Clinton
says "We
didn't have the
terror threat" in 1992. Yet by the time he was elected, the following
acts had already
occurred:
- The November 1979 invasion of the U.S. Embassy in
Tehran
and the holding of hostages, who were not released until Inauguration
Day 1981.
- Hezbollah's 1983 bombing of U.S. Marine barracks in
Beirut, which killed 241.
- The holding of American hostages, and murder of some,
in
Beirut throughout the 1980s.
- The 1983 bombing of the U.S. Embassy in Kuwait.
- The 1985 bombing of a Madrid restaurant frequented by
American soldiers.
- The 1985 Hezbollah hijacking of TWA flight 847 and
murder
of a U.S. Navy flier on board.
- The 1985 hijacking of the Achille Lauro cruise ship,
in
which an American passenger was murdered.
- The 1986 bombing of TWA flight 840, which killed four
Americans.
- The 1986 bombing of a disco in Berlin, which prompted
a
retaliatory strike on Libyan targets.
- The 1988 bombing of Pan Am flight 103, which killed
270.
Clinton had been in office barely a month when terrorists first tried
to destroy the World Trade Center, killing six. His term saw the
following attacks on American interests overseas:
- The 1995 car bombing of U.S. military headquarters in
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, killing five servicemen.
- The 1996 Khobar Towers bombing, killing 19 Americans.
- The 1998 bombing of U.S. embassies in Kenya and
Tanzania,
which killed 224.
- The 2000 bombing of the USS Cole, less than a month
before
the election of Mr. Clinton's successor, killing 17 American sailors.
Then of course came 9/11, less than eight months after
Mr.
Clinton left office. How can anyone, looking back in 2007, claim "we
didn't have the terror threat" in 1992?
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