Clinton the racist? Damning photographic evidence and article

[Proud2BAmurkin]

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/29/health/29clinton.html

Since he left office more than five years ago at age 54, one of the youngest former presidents ever, Mr. Clinton has made a lasting mark in a cause that he came to only late in his presidency: fighting the AIDS pandemic across Africa and the world.

Few public figures in America have spawned as much speculation about what motivates them as Mr. Clinton. Abroad, even fewer inspire the affectionate reception Mr. Clinton received as he raced across seven African countries in eight days in July. Crowds at roadsides and in hospitals wanted to touch him — and he obliged by shaking hands, kissing babies and hugging people with AIDS.

[ellacott]

1. Why are you calling him a racist?

[melody]

8. it's sarcasm n/t

[ellacott]

16. Many here claim that those in disagreement with different things from the Clintons

are calling the Clintons racists. I haven't seen anyone calling them racists. I think it's Clinton supporters that perpetuating the claim.

[melody]

62. I've seen everyone accused of everything this week. I keep expecting Emile Zola to show up

This has been a ridiculous time to be on DU.

[Fed_Up_Grammy]

11. I don't like misleading ,teaser headers either.

[Fed_Up_Grammy]

12. Dup---sorry !

[HughMoran]

27. RIF

Reading is fundamental.

[ellacott]

57. Comprehension is a wonderful thing too

[HughMoran]

61. Agreed

;)

[antiimperialist]

2. The smoking gun, no doubt. He was getting ready to bite the little kid's index finger n/t

[Proud2BAmurkin]

5. I noticed that too. Dog whistle gesture and we all know what he's saying eom

eom

[annie1]

21. lol

[IndianaGreen]

3. He bombed Sudan in order to take our attention off his Monica problems

Obliterated an aspirin factory, as I recall.

[Name removed]

10. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Dogmudgeon]

24. Are you questioning the integrity of Mr. Christopher Hitchens?

Oh, the humanity!

--p!

[Sparkly]

20. **Rightwing talking point** nt

[bunnies]

26. Right wing talking point?!

Tell that to the families of the innocent people that were killed.

[avaistheone1]

28. Very right-wing at that!

In America, few people heard anything about this. Clinton's dire public warnings about the threat posed by terrorism, and the massive non-secret actions taken to thwart it, went completely unreported by the media, which was far more concerned with stained dresses and baseless Drudge Report rumors. When the administration did act militarily against bin Laden and his terrorist network, the actions were dismissed by partisans within the media and Congress as scandalous "wag the dog" tactics. The TV networks actually broadcast clips of the movie "Wag The Dog" to accentuate the idea that everything the administration was doing was contrived fakery.

The bombing of the Sundanese factory at al-Shifa, in particular, drew wide condemnation from these quarters, despite the fact that the CIA found and certified VX nerve agent precursor in the ground outside the factory, despite the fact that the factory was owned by Osama bin Laden's Military Industrial Corporation, and despite the fact that the manager of the factory lived in bin Laden's villa in Khartoum. The book "Age of Sacred Terror" quantifies the al-Shifa issue thusly: "The dismissal of the al-Shifa attack as a scandalous blunder had serious consequences, including the failure of the public to comprehend the nature of the al Qaeda threat."

http://www.truthout.org/docs_03/101303A.shtml

[IndianaGreen]

39. There was never any evidence of VX nerve agent precursor, or any other WMD component

Are you guys now supporting the same CIA that said it was a slam dunk that Saddam had WMDs?

[Sparkly]

45. As I recall, it was ricin. nt

[IndianaGreen]

50. No, that was debunked!

No evidence of anything than other than what Sudan claimed it was.

[Sparkly]

67. I hate to rehash all this

Soil samples showed ricin. That's why he took out the facility. Make of that what you will, but it wasn't, "Oh I think I'll bomb an aspirin factory so people will stop talking about Lewinsky."

[IndianaGreen]

34. You have a very poor memory. Clinton bombed an aspirin factory in Sudan

to be more precise, the Al-Shifa plant in Khartoum, on the claim that it was manufacturing WMDs. Then Clinton goes on TV and repeats almost verbatim a line from the film The American President, in which he worries loudly about any janitors working the night shift. What a crock!

[Sparkly]

40. I remember it very well.

That it was "wag the dog" and known to be ONLY an "aspirin factory" are rightwing talking points.

And, this goes to show how much caution has to be involved when bombing suspected terrorist targets, especially in a country like Pakistan.

[IndianaGreen]

46. It was Sudan that said it was manufacturing medicines, not the American rightwing

There were no WMDs in Sudan!

[Sparkly]

48. I know.

And not the CIA. The rightwing likes to say "Clinton bombed an aspirin factory," especially to "wag the dog" and distract from his affair.

[IndianaGreen]

55. I didn't mention that he also bombed Pakistan and Afghanistan on the same day

but he had allowed bin Laden to leave the Sudan earlier, when he was more available to be captured. Or that in Yugoslavia he used Al-Qaeda trained Chechen fighters to bolster the Kosovo Liberation Army. Or that he refused to close down the torture school at Fort Benning then known as the School of the Americas. He merely changed the name of the school, but kept the mission, and put Wes Clark in charge to make it look good.

[Sparkly]

64. Wow, this is Free Republic information.

:crazy:

You forgot "He was offered bin Laden on a silver platter," that's how they usually say it. :eyes:

[Occam Bandage]

68. That bin Laden business is an old, debunked RW lie.

[Chomskyite]

76. Sudan never had him

And at the time Sudan made the ridiculous offer, bin Laden had done nothing the US could charge him for.

[Occam Bandage]

22. That was the only reason, too. Please keep the freeper shit in freeperville.

[IndianaGreen]

58. Tell that to the Sudanese families whose loved ones died in the bombing

Sudanese television showed piles of rubble at the factory and fire raging in the distance. People were seen walking through the damage, wearing masks.

Sudanese officials reacted angrily to the attacks. Interior Minister Abdul Rahim told CNN in a telephone interview that the privately owned pharmaceutical firm had "nothing to do with chemical weapons."

"We have no chemical weapons factory in our country," he said.

A statement read on Sudanese television about an hour after the attack said, "The wrongful American air force launched air attacks on Sudan tonight which aimed at strategic and vital areas." There was no report as to the number of casualties.

http://www.cnn.com/US/9808/20/us.strikes.01/

[Occam Bandage]

59. Bad results do not equal bad motive.

Don't start shifting your argument.

[bvar22]

72. Bad Results are an indicator of Bad Judgement.

Who is he supporting for President?
.
.
.
.
Hillary?
.
.
Well, there you have it.
Case closed.

[moodforaday]

77. Isn't that Bush's excuse though?

"Bad results do not equal bad motive"? Come on!

[bunnies]

23. Al-shifa? Nothing to see there. Move along.

Only a "green" would advocate not killing innocent people. :eyes:

[Occam Bandage]

29. It's a good thing no innocent people are being killed by extremists in Sudan.

[bunnies]

33. Two wrongs make a right.

Is that your argument?

[Occam Bandage]

38. No, "there is a large, dangerous network of extremists partially responsible

for the genocide in the Darfur region of Sudan, and Clinton was attempting to hamper its actions."

[IndianaGreen]

60. If you think Clinton bombed Sudan on account of Darfur, think again!

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Saying "there will be no sanctuary for terrorists," President Clinton on Thursday said the U.S. strikes against terrorist bases in Afghanistan and a facility in Sudan are part of "a long, ongoing struggle between freedom and fanaticism."

http://www.cnn.com/US/9808/20/us.strikes.01/

[Occam Bandage]

66. No, he bombed them because of those extremists.

Those extremists are also one of the factors fueling Darfur.

[antiimperialist]

30. Why take attention away from an issue where most Americans sided with Clinton? n/t

[IndianaGreen]

43. Most Americans sided with Bush on Iraq, until we began to lose the war.

Progressives have always been consistent. Both parties have engaged in criminal acts of war.

[antiimperialist]

52. I'm not talking about that. I'm talking about why he would distract people

You have not claimed that Bush tried to distract people from the war while people supported it. That's the issue here.

[no name no slogan]

37. The factory produced antibiotics that supplied most of East Africa

which lead indirectly to the deaths of thousands of Africans.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al-Shifa_pharmaceutical_factory


Oops.

[liberalnurse]

41. Then he just must be a Racist..........

George *bush, now there is a hero to the American negro. Yes sir Indiana Jones.......why that man saved them from Katrina, gave them food and shelter in his home state of Texas. Let them live the life in a famous sports stadium too! Yea, GW, he also bombed Iraq, in fact, he's still bombing Iraq! He wouldn't let anyone short change his daddy.

Thank you for keeping us on task.

[harmonicon]

74. haha! It was not to take attention off of the affair.

It was an intelligence screw up, plain and simple. At the same time he also bombed a Bin Ladin training camp in Afghanistan. The right wing pundits said it was a move meant to district, when in reality it was just keeping up with the job of being president.

or you were being sarcastic, and I'm a fool for not getting it.

[thunder rising]

4. Makes you wish it was HE running for president

Oh, I forgot this is the Clintons' campaign.

[Proud2BAmurkin]

7. I think he is and it works for me eom

:shrug:

[bunnies]

6. A photo of Bill with a black kid means hes not racist.

ok. whatever.

[Proud2BAmurkin]

9. Just like an Obamista to focus on the colors in the picture and not the story eom

eom

[bunnies]

13. YOU are the one that introduced color. See your OP.

again... whatever.

[jefferson_dem]

15. Obamista?

:eyes:

[Xipe Totec]

14. Big Dawg, you're one wicked cool guy (nt)

[MasonJar]

17. In my opinion, both Bill Clinton and Al Gore give the moniker American

a worldwide grandeur, which has been besmirched beyond recognition in the past 7 long years, but which these two statesmen continue to imbue with magnificence through their magnanimous nature and character.

[gaiilonfong]

18. Yo bigdog JUST GO AWAY

you had your turn.......

[Occam Bandage]

19. Bill Clinton is not a racist, nor has the Obama camp claimed he is.

[Dogmudgeon]

31. Quiet! Wer're busy self-destructing!

Suicide may be painless, but it sure gets loud sometimes.

--p!

[HughMoran]

32. No, in fact no accusations or implications of racism have been presented here on DU recently

:D :sarcasm:

[Occam Bandage]

35. Yeah, but we're all crazy anyway

:D

[emilyg]

70. Now you've done it.

Ruined all the fun for some people.

[dkf]

25. I don't think he's a racist. But James Clyburn sure is mad at him.

Maybe you need to talk to Mr. Clyburn.

[ProSense]

36. A Harlem-based consultant to the Clinton campaign:

But other black Clinton supporters found themselves wincing at the Clintons’ words, if not questioning their intent.

A Harlem-based consultant to the Clinton campaign, Bill Lynch, called the former president’s comments “a mistake” and said his own phone had been ringing with friends around the country voicing their concern.

“I’ve been concerned about some of those comments — and that there might be a backlash,” he said.

link

Maybe the Clinton campaign should fire him!

[Proud2BAmurkin]

42. he's right there is a backlash. Against Obama. eom

eom

[Occam Bandage]

44. Evidence? Polling shows him doing better and better, despite your attempts.

[tammywammy]

49. If there was backlash against Obama

Why would they be calling Clinton to complain about what he said?

[no name no slogan]

47. No, he's not. But when you keep bringing it up, it sure looks like he is.

What is this, the 1000th post about him not being a racist you've put up today?


Methinks thou dost protesteth too much.

[tammywammy]

51. Only the 1000th

Proud2BAmurkin is slacking today.

[no name no slogan]

53. eh, it is Saturday

:P

[Proud2BAmurkin]

63. No it doesn't. Cuz he ain't. eom

eom

[Occam Bandage]

71. If you got a neighbor who says, ten times a day,

"Hey, you know, I ain't gay," apropos of nothing...I'm going to think he's a three-dollar-bill, you know? Nobody in Obama's campaign has called the Clintons racists. Why do you keep bringing it up?

[kelligesq]

54. PLEASE ASK THE MODS TO CHANGE THE TITLE - ITS TERRIBLE BEYOND WORDS

:CRY:

[antiimperialist]

65. I was smart enough to figure out it was sarcasm n/t

[Proud2BAmurkin]

69. I went ahead and changed it because the big dog doesn't even deserve strong sarcasm much less racial

accusations

[RufusTFirefly]

56. Straw man

[moodforaday]

78. Ha! Good one. nt

[CyberPieHole]

73. Thanks for that great pic...

:kick: and recommend

[calteacherguy]

75. Beautiful Pic. nt