Before I start, none of my posts of late are meant to be contentious. I am currently awakening to the impact of all these decisions and am trying desperately to learn the truth between the spins. I promise that my posts are meant to be civil and productive. If I’m wrong I hope to hear about it, but this is a new passion for me and I do catch my self in the occasional angry fervor. That being said I’ll continue.

Kevin G wrote: “For that matter, tell me anything the previous administration did which you’re proud of.”

I’m really glad you asked Kevin. Let’s talk about terrorism, Bill Clinton and some republican behavior.

Starting here - During the whole four years of Bush Sr. administration:

· He funded the violent Muslim extremists in Afghanistan to fight Russia, when Russia pulled out in 1989 he implemented what Al Franken refers to as “Project Neglect – which allowed it to become a breeding ground for anti-U.S. terrorist training camps”

· During 4 state of the union addresses, GH Bush said the word “terror” only once in the context of “environmental terrorism” when Saddam set the oil fields on fire.

On to Clinton

· One month before Clinton left office two of Ronald Reagan's Counterterrorism officials praised him in then Washington Journal. Robert Oakley, ambassador for counterterrorism in Reagan’s state Department said of the Clinton White House “Overall I give them very high marks” “The only major criticism I have is the obsession with Osama, which made him stronger”

· Oakley’s successor in the Reagan administration, Paul Bremer disagreed slightly by saying the Clinton administration had “correctly focused on bin Laden”

· 38 days after Clinton took office, Feb 26 1993 the first WTC bombing took place.  No one blamed Bush Sr.

· What happened after that? The culprits were captured, tried, convicted and imprisoned, where they still are today. Unfortunately NOT sharing a cellblock will Kenneth Lay who still walks free.

Clinton did the following things during his terms, of which I’m proud;

· He tripled the counterterrorism budget for the FBI.

· And Doubled counterterrorism funding overall.

· Disrupted Al Qaeda cells in more than 20 countries

· Created a top-level national security post to coordinate all federal counterterrorism activity.

· His first & second crime bills contained antiterrorism legislation

· He sponsored a series of simulations to see how local, state and federal officials should coordinate their responses to a terrorist strike.

· Stockpiled drugs and vaccines (including 40 million does of smallpox vaccine.)

The year before Oklahoma City, the republicans rejected Clinton’s proposed expansion of the intelligence agencies wiretap authority. Newt on FOX SUNDAY NEWS explained it all “When you have an agency that turns over 900 personnel files to people like Craig Livingstone…it’s very hard to justify giving that agency more power” He was referring to “filegate” which was another witch hunt that went nowhere.

Lastly, Barton Gellman national correspondent for The Washington Post, wrote a four part series on Clinton and said the following; “By any measure available, Clinton left office having given greater priority to terrorism than any president before him” he went on to say that Clinton’s was the “ first administration to undertake a systematic anti-terrorism effort.”

Bill Clinton made mistakes. Large ones. But it grows so very tiring to hear that there was nothing redeeming about the man or his accomplishments. At least it can be said he won two consecutive elections by clearly having the most votes. Sadly we can’t say the same thing, with any certainty about G.W. Spruce.