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Americablog Trying To Revive a Debunked Myth

By: Pam On: Sep/5/06 - Leave Your Comment

Americablog is trying to revive the lie that Clinton would have done more to fight terrorism, but the Republicans blocked him. Referenced is a CNN July 30, 1996 article:

Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, emerged from the meeting and said, “These are very controversial provisions that the [Clinton] White House wants. Some they’re not going to get.” ….[Hatch] also said he had some problems with the president’s proposals to expand wiretapping.

Americablog goes on to say:

The Republicans stopped President Clinton from getting all the tools he needed to stop the next September 11 – well, no, actually they opposed giving President Clinton all the tools he needed to stop the actual September 11. Could September 11 have been stopped if the GOP had given President Clinton the tools he requested to stop Osama and Mohammad Atta from killing 3,000 people in New York, Pennsylvania and Washington?

Let’s back up just 1 day, July 29, 1996, to this CNN article:

  • President Clinton asked Congress Monday to put more teeth in a tough new anti-terrorism law, and won broad agreement but no specific commitments from Republican lawmakers.
  • Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott echoed Gingrich’s spirit of cooperation and suggested a willingness to adopt parts of the Anti-Terrorism Act of 1996 that the White House had supported but were eliminated from the original bill, such as the placing of tracing elements in explosives.
  • Sen. Minority Leader Tom Daschle, D-South Dakota, who has voiced concerns about the constitutionality of certain measures, urged the Congress be “expeditious and not rash,” in adopting a stricter plan for fighting terrorism.
  • “It may put Republicans in an awkward position,” he said, in a reference to the watering down of the anti-terrorism bill last spring before it reached Clinton’s desk. “They have to decide between the NRA and the FBI. I hope they choose the FBI.”
  • But a provision to allow the FBI to wiretap all telephones used by a suspected terrorist was dropped and one requiring explosives manufacturers to insert chemical tracers in their products was weakened to cover only plastic explosives.
  • A rare grouping of conservative Republicans and liberal Democrats succeeded in killing the wiretap provision on the grounds that it would encroach further on personal liberties.

    • You can view all 5 versions of the bill here

    Why would the Republicans need to choose between the FBI and NRA? Why can’t we have both? Oh that’s right, Daschle was involved!

    The bill was debated and passed.

    Could this have anything to do with a movie?

    NewsBusters has a good roundup of that.

    Posts Related to this one:

    Posted on: September 5, 2006 |

    Posted in: Democrats, National News, Presidential Election '08, State/Local Elections '06, Terrorism

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