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9/11 Responsibility: Clinton Vs. Bush Checklist – Who’s “Soft on Terror”?

Bill Clinton:

– Sent legislation to Congress to tighten airport security – The legislation was defeated by the Republicans.

– Sent legislation to Congress to allow for better tracking of terrorist funding – The legislation was defeated by the Republicans.

– Sent legislation to Congress to add taggants to explosives, to allow for better tracking of explosives used by terrorists – The legislation was defeated by the Republicans.

– Developed the nation’s first anti-terrorism policy, and appointed first national coordinator.

– Stopped cold the planned attack to blow up 12 U.S. jetliners simultaneously.

– Stopped cold the planned attack to blow up UN Headquarters.

– Stopped cold the planned attack to blow up FBI Headquarters.

– Stopped cold the planned attack to blow up the Israeli Embassy in Washington.

– Stopped cold the planned attack to blow up Boston airport.

– Stopped cold the planned attack to blow up Lincoln and Holland Tunnels in NY.

– Stopped cold the planned attack to blow up the George Washington Bridge.

– Stopped cold the planned attack to blow up the US Embassy in Albania.

– Tried to kill Osama bin Laden and disrupt Al Qaeda through preemptive strikes (efforts denounced by the G.O.P.).

– Brought perpetrators of first World Trade Center bombing and CIA killings to justice.

– Brought perpetrators of the Khobar Towers Bombing to Justice

– Did not blame Bush I administration for first World Trade Center bombing even though it occurred 38 days after they had left office. Instead, worked hard, even obsessively — and successfully — to stop future terrorist attacks.

– Named the Hart-Rudman commission to report on nature of terrorist threats and major steps to be taken to combat terrorism.

– Tripled the budget of the FBI for counterterrorism and doubled overall funding for counterterrorism.

– Detected and destroyed cells of Al Qaeda in over 20 countries

– Created a national stockpile of drugs and vaccines including 40 million doses of smallpox vaccine.

– Had plans for a full military response to USS Cole bombing, but being so close to the election of a new President, decided to pass it on to the Bush administration in order to avoid doing the same thing to Bush Jr. that Bush Sr. did to Clinton: Leave him with a full-blown mess he didn’t want or escalate (re: Somalia) Clinton passed the war plans to Bush, who then gave it to Cheney, who promptly ignored it.

George Bush (pre-9/11 record)

– Backed off Clinton administration’s anti-terrorism efforts.

– Shelved the Hart-Rudman report.

– Appointed new anti-terrorism task force under Dick Cheney. Group did not even meet before 9/11.

– Called for cuts in anti-terrorism efforts by the Department of Defense.

– Gave no priority to anti-terrorism efforts by Justice Department.

– Ignored warnings from Sandy Berger, Louis Freeh, George Tennant, Paul Bremer, and Richard Clarke about the urgency of terrorist threats.

– Halted Predator drone tracking of Osama bin Laden.

– Did nothing in wake of August 6 C.I.A. report to president saying Al Qaeda attack by hijack of an airliner almost certain.

– Bush – knowing about the terrorists’ plans to attack in America, warned that terrorists were in flight schools in the US – took a four week vacation.

– By failing to order any coordination of intelligence data, missed opportunity to stop the 9/11 plot as Clinton-Gore had stopped the millennium plots.

– Blamed President Clinton for 9/11.

(Original author unknown – facts verified)