# who else thinks 9/11 is Bill Clintons fault **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [November 10, 2008, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-else-thinks-9-11-is-bill-clintons-fault/472079 "2008-11-10T18:46:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Shayna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shayna/32/17976_2.png) [@Shayna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shayna)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2008, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-else-thinks-9-11-is-bill-clintons-fault/472079/21 "2008-11-10T23:16:36Z")
Well duh! You didn’t melt the icebergs yourself when it was your shift! :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Borgia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/larry_borgia/32/156_2.png) [@Larry\_Borgia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Borgia)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2008, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-else-thinks-9-11-is-bill-clintons-fault/472079/22 "2008-11-10T23:24:23Z")
The real fault lies in communication failures between the CIA and FBI. Each had information that combined with the other agencies could have led to the arrest of the hijackers before 9/11. Better interagency communication would make us far more secure than most of the theatrical measures enacted after the attacks. I suppose Clinton and Bush share a little blame for not pushing this. ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2008, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-else-thinks-9-11-is-bill-clintons-fault/472079/23 "2008-11-10T23:25:42Z")
It’s clearly Clinton’s fault. He should have jumped out from behind the curtains in the Oval Office, and bitch-slapped Bush until he actually read the August 6 PDB. Dereliction of duty, that’s what I say. ---
**Author:** ![woodstockbirdybird](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/woodstockbirdybird/32/7905_2.png) [@woodstockbirdybird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/woodstockbirdybird)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2008, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-else-thinks-9-11-is-bill-clintons-fault/472079/24 "2008-11-10T23:28:57Z")
Isn’t it really Reagan’s fault? Wasn’t bin Laden trained and funded by CIA operatives under Reagan? ---
**Author:** ![Sinaijon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dc4da7/32.png) [@Sinaijon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sinaijon)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2008, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-else-thinks-9-11-is-bill-clintons-fault/472079/25 "2008-11-10T23:32:26Z")
I don’t think it was Clinton’s fault, and it wasn’t Bush’s either. Hindsight is 20/20. If Bush had seized on the PDB, and invaded Afghanistan, deposed the Taliban, and captured bin Laden, there would be people clamoring about ‘Illegal Wars’, and ‘War Crimes’, etc, just the same. ---
**Author:** ![Sinaijon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dc4da7/32.png) [@Sinaijon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sinaijon)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2008, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-else-thinks-9-11-is-bill-clintons-fault/472079/26 "2008-11-10T23:36:13Z")
And the iceberg analogy is pretty silly. 9/11 was completely outside the realm of any terrorist attack to date. Sure, Clinton might have said “Watch out in the North Seas. Your number one danger there is ice bergs!”, but that doesn’t really help when you are in the North Sea, and an iceberg drops out of the sky on top of your boat. ---
**Author:** ![Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troy_mcclure_sf/32/4150_2.png) [@Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Troy_McClure_SF)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2008, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-else-thinks-9-11-is-bill-clintons-fault/472079/27 "2008-11-10T23:37:50Z")
> [@magellan01](#): > > [Clinton’s] Presidency just happen to coincide with the explosion of the internet. If the Internet under Clinton was an explosion, the Internet under Bush created six new universes. ---
**Author:** ![HubZilla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ccd318/32.png) [@HubZilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HubZilla)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2008, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-else-thinks-9-11-is-bill-clintons-fault/472079/28 "2008-11-10T23:58:37Z")
I wonder if the scope of 9/11 was also at fault? You figure the intelligence agencies get tons of leads a day. You have to choose which is more likely: 1. Something will happen against US interests outside of North America (nightclub in Italy, USS Cole, African embassies) 2. A car bomb will go off in a busy intersection or building (like WTC '93) 3. A plane may be hijacked, demands will be issued (which usually happens) 4. Four planes will be simultaneously hijacked and driven into important buildings. “They” might not have found #4 to be very likely and didn’t move it up the priority chain? ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2008, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-else-thinks-9-11-is-bill-clintons-fault/472079/29 "2008-11-11T00:15:06Z")
> [@Sinaijon](#): > > And the iceberg analogy is pretty silly. 9/11 was completely outside the realm of any terrorist attack to date. Sure, Clinton might have said “Watch out in the North Seas. Your number one danger there is ice bergs!”, but that doesn’t really help when you are in the North Sea, and an iceberg drops out of the sky on top of your boat. Oh, please, it was known at the time that a threat like the 9-11 plane attacks existed. The G-7 summit even had antiaircraft defenses set up just in case they were targeted. And one of Bush’s first acts upon taking office was to order the government to lay off Bin Laden. Bush and friends did everything they could to make Bin Laden’s plan succeed; whether it was on purpose ( the PNAC guys WANTED something like it to occur after all ), or though sheer incompetence. ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2008, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-else-thinks-9-11-is-bill-clintons-fault/472079/30 "2008-11-11T00:35:21Z")
9/11 would be very easy to prevent in hindsight; very difficult in real time. Kind of the nature of surprise attacks. > [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > Bush and friends did everything they could to make Bin Laden’s plan succeed; whether it was on purpose ( the PNAC guys WANTED something like it to occur after all ) Oh here we freaking go again :rolleyes:. Hasn’t Bush’s presidency been enough of a nightmare to just let it speak for itself? Is it really necessary to make stuff up? ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2008, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-else-thinks-9-11-is-bill-clintons-fault/472079/31 "2008-11-11T00:46:30Z")
Back in the dark days of the Cold War, Reagan had “Ready Fighters” ready to go on various air bases. I was under the impression that was one of the programs that Clinton did away with that may have prevented 1-2 of the jets from hitting their targets. I have not heard that even after 9/11 Bush restarted the ready fighter program. Does anyone know? ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2008, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-else-thinks-9-11-is-bill-clintons-fault/472079/32 "2008-11-11T01:07:58Z")
> [@Cisco](#): > > Oh here we freaking go again :rolleyes:. Hasn’t Bush’s presidency been enough of a nightmare to just let it speak for itself? Is it really necessary to make stuff up? Make what up ? The PNAC people’s desire for “another Pearl Harbor” isn’t a secret. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2008, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-else-thinks-9-11-is-bill-clintons-fault/472079/33 "2008-11-11T01:31:27Z")
> [@](#): > > So why didn’t pres. Clinton declare all out war then on al-quida. why didn’t he send out teams of rangers, navy seals, green berets and every resource we had to hunt down al-quida? End of story. How’s that plan been working for the last seven years? We declared all out war on “al-quida” in 2001. Is Obama bin Laden dead yet? Has Al Qaida been destroyed? Have terrorists stop attacking Americans? Is the story ended? Now let’s look at Clinton’s record in the War on Terrorism: Mahmud Abouhalima - arrested in 1993, convicted and sentenced to life in prison; Mohammed Salameh - arrested in 1993, convicted and sentenced to life in prison; Ahmed Ajaj - arrested in 1993, convicted and sentenced to life in prison; El Sayyid Nosair - arrested in 1994, convicted and sentenced to life in prison; Omar Abdel-Rahman - arrested in 1994, convicted and sentenced to life in prison; Ramzi Yousef - arrested in 1995, convicted and sentenced to life in prison; Timothy McVeigh - arrested in 1995, convicted and executed; Terry Nichols - arrested in 1995, convicted and sentenced to life in prison; Theodore Kaczynski - arrested in 1996, convicted and sentenced to life in prison. ---
**Author:** ![UncleFred](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/f0a364/32.png) [@UncleFred](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleFred)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2008, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-else-thinks-9-11-is-bill-clintons-fault/472079/34 "2008-11-11T01:51:48Z")
Bush may have been partially culpable (sp?) for 9/11 by not heeding warnings. Bush and cronies are 100% responsible for an Iraq war over non-existent WMD’s and the consequent problems it caused. They are also responsible for _not_ pursuing Al-Quaeda and the Taliban in Afghanistan. Clinton can’t be blamed for Iraq, and he can’t be blamed for failing to adequately pursue Al-Quaeda after 9/11. ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2008, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-else-thinks-9-11-is-bill-clintons-fault/472079/35 "2008-11-11T02:12:32Z")
> [@magellan01](#): > > That is true—while it was happening. But I’m talking about after 9/11. There was a general feeling outside of the Republican circles that Clinton was treated unfairly and overly harshly. And the (re)writing of history had begun. Oh. Well, I would agree at least to the extent that the press got more positive about Clinton after he left office than while he was in office. ---
**Author:** ![Frostillicus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Frostillicus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frostillicus)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2008, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-else-thinks-9-11-is-bill-clintons-fault/472079/36 "2008-11-11T03:13:03Z")
Dear OP: If you want to make a cogent argument, it helps not to write like a 6 year-old. ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2008, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-else-thinks-9-11-is-bill-clintons-fault/472079/37 "2008-11-11T03:29:26Z")
> [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > Make what up ? The PNAC people’s desire for “another Pearl Harbor” isn’t a secret. Yes it is. It’s your little secret, unless you can provide some evidence for it. Are you referring to the one sentence taken out of context of a 90-page paper that says _" the process of transformation, even if it brings revolutionary change, is likely to be a long one, absent some catastrophic and catalyzing event - like a new Pearl Harbor. "_? Where is the desire in that sentence? Show me. Why would a group announce their desire to commit the biggest crime in American history right before committing it? Do you realize the rest of the paper was written on the assumption that the catastrophic and catalyzing event _wasn’t_ going to happen? If they were going to make it happen, and announce to the world their desire to do so, what was the point of the rest of the paper? The paper is [here](http://www.newamericancentury.org/RebuildingAmericasDefenses.pdf), by the way, in case it strikes your fancy to read it before making anymore false claims about it. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2008, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-else-thinks-9-11-is-bill-clintons-fault/472079/38 "2008-11-11T03:35:21Z")
> [@Cisco](#): > > Why would a group announce their desire to commit the biggest crime in American history right before committing it? They didn’t have to commit it; just look the other way while Bin Laden did it for them. > [@Cisco](#): > > If they were going to make it happen, and announce to the world their desire to do so, what was the point of the rest of the paper? What was the point of _Mein Kampf_ ? Monsters often admit what they are going to do beforehand and are disbelieved beforehand. And sometimes afterwards. ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2008, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-else-thinks-9-11-is-bill-clintons-fault/472079/39 "2008-11-11T03:36:56Z")
> [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > They didn’t have to commit it; just look the other way while Bin Laden did it for them. > > What was the point of _Mein Kampf_ ? Monsters often admit what they are going to do beforehand and are disbelieved beforehand. And sometimes afterwards. Excuse me, before we debate the PNAC’s desire for a new Pearl Harbor can you please just show me where it they expressed it? It’s no secret after all, in your own words. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2008, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-else-thinks-9-11-is-bill-clintons-fault/472079/40 "2008-11-11T03:37:09Z")
> [@HubZilla](#): > > I wonder if the scope of 9/11 was also at fault? > 4) Four planes will be simultaneously hijacked and driven into important buildings. > > “They” might not have found #4 to be very likely and didn’t move it up the priority chain? I should think that the Worst Case Scenario would be considered, however unlikely. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-else-thinks-9-11-is-bill-clintons-fault/472079.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-else-thinks-9-11-is-bill-clintons-fault/472079.md?page=3)