Bill Clinton: Going Too Far?

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Bill Clinton: Going Too Far?

By Jack Lepiarz
Sept. 25, 2006

In an interview with Chris Wallace of Fox News, Bill Clinton vehemently defended his administration's work in trying to kill Osama Bin Laden.

"I worked hard to try to kill him!" Clinton insisted after Wallace asked him if he thought he had done "enough to connect the dots and go after al-Qaida." The question spurred on a long response from Clinton, delivered probably more as a response to the criticism he has received from conservatives over the last few months who claim that he did not do enough to stop the 9/11 attacks.

Clinton later responded to his critics by saying, "That's the difference in me and some, including all these right-wingers who are attacking me now. They ridiculed me for trying. They had 8 months to try and they did not try."

So was Clinton's anger justified? Yes and no. Conservatives will no doubt say that Clinton went too far and was simply trying to put some of the blame on Bush. Liberals, on the other hand, will say that he was perfectly justified in his response to Wallace's question, and his accusing Wallace of being a "conservative hit job" was right on the money.

As is usually the case, the answer lies somewhere in between the two.

Clinton has every right to feel indignant, given the unrelenting criticism he's received from conservatives over the last several years. But was this the right way to express it? Definitely not. Was Wallace being a "conservative hit job?" Doubtful. It is a journalist's job to ask difficult questions to make people sweat. That's precisely what Wallace was trying to do this interview. Apparently, he succeeded more than he had expected. Clinton's angry response made him look unprofessional and like he legitimately had something to hide.

However, on the other hand, Clinton also brought up a number of very valid points. For example, he raised the issue of how Iraq has overshadowed the search for bin Laden, saying, "I've never criticized President Bush, and I don't think this is useful, but you know we do have a government that thinks Afghanistan is only one-seventh as important as Iraq." In 2003, President Bush only mentioned bin Laden four times, and only in response to a direct question on him. Many have voiced their concern that the U.S. has become tied down in Iraq, hindering its efforts to capture bin Laden.

"I had a responsibility to try and protect this country." Clinton said, "I tried and I failed to get bin Laden. I regret it, but I did try."

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About the author: Jack Lepiarz is an 18-year-old college student at Emerson College in Boston. He also co-hosts the Katherine and Jack Show on UthTV.com and has been performing various circus talents for the past several years. Though often described as stubborn and egotistical, he tries to keep an open mind and treat others the way he would like to be treated.

Email: Jackwuzhere42@aol.com

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