Ann Coulter's way too free in tossing around the word "treason" to describe political opponents such as Bill Clinton. Still, the guy was selling us out for a song all along. Most obviously egregious, he signed executive waivers to let top campaign contributors sell sensitive technology to China.
Thus I find it easy enough to believe when I see stuff like this, from Drudge's preview of former FBI director Louis Freeh's new book My FBI : Bringing Down the Mafia, Investigating Bill Clinton, and Fighting the War on Terror:
Freeh says the former president let down the American people and the families of victims of the Khobar Towers terror attack in Saudi Arabia. After promising to bring to justice those responsible for the bombing that killed 19 and injured hundreds, Freeh says Clinton refused to personally ask Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah to allow the FBI to question bombing suspects the kingdom had in custody – the only way the bureau could secure the interviews, according to Freeh. Freeh writes in the book, "Bill Clinton raised the subject only to tell the crown prince that he understood the Saudis' reluctance to cooperate and then he hit Abdullah up for a contribution to the Clinton Presidential Library." Says Freeh, "That’s a fact that I am reporting."
Of course, it's not like the Bush presidents haven't had their noses just as deep up the Saud family's behinds. What's up with all that?
Article comments
— go to most recent comments1 - Silas Kain
I have a real bad taste in my mouth on this one, Al. I don't believe any Director of a Federal Agency empowered with National Security should be able to divulge what went on behind the scenes until 50 years after they are out of office. Granted there's the FOIA, but there has to come a point where national security serves the best interest of the people. For history's sake, there should be a record, but no one says it has to be made public within months of one's departure.
2 - RogerMDillion
Sounds like the same kind of stuff that the right cries emboldens the terroists.
3 - Dave Nalle
Frankly, when it comes to gross malfeasance I'd like to know while the perpetrator can still be held accountable.
Dave
4 - Al Barger
Silas, I appreciate your concern for security issues, but I will 99% take openess over secrecy on general principles. Is there some way in which this particular revelation could reasonably be seen to compromise national security?
Looks to me like it's likely only to further make Clinton look bad, and people do need to see the truth of what they're dealing with.
5 - Victor Lana
Al,
I don't know if this story is true or not, but it brings up a most salient point: we are too involved with Saudi Arabia (now and for the last forty years).
We need to find alternative fuel sources NOW; we need to completely divorce ourselves from the Saudis (that means not taking a drop of their filthy oil); we need to stop getting oil from any source other than the USA.
In this there will be enormous difficulty at first, but eventually freedom from dependence that has now made us bow to the Saudis and the rest of the price gaugers in OPEC.
6 - Al Barger
The problem isn't that we buy oil, but that we get deeply involved in their politics.
Also, we can't very effectively just legislate our way out of dependence on oil. The good thing about high oil prices is that they naturally start motivating people to save energy, and look for alternative fuels.
And who's up for more nuclear energy?
7 - DJRadiohead
Everybody is in bed with everybody. It is so hard not to throw your hands up and say, "The hell with it."
8 - Silas Kain
Good point, Victor. Yesterday I invoked some passages from Jimmy Carter's Malaise Speech. I'm compelled to do the same here:
What's changed since 1979? Here we are almost 30 years later and he goals set forth by President Carter were never even closely reached. That's American complacency. That's the American penchant to wait until the last possible moment to react. We seem to think that paying $4 a gallon for gasoline is a sufficient sacrifice. Therein lies our biggest problem. We've lost that sense of purpose. We're so bogged down by the insignificant. Those issues that we really need to face have become so gargantuan that we've just let them fester as a cancer in our collective subconscious. Louis Freeh can blame Clinton, the Democrats, and the Pope. He was in a position to do something as the Director of he FBI. He had access to information that we can't even fathom. Instead of writing a book clearing his own name, perhaps he should don a pair of overalls and get dirty with the rest of us. He was part of the problem, let him be a part of the solution.9 - Silas Kain
And who's up for more nuclear energy?
Soylent Green, Al. That's the ticket. And instead of using it for food, use it for energy.
10 - Victor Lana
Silas et al,
I advocate that all vehicles run on manure by 2010. Washington DC will be an infinite resource for the nation (and probably could fuel the rest of the world too).
11 - Silas Kain
Another alternative is to plug a hose in their butts and run on natural gas. Too bad we can't convert hot air into cheap energy. Washington could power the globe.
12 - george mark
if Judge Freeh , felt that President Clinton , "sold" out ,then he should have "blown the whistle" so to speak , at the time and resigned as Director. Like Secretary of State Cyrus Vance did over the hostages in Iran when he disagreed with President Carter. As to "how" to handle the situation.
For Judge Freeh , to now come out now with that , is a cheap shot , to say the least. Judge Freeh , does not have
"clean hands" for him to take , shots
at President Clinton. Meaning that the
Judge also made errors "Big Ones"
on his watch ! Not surprised that he
took the shot that he did , given that they both disliked one another very much!!! to say the least !
13 - Megan
He was appointed by President Clinton why would he lie.
14 - george mark
reply to Megan : -if- the question made
referred to my comment , then , never
said or implied that Judge Freeh "lied".
He himself said that it was a "fact"
of what President Clinton "did" as to
selling out. Given that , the statement
stands , he should have resigned.
15 - Steve
In 1995 I was in the 71st Fighter Squadron out of Langly AFB, VA. In the fall of that year we rotated to Saudi for a 5-month mission.
I was in the very tower that was targeted. The fence line was only a two-lane road away from the building. Our only protection was two Saudis in a Red Jeep pick up with a 50 Cal. mounted on top.
I worked the mid shift and after getting off shift we'd sit outside and watch the goings on outside the fence line. And we noticed a lot of unusual things going on.
Like obvious stuff such as people pacing off distances. Cars driving towards the fence line real fast then braking to a stop before driving away real quick.
We are just aircraft mechanics to be honest but we saw the writing on the wall and you did not have to be a cop, FBI or CIA to figure this one out.
Myself and others made our observations had a meeting to ensure we were not just going to yell the sky is falling when in fact it was not. After talking and each of us having our say in what we noted we took our concerns to our chain of command.
We/I don’t know for a fact that this did get inputted to the chain to the highest level but they did put USAF SPs on top of the buildings after that. And they most likely save a lot of lives but still 19 died and over 300 where injured when the chain of command knew something was up.
Steve Hackett, MSgt, (USAF Ret.)
16 - likes clinton
freeh was not even at the meeting he describes. how he know's it a "fact" i don't know.
17 - exo
I just saw 60 Minutes. There is something strange about Louis Freeh. Very dark character, wonder what skeletons are in his closet. He has is so repressed and seems to have envied Clinton's Alpha male extra curricular activities. He has giant inferiority complex too. Who on earth titles a book "My FBI?" He should have called it "My Clinton Sex Obsession: How I Lost the War on Terror and Bankrupted the FBI, While Self-Flagelating Myself in the Dungeons of Opus Dei"
18 - Temple Stark
Waging War on Terror it says on the book - not the title Amazon gives it.
And "MY FBI" (plus the rest) is a very bad "I'm trying to make up for something" title.
At least "My Life" - as a title - made sense.
So, does Freeh put himself in the "I coulda done better" corner? I seem to remember a lot of Republicans and the Clinton haters also hating Freeh just as much.
19 - Sandra DiLonardo
Mr. Freeh needs to delve back in the past to see who, in fact, sold us to the Saudis - that might be George Bush, the elder! Enough of this infidel who is probably being paid by Bush the junior to come forth NOW and say these lies about Clinton. A pox on Louis Freeh!
20 - Anthony Grande
Some more acts of treason by Clinton:
1) We were attacked three different times by Al-Queda and Clinto never did anything to prevent a next one which led to 9/11.
2) The pardon of Marc Rich
3) The Waco incident
4) The return of Elion Gonzales back to Communist Cuba.
5) The veto of two partial-birth abortion bills.
21 - Silas Kain
Well, there's 4 reasons to ammend the Constitution to allow another Clinton Presidency.
22 - Anthony Grande
O.K. then...
I wonder which one you don't agree with. Was it the sucking of babies brains??? or was it the tank fire on a building full of little kids???
23 - Anthony Grande
And I would like to add another act of treason to comment 20:
6) The Bush/Clinton duo raised a hundred million to the Katrina victims while Clinton was able to raise 200 million for his a library.
24 - Al Barger
Anthony, you're being both rude and ridiculous. One, you are being, as Hannibal Lecter would say, unspeakably rude all over Blogcritics. I try to be nice, but not every discussion is all about abortion, and you don't have any right to presume to hijack every discussion with this foolishness. It's not impressing anyone, or changing anyone's minds. It's just reflecting badly on all of us to the right of center. Cut out this foolishness.
Second, you are being simply ridiculous with the use of the word "treason" here, to the point where it has no meaning except "doing something Anthony Grande doesn't agree with." Waco was pretty bad, and he and Janet Reno should still be prosecuted.
But vetoing a couple of abortion bills does not constitute treason. It only constitutes disagreeing with you, and you need to get it into your arrogant teenage brain that there's a difference.
Finally, simply raising money for his library does not constitute an act of treason, but merely name calling on your part.
You need to give the foolishness a rest.
25 - MCH
Hey Al...
...Dittos!