WALLACE: … but the question is, why didn’t you do more, connect the dots and put them out of business?
CLINTON: OK, let’s talk about it. Now, I will answer all those things on the merits, but first I want to talk about the context in which this arises.
I’m being asked this on the FOX network. ABC just had a right- wing conservative run in their little "Pathway to 9/11," falsely claiming it was based on the 9/11 Commission report, with three things asserted against me directly contradicted by the 9/11 Commission report.
And I think it’s very interesting that all the conservative Republicans, who now say I didn’t do enough, claimed that I was too obsessed with bin Laden. All of President Bush’s neo-cons thought I was too obsessed with bin Laden. They had no meetings on bin Laden for nine months after I left office. All the right-wingers who now say I didn’t do enough said I did too much — same people.
Sounds like that "Vast Right Wing Conspiracy" is still alive and well with…
WALLACE: Do you think you did enough, sir?CLINTON: No, because I didn’t get him.
WALLACE: Right.
CLINTON: But at least I tried. That’s the difference in me and some, including all the right-wingers who are attacking me now. They ridiculed me for trying. They had eight months to try. They did not try. I tried.
So I tried and failed. When I failed, I left a comprehensive anti-terror strategy and the best guy in the country, Dick Clarke, who got demoted.
So you did Fox’s bidding on this show. You did your nice little conservative hit job on me. What I want to know is …
WALLACE: Well, wait a minute, sir.
CLINTON: No, wait. No, no …
WALLACE: I want to ask a question. You don’t think that’s a legitimate question?
CLINTON: It was a perfectly legitimate question, but I want to know how many people in the Bush administration you asked this question of.
I want to know how many people in the Bush administration you asked, "Why didn’t you do anything about the Cole?"
I want to know how many you asked, "Why did you fire Dick Clarke?"
I want to know how many people you asked …
WALLACE: We asked — we asked …
CLINTON: I don’t …
WALLACE: Do you ever watch "FOX News Sunday," sir?
CLINTON: I don’t believe you asked them that.
Did not. Did too. Did not. Did too. Watching Clinton during this tantrum left me vascillating between wondering whether I was seeing a little kid denying a cookie-jar raid with chocolate chip residue on his lip- or a cold war era tyrant pounding his shoe on a podium.
Besides the Clinton temper tantrum, there was little of note otherwise. His basic message was this: "I was right. Everyone else is wrong- and they’re all out to get me. Oh, and I tried to get Bin Laden. If I was the president, none of this would have happened…"
The bottom line is this- the seething rage that Clinton is quite obviously consumed with was disconcerting. This rage, combined with his prediliction for foolish choices and lack of self-control makes me glad that nothing as serious as today’s current events happened during his presidency.
Click here to watch a video of Clinton’s appearance. Click here for the transcript.
PS- I still think Clinton wants to be Secretary General of the UN someday. He’d better keep his temper in check.
