Clinton

last updated 8 January 2015

Bill Clinton doesn't usually lose his cool in public, said Dick Polman in The Philadelphia Inquirer. But this week, the former president's 'œserene and happy' demeanor cracked, and he 'œwigged out' during a confrontational interview with Chris Wallace on Fox News. Wallace asked Clinton why he didn't do more to kill Osama bin Laden. 'œI got closer to killing him than anybody's gotten since,' a visibly agitated Clinton said. He went on to blame his successors for failing to kill the terrorist leader before Sept. 11: 'œThey had eight months to try, they did not try.' His choler rising, Clinton leaned forward and pointed his finger at Wallace's chest. 'œYou did your nice little conservative hit job on me,' Clinton declared. 'œAnd you've got that little smirk on your face and you think you're so clever.'

Good for Clinton, said John Nichols in TheNation.com. The Bush administration and their right-wing media lapdogs have long peddled the lie that Sept. 11 was somehow all Clinton's fault, even though it happened on Bush's watch. But the record is clear: Clinton did make a serious effort to get bin Laden. Bush and Dick Cheney, on the other hand, spent the early part of 2001 secretly planning a war against Saddam Hussein and Iraq, even to the point of ignoring a specific warning that bin Laden was poised to attack. Hold on there, said Byron York in National Review Online. Yes, Clinton authorized some halfhearted attempts by our intelligence agencies to try to kill bin Laden. When they responded with inepitude and excuses, 'œClinton, the commander in chief, gave up.' That's his feckless legacy in the war on terror, no matter how many hissy fits he throws.