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Originally Posted by Undertoad
Those [Sudan and Afghanistan] weren't the ones that were called Wag the Dog.
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As a result of bombings on the embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, Clinton deperately sought 1) proof of who did it, and 2) an appropriate response. Item one is not disputed. This was the event that demonstrated al Qaeda was something more than a financing group for terrorism; the first time that the al Qaeda branch of Muslim Brotherhood was considered a serious threat.
Quote:
from Richard Clarke's Against All Enemies
If we though this was the best time to hit the Afghan camps, he would order it and take the heat for "Wag the Dog" criticism that we all knew would happen, for the media and congressional reaction that would say that he was using a military strike to divert attention from his deposition in the investigation. (Wag the Dog was a movie that had been released that year, in which fictional presidential advisors created an artifical crisis with Albania to attack it and divert attention from domestic problems. Ironically, Clinton was blamed for a "Wag the Dog" strategy in 1998 dealing with the real threat from al Qaeda but no one labeled Bush's 2003 war on Iraq as a "Wag the Dog" move even thought the "crisis" was manufacturered and the Bush political advisor Karl Rove was telling Republicans to "run on the war".)
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Furthermore, this was not the only time Clinton had attempted military strikes on al Qaeda. This particular strike, of course, was easily predicted by Pakistan who saw numerous US destroyer conjugating. The Pakistan Navy told their government in advance AND the US had to inform Pakistan in advance so that Pakistan would not assume an Indian surprise attack. All this probably alerted al Qaeda who quickly abandoned the targeted camps. Which begs the question of who really is the American ally? The one who warns al Qaeda and promotes nuclear proliferation?
But yes, the Sudan and Afghanistan reprisals were unjustified accusations of Clinton doing Wag the Dog. Since right wing extremist commentators don't accuse George Jr of same, then many of us don't accuse George of playing the same game. Yes, it begs the question - what are your sources of information? Based upon facts or based upon political agenda spin - ie Rush Limbaugh?