This was originally written in September of 2003. The 9/11 Commission has had more to say, and there is even more evidence now, not to mention Farenheit 9/11. (Isn't it odd that there are people who think Mel Gibson makes documentaries and Michael Moore doesn't?) Links checked as of 7/04

Dittoheads have been in denial about Bush for a long time, and I've written on related topics before. As W's popularity plummets, his swaggering buffoonery replaces accountability. His supporters are fewer and fewer... and louder and louder. It's time to get in their face with their lies. Be as polite as possible, and don't sink to their level... but don't let them get away with changing the subject to Clinton or repeating the same lies they heard on hate radio. Here are some facts to use.

George W. Bush's first impulse is always to lie. His second impulse is always to run away. And he surrounds himself with oily people who are more concerned with smearing opponents than running the country. Right now, the shrill voices of the far right are engaged in a desperate attempt to blame Clinton for 9/11 and to completely cover-up Bush's criminal negligence and close ties to the bin Laden family.

To start off, we can easily dismiss the Republican whining.

• Clinton authorizes CIA to work against bin Laden in 1998, succeeds in preempting many al Queda attacks around the world.
• In 1998, Clinton initiates anti-terrorism campaign, stockpiles vaccines and anti-biotics.
• Third page of part five of exerpt of Joe Conason's Big Lies, detailing GOP lies against Clinton and Clinton efforts to stop terrorism (the whole article is good).
• From 1996: Clinton proposed 1.1 billion in anti-terrrism legislation, which the sex-obsessed Republicans turned down.

If anyone says President Bill Clinton was not deeply concerned about terrorism and Osama bin Laden in particular, they are lying. Period. He successfully stopped terror operations in the US, and was doing well countering Al Queda until Bush and co. reversed his policies.

Meanwhile, Bush's foreign policy has been a disaster from the beginning and has just gotten worse. Bush started out his presidency by apologizing to China when they shot down our spy plane in international airspace, dismantling the Kyoto Treaty and others, then went on vacation when numerous sources including our own State Department warned of a terrorist attack.

• Condoleeza Rice didn't listen to Clinton's National Security Advisor, Sandy Berger, about the importance of terrorism.
• "Did Bush, at a key moment, dismantle the Clinton administration's increasingly effective anti-Al Qaeda apparatus"? Yes, says article examining examining many of the discussions, with links. Bush's anti-bin Laden policy is "a catastrophe".
• Before 9/11, Calico John Ashcroft paid little attention to terrorism, except that he took an FBI "threat assessment" personally and took chartered planes, rather than commercial planes as Janet Reno had done.
• Bush lied to our troops. Iraq never had nukes, and everybody knew what Bush was saying was a lie but let him go anyway. Nicholas B. Kristof in NY Times.
• On Sept. 11, 2001, Osama bin Laden's brother Shafiq bin Laden was meeting with George H W Bush at a conference hosted by The Carlyle Group.
• Bush plays politics with every issue. Good Krugman piece from the NY Times.
• Bush blocked blocked secret service investigations on terrorism prior to 9/11 because he wanted the Taliban's oil. Also look at this CNN transcript.
• CIA/Saudi connections, Bush tells intelligence agencies to "back off" investigating the bin Ladens and the Saudis. Report from Greg Palast.
• Suspicion about the visas issued to known terrorists by the Bush administration. Saudis got special treatment, and have for a long time, due to oil.
• BBC reports shows "connections between the CIA and Saudi Arabia and the Bush men and bin Ladens" may have been the real cause of the deaths of thousands in the World Trade Centre attacks.
• Foreknowledge of 9/11, a compilation of evidence that Bush knew beforehand.
• Real Audio of CIA agent saying Bush adminstration told him to lay off bin Laden prior to 9/11.
• Foreknowledge of 9/11, a compilation of evidence that Bush knew beforehand.
• Good overview: Why Bush is to blame for Sept. 11.
• Original New Yorker article about the bin Laden family being flown to safety after 9/11 when other planes were grounded. They then left the country and are outside of US legal jurisdiction. We can't even question them. More recent Joe Conason piece: Truth about how the White House helped the bin Laden family flee the US finally comes out.
• More details of the Bush/Taliban connection.
• US bio-terrorism expert says anthrax attacks came from CIA and FBI too embarrassed to investigate.
• US pays ransom to Al Queda linked group in Phillipines and the hostages weren't freed.
• Was Bush administration alerted to Sept. 11 attacks? Also, how similar attacks were thwarted in 1995.
• A long and ever-growing list of Bush administration scandals.

Recap: Clinton did a good job, starting to counter a growing terrorist threat against the US. It wasn't perfect, but is was very good. Meanwhile, George W. Bush went out of his way to ignore the terrorist threat from his friends with oil money, and has been engaged in a cover up of his criminal negligence before 9/11 and his lying about the failed War on Terror and Gulf War II. His scandals are making diehard Republicans regret their vote. The shame of being a conservative has never been greater.

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