LBN Istanbul terror (UK For. Secy. Straw references Clinton)

[DeepModem Mom]

http://www.thisislondon.com/news/articles/7772871?source=Reuters

As many as seven people are feared dead and up to 100 injured after three explosions rocked Istanbul. One blast has destroyed part of the HSBC Bank headquarters and a second has hit the British consulate.

Men and women wept on the street, nursing their wounds, and bodies lay amid wreckage outside the HSBC building. CNN-Turk television said many were badly wounded in the blast at the British consulate.

A security guard said at least three people were killed at the HSBC building. The third explosion was in a residential area.


Mr Straw was asked if the attack would affect President Bush's visit to London.

He replied: "Of course this will be a major subject of discussion between Prime Minister Blair and President Bush. It will feature at their press conference at 12.15pm.

"We have been alive to potential threats from terrorists for many years in this country and we take every step we can to deal with it."

Mr Straw said he "disagreed profoundly," with the assertion by one reporter that the war in Iraq had done nothing to lessen the threat of attacks.

"What people have got to remember is that September 11 happened in 2001 and not in 2003. It was planned under the Presidency of Bill Clinton, even if it was
executed under the Presidency of George W Bush.

"And there were scores and scores of the most serious terrorist outrages before it was necessary to take military action in Iraq and afterwards."

[rjbcar27]

1. I don't think it was an attack on Clinton

in context I believe he was merely trying to establish a timeline.

[DeepModem Mom]

12. Not as much attack on Clinton, as protection of Bush and Blair...

as it seems obvious that the Istanbul bombings were timed for today, against British targets, as Bush and Blair are meeting in Britain. Straw is trying in any way he can to prevent the public from concluding that the Bush/Blair Iraq war has, in fact, increased terror, and not beaten it back.

And, mindful of the administration's "blame-Clinton" mantra, I'm always suspicious when Bill Clinton's name pops up.

[Mikimouse]

2. Straw is another good dog!

Here boy, here boy! good boy, remember that everytime you make a negative innuenod about Clinton, we'll give you another biscuit! A tummy scratch? Sure, no problem! Yeah, OK, Jack, it may have been planned while Clinton was in office, but perhaps only as a contingency plan if Bush was selected. I am not convinced that anything would have actually happened if Gore had been confirmed and our foreign policy direction had not changed.

[rjbcar27]

3. Are you kidding me?

Do you really believe that 9/11 would not have happened under a Gore admin? Are you really that naive?

These terrorists do not think rationally like we'd like to think they do.

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[rjbcar27]

8. WOW, your cut and paste skills are incredible.

Well done.

[StClone]

6. Naive is not accurate

Bush made an effort to distance his regime from many of Clinton's plans. One was the focus on TERRORISM. All it would have taken is was one FBI agent to see that things were not kosher and the 9-11 plan would have been hampered or stopped.

Bush's was to busy Corporatizing to take that silly old paranoia Clinton had of terrorists seriously.

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[Mikimouse]

13. Hardly naive...

I think that the Bushes, both father and son, are perceived in a much different light than Clinton or Gore, or for that matter, most other leaders (and I use that term reservedly). I suspect that the attacks could have been easily carried out prior to the end of the previous term, had it been deemed necessary. Placing Bush in the WH may have made the difference, given narrow world view and stark fundamentalist approach to foreign relations. And as far as rationality os concerned, I would suggest that they are quite rational, and capable of precisely understanding the costs and benefits (to them) for their actions; if they did not, any follow up action on their part would be impossible, because they would have given themselves away immediately.

[supercrash]

11. Al'Qaeda is in Turkey ...

Thats proof enough for me...lets invade

They do have a bad habit of killing the Kurds, just like Saddam

And they do have torture chambers in every police station, just like Saddam

Hehe