by 7 Wishes » Fri Nov 27, 2009 6:23 am
It is well known Bill Clinton warned President George W. Bush before he left office in 2001 that Osama bin Laden was the biggest security threat the United States faced.
Clinton discussed security issues with Bush in his "Exit Interview," a formal and often candid meeting between a sitting president and the president-elect.
"In his campaign, Bush had said he thought the biggest security issue was Iraq and a national missile defence," Clinton said. "I told him that in my opinion, the biggest security problem was Osama bin Laden."
"After Bin Laden, I told him I would have start with India and Pakistan, then North Korea, and then Iraq after that. I thought Iraq was a lower order problem than al Qaeda."
Time magazine reported last year that a plan for the United States to launch attacks against the al-Qaeda network (something Clinton had in the works before he left office) languished for ten months because of the change in presidents and was approved only a week before the September 11 attacks.
The CIA also warned W in August of 2001 in an urgent briefing that AQ was planning to use airplanes in a terrorist attack, and warned him about the proliferation of Saudis suddenly taking airline pilot training lessons in Florida and Arizona.
Let's look at some of the brilliance W brought to office, as well. And don't forget the Democrats didn't have a majority in Congress or the House until 2006.
UNEMPLOYMENT RATE
Then: 4.2% (Bureau of Labor Statistics, January 2001)
Last Quarter of 2008: 7.7% (Bureau of Labor Statistics, November 2008)
DOW JONES INDUSTRIAL AVERAGE
Then: 10,587 (close of Friday, Jan. 19, 2001)
Last Quarter of 2008: 8,775 (close of Tuesday, Dec. 6, 2008)
BUSH FAVORABILITY RATING
Then: 50% (1/01 NBC/WSJ poll)
Now: 31% (12/08 NBC/WSJ poll)
SATISFIED WITH THE NATION'S DIRECTION
Then: 45% (1/01 NBC/WSJ poll)
Now: 26% (12/08 NBC/WSJ poll)
CONSUMER CONFIDENCE (1985=100)
Then: 115.7 (Conference Board, January 2001)
Final Quarter of 2008: 38.0, which is an all-time low (Conference Board, December 2008)
FAMILIES LIVING IN POVERTY
Then: 6.4 million (Census numbers for 2000)
2008: 7.9 million (Census numbers for 2008)
AMERICANS WITHOUT HEALTH INSURANCE
Then: 39.8 million (Census numbers for 2000)
Final Quarter of 2008: 47.7 million (Census numbers for 2008)
U.S. BUDGET
Then: +236.2 billion (2000, Congressional Budget Office)
2008: -$1.2 trillion (projected figure for 2009, Congressional Budget Office)
But around town, it was well known...when they got home at night
Their fat and psychopathic wives
Would thrash them within inches of their lives!