Living History, by Hillary Rodham Clinton: on War & Peace


Bill Clinton: Bombed Iraq on eve of impeachment vote

Bill continued to monitor closely the defiance of Saddam Hussein, who refused to agree to a resumption of UN arms inspections in Iraq. From a political point of view, this was the worst possible time for a military response against Hussein. With the impeachment vote looming, any action by the President could be challenged as an attempt to distract or delay Congress. On the other hand, if Bill put off air strikes on Iraq, he could accused of sacrificing national security to avoid the political heat. The Islamic holy month of Ramadan was imminent, and the window of opportunity for an attack was closing. On December 16, Bill's defense advisers informed him that the time was right. Bill ordered air strikes to knock out Iraq's known and suspected weapons of mass destruction sites and other military targets.

An openly skeptical Republican leadership postponed the impeachment debate when the bombing started. But on December 18, as bombs fell on Iraq, the impeachment debate began again.

Source: Living History, by Hillary Rodham Clinton, p.488-489 Nov 1, 2003

George Bush Sr.: Humanitarian aid troops in Somalia became aggressive in 90s

Two Black Hawk helicopters had been shot down in Somalia. Details were vague, but it was clear that American soldiers had been killed and that there might be ongoing violence. Troops had originally been sent to the famine-ravaged country by President Bush on a humanitarian aid mission, but it had evolved into a more aggressive peacekeeping effort.

Every President must quickly adopt a strategy when troubling events unfold: He can stop everything else and focus very publicly on the crisis or handle the situation while trying to stick to his official schedule. Bill remained in California but stayed in constant touch with his national security team. Then the news got worse: The body found of an American serviceman had been dragged through the streets of Mogadishu, an appalling act of barbarity orchestrated by the Somali warlord General Mohamed Aideed.

Source: Living History, by Hillary Rodham Clinton, p.191 Nov 1, 2003

  • The above quotations are from Living History, by Hillary Rodham Clinton.
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