singular report even though it is very obvious what the majority of the problems were over several administrations leading up to and including this one. And there is much work yet to be done! This "comission" is wasting valuable time and resourses that more importantly should be given to that work! It's not that damn hard to understand!!



Phoenix