It Was the REPUBLICANS Who Wanted to Cut-and-Run from Somalia
It Was the REPUBLICANS Who Wanted to Cut-and-Run from Somalia
#0It Was the REPUBLICANS Who Wanted to Cut-and-Run from Somalia
Posted: 9/25/06 at 2:34pm
Chanticleer--not only are you and your party bald-faced LIARS, you're also lily-livered COWARDS. Here's the historical record:
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GOP Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchinson, speech on the Senate floor October 6, 1993
I supported our original mission, which was humanitarian in nature and limited in scope. I can no longer support a continued United States presence in Somalia because the nature of the mission is now unrealistic and because the scope of our mission is now limitless. . . . Mr. President, it is no small feat for a superpower to accept setback on the world stage, but a step backward is sometimes the wisest course. I believe that withdrawal is now the more prudent option.
GOP Sen. Dirk Kempthorne, speech on the Senate floor, October 6, 1993
Mr. President, the mission is accomplished in Somalia. The humanitarian aid has been delivered to those who were starving. The mission is not nation building, which is what now is being foisted upon the American people. The United States has no interest in the civil war in Somalia and as this young soldier told me, if the Somalis are now healthy enough to be fighting us, then it is absolutely time that we go home. . . It is time for the Senate of the United States to get on with the debate, to get on with the vote, and to get the American troops home.
GOP Minority Leader Sen. Robert Dole, Senate speech, October 5, 1993
I think it is clear to say from the meeting we had earlier with--I do not know how many Members were there--45, 50 Senators and half the House of Representatives, that the administration is going to be under great pressure to bring the actions in Somalia to a close. . . .
GOP Sen. Jesse Helms, Senate floor speech October 6, 1993:
All of which means that I support the able Senator from West Virginia--who, by the way, was born in North Carolina--Senator Robert C. Byrd, and others in efforts to bring an end to this tragic situation. The United States did its best to deliver aid and assistance to the victims of chaos in Somalia as promised by George Bush last December.
But now we find ourselves involved there in a brutal war, in an urban environment, with the hands of our young soldiers tied behind their backs, under the command of a cumbersome U.N. bureaucracy, and fighting Somalia because we tried to extend helping hands to the starving people of that far-off land. Mr. President, the United States has no constitutional authority, as I see it, to sacrifice U.S. soldiers to Boutros-Ghali's vision of multilateral peacemaking. Again, I share the view of Senator Byrd that the time to get out is now.
President Clinton's speech, on October 8, 1993, arguing AGAINST withdrawal
And make no mistake about it, if we were to leave Somalia tomorrow, other nations would leave, too. Chaos would resume, the relief effort would stop and starvation soon would return. That knowledge has led us to continue our mission. . . .
If we leave them now, those embers will reignite into flames and people will die again. If we stay a short while longer and do the right things, we've got a reasonable chance of cooling off the embers and getting other firefighters to take our place. . .
So, now, we face a choice. Do we leave when the job gets tough or when the job is well done? Do we invite the return of mass suffering or do we leave in a way that gives the Somalis a decent chance to survive? Recently, Gen. Colin Powell said this about our choices in Somalia: "Because things get difficult, you don't cut and run. You work the problem and try to find a correct solution." . . .
So let us finish the work we set out to do. Let us demonstrate to the world, as generations of Americans have done before us, that when Americans take on a challenge, they do the job right.
Sen. John Kerry, Senate floor speech, 10/7/93, supporting Clinton's anti-withdrawal position
But, Mr. President, I must say I have also been jarred by the reactions of many of our colleagues in the U.S. Senate and in the Congress. I am jarred by the extraordinary sense of panic that seems to be rushing through this deliberative body, and by the strident cries for a quick exit, an immediate departure notwithstanding the fact that what we are doing in Somalia does not bear any resemblance to Grenada, to Panama, to Iraq, and most importantly, to Vietnam. . . .
We must recognize that any decision that we make about Somalia is not just a decision to get our troops home. It is not just a decision about looking out for the interests of the United States. There are extraordinary ramifications attached to the choice that we make in the next days in the Congress and in this country. . . .
Mr. President, we are in a situation now where withdrawal would send the wrong signal to Aidid and his supporters. It would encourage other nations to withdraw from the U.N. effort in Somalia and no doubt would result in the total breakdown of the operation and possibly the resumption of the cycle of famine and war which brought the United States and other members of the international community to Somalia in the first place.
Rightly or wrongly, the Bush administration committed us to this operation. We, as a nation, have accepted this responsibility. We should not panic and flee when the going gets rough. If we are going to withdraw, we have an obligation to do so in a responsible manner, in a way that does not undermine the operation or leave the Somali people to a worse fate. I think the President's plan, as currently outlined, will allow us to step aside responsibly.
Who wanted to "cut and run" from Somalia?
#1re: It Was the REPUBLICANS Who Wanted to Cut-and-Run from Somalia
Posted: 9/25/06 at 3:10pmMaybe I'll bump my own thread until Chanticleer posts in it.
#2re: It Was the REPUBLICANS Who Wanted to Cut-and-Run from Somalia
Posted: 9/25/06 at 4:16pmHttp://www.cnn.com/US/9607/30/clinton.terrorism
'There are three sides to every story. My side, your side, and the truth. And no one is lying. Memories shared serve each one differently'
-Robert Evans-
#3re: It Was the REPUBLICANS Who Wanted to Cut-and-Run from Somalia
Posted: 9/25/06 at 4:18pm
http://www.snopes.com/rumors/clinton.htm
http://www.time.com/time/covers/1101020812/story.html
'There are three sides to every story. My side, your side, and the truth. And no one is lying. Memories shared serve each one differently'
-Robert Evans-
Updated On: 9/25/06 at 04:18 PM
#4re: It Was the REPUBLICANS Who Wanted to Cut-and-Run from Somalia
Posted: 9/25/06 at 4:22pmhttp://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/752808.stm
'There are three sides to every story. My side, your side, and the truth. And no one is lying. Memories shared serve each one differently'
-Robert Evans-
#5re: It Was the REPUBLICANS Who Wanted to Cut-and-Run from Somalia
Posted: 9/25/06 at 4:37pm
Wow. Thanks, Romantico. Everyone should read all of those links. Here's the CNN one, with my boldface:
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President wants Senate to hurry with new anti-terrorism laws
July 30, 1996
Web posted at: 8:40 p.m. EDT
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- President Clinton urged Congress Tuesday to act swiftly in developing anti-terrorism legislation before its August recess.
"We need to keep this country together right now. We need to focus on this terrorism issue," Clinton said during a White House news conference.
But while the president pushed for quick legislation, Republican lawmakers hardened their stance against some of the proposed anti-terrorism measures.
Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott, R-Mississippi, doubted that the Senate would rush to action before they recess this weekend. The Senate needs to study all the options, he said, and trying to get it done in the next three days would be tough.
One key GOP senator was more critical, calling a proposed study of chemical markers in explosives "a phony issue."
Taggants value disputed
Clinton said he knew there was Republican opposition to his proposal on explosive taggants, but it should not be allowed to block the provisions on which both parties agree.
"What I urge them to do is to be explicit about their disagreement, but don't let it overcome the areas of agreement," he said.
The president emphasized coming to terms on specific areas of disagreement would help move the legislation along. The president stressed it's important to get the legislation out before the weekend's recess, especially following the bombing of Centennial Olympic Park and the crash of TWA Flight 800.
"The most important thing right now is that they get the best, strongest bill they can out -- that they give us as much help as they can," he said.
Hatch blasts 'phony' issues
Republican leaders earlier met with White House Chief of Staff Leon Panetta for about an hour in response to the president's call for "the very best ideas" for fighting terrorism.
Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, emerged from the meeting and said, "These are very controversial provisions that the White House wants. Some they're not going to get."
Hatch called Clinton's proposed study of taggants -- chemical markers in explosives that could help track terrorists -- "a phony issue."
"If they want to, they can study the thing" already, Hatch asserted. He also said he had some problems with the president's proposals to expand wiretapping.
Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle, D-South Dakota, said it is a mistake if Congress leaves town without addressing anti-terrorism legislation. Daschle is expected to hold a special meeting on the matter Wednesday with Congressional leaders.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
#6re: It Was the REPUBLICANS Who Wanted to Cut-and-Run from Somalia
Posted: 9/25/06 at 4:55pm
Richard Clarke in his booked says Clinton was OBSESSED with Bin Laden. When i first read the book I didn't take it as a compliment. Clarke made it sound like Clinton was not focused on anything but Bin laden. Looking back I see I was wrong. Clarke was just calling it like he saw it. He criticized Clinton plenty in the book, but said he did more for fighting terrorism pre 911 than Bush did.
Speaking of unhealthy obsessions, what is it with right wingers and Clinton anyway? My theory is they know he's smarter and better than Bush and need to constantly smear his name in the mud. They are swiftboating Clinton out of desperation and nothing else.
I tell this to all the Clinton bashers and it drives them nuts because they know its true and there nothing they can do to debunk it but play the blame game. NO MATTER WHAT, 911 HAPPENED ON DUBYA"S WATCH AND THATS HIS LEGACY. THEY SAY CLINTON'S LEGACY WILL BE MONICAGATE. ALREADY BEEN PROVEN WRONG. CLINTON'S HUMANITARIAN WORK OUTSHINES SO MUCH AND WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THE YEARS. (end of rant.........for now)
'There are three sides to every story. My side, your side, and the truth. And no one is lying. Memories shared serve each one differently'
-Robert Evans-
#7re: It Was the REPUBLICANS Who Wanted to Cut-and-Run from Somalia
Posted: 9/25/06 at 5:12pmRomantico...I think I love you.
#8re: It Was the REPUBLICANS Who Wanted to Cut-and-Run from Somalia
Posted: 9/25/06 at 5:24pm
Let's also recall on whose watch 9/11 occurred. Not Clinton.
#9re: It Was the REPUBLICANS Who Wanted to Cut-and-Run from Somalia
Posted: 9/25/06 at 6:08pm
When they have nothing else to say, them Republicans seem pretty damn focused on Bill's penis.
FindingNamo
Broadway Legend Joined: 7/22/03
#10re: It Was the REPUBLICANS Who Wanted to Cut-and-Run from Somalia
Posted: 9/25/06 at 6:12pmThere you all go again, speaking from the reality-based community.
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