I just finished Buzz Patterson’s book of the above title (published in 2003 but I never read it so it’s new to me). It’s a short read but very informative, coming from his inside view of the Clinton administration. Buzz was one of five military aides to the President and as such witnessed the atrocities from close range.
From 1993 to 2001, Islamic terrorists attacked American targets eight 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 on 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. That it did not respond is a consequence for which the Clinton administration is, in my view, extremely culpable. 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.
Reagan or Bush senior would have kicked some ass and quite possibly averted 9/11. We’ll never know. Clinton had no understanding of how to employ the great fighting force that Reagan had built. He despised the military, the commander-in-chief had no respect for his troops and they had very little for him in return. I remember how quickly morale slid downhill after Clinton was elected in ’92. The elder Bush garnered his share of humor due to his difficulty with the language but it was done in a joking manner. But the jokes that started flying around the squadron spaces after the election were outright attacks and well deserved.
Buzz’s book offers an inside look at the Clintons’ presidency that makes you wonder how Billary got elected. Twice.
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