Bill Clinton on Fox

Interviewee: Bill Clinton

Interviewer: Chris Wallace

Date: 24 September 2006

Here Chris Wallace agitates the former president, William Jefferson Clinton, in this tense discussion about the former president’s dubious record in counter-terrorism. A surly Bill Clinton accuses Chris Wallace as backing his conservative opponents.

In hindsight, Bill Clinton had expected the conversation to tackle his Global Initiative. Aiming to vanquish poverty, disease and global warming, the Global Initiative got over 200 commitments to pledge $7 billion. The talk could not remain about his legacy for long however.

Chris Wallace ticks off Bill Clinton by asking why he reportedly did not exert a stronger effort to eradicate bin Laden and al Qaeda during his presidency. Chris Wallace further recounts how Bill Clinton withdrew US troops from Somalia in 1993. It apparently gave Osama bin Laden the opening to detonate bombs in Africa’s embassies and attack the USS Cole.

In defense, Clinton brings up Black Hawk Down, which depicts the Battle of Mogadishu, Somalia in 1993. He tells Wallace that he let the troops stay there for six months when his critics wanted to leave the very next day. Clinton also clears it up that American troops were there because of humanitarian reasons; they were not there to go against any religious fanatic nor meddle with the Somali government. They were there because of a Moslem warlord who killed several Pakistanis.

In fact, Clinton asserts further, the U.S. did not have a comprehensive anti-terror plan before he came into the picture. After the USS Cole attacks, his administration built up plans to launch a full-blown attack on the Afghanistan-based Taliban. However, the United States was not able to set a base in Uzbekistan until after September 2001. Plus, the CIA would not confirm bin Laden’s involvement in the attack.

The former president takes swipes at the neo-conservative Republicans who ridiculed him for being obsessed with bin Laden. For nine months after Clinton left the White House, they had no meetings on bin Laden whatsoever. He says they are the same people now who think he did not do anything.