Here is another Molly Ivins column from last week. (This one did not make it into the Seattle Times). Her argument is that it's legitimate for "liberals" to hate and disparage Bush without mercy, because "right-wingers" did the same to Clinton.
The day President Clinton tried to take out Osama bin Laden with a missile strike, every right-winger in America said it was a case of "wag the dog."Emphasis on the word "every" is mine. It is certainly hyperbole, but let's concede that Ivins is really using the word "every" to mean not, say, "every single one", but "the vast majority". Because her point is to portray "right-wingers" [whatever those are] as uniquely hating Clinton in a way that the rest of the country did not, she is also implying that "liberals" could be expected to support Clinton. Fine. Let's test her claim against the media from "The day President Clinton tried to take out Osama bin Laden with a missile strike", August 20, 1998.
Here is a Salon column from August 21, 1998 by David Corn, Washington editor of The Nation, a publication that few would describe as right-wing and on whose masthead Molly Ivins is named as "contributing editor". The column is headlined: Did Bill wag the dog? Corn doesn't come right out and accuse Clinton of "wagging the dog", but he mentions that others in Washington are accusing Clinton of doing so, and he doesn't exactly rise to Clinton's defense. In fact, he says:
Some of us have long believed he is a fellow not to be trusted ... It's tough to argue that he doesn't deserve this... "Wag the Dog" has merely given a name to what has always been true: Presidents, when they assume their commander-in-chief duties, do not ignore political considerations.Meanwhile, who was defending Clinton from the charges of "Dog Wagging" made by Clinton's liberal "friends" such as David Corn? The Republican leadership of Congress, that's who.
Many Republicans rallied behind President Clinton’s decision to bomb terrorist facilities in Sudan and Afghanistan. A handful of others, however, were skeptical about the timingThe "Many Republicans" included Newt Gingrich, Alfonse D'Amato, Dan Burton and others.
Helpful hint for interpreting the next Molly Ivins column: When she writes that "every" something does something-or-other, there's a good chance that only a "handful" of the something did the something-or-other, while "many" of the something did the opposite.
Posted by Stefan Sharkansky at November 17, 2003 11:07 AM"One way or the other, we are determined to deny Iraq the capacity to develop weapons of mass destruction and the missiles to deliver them. That is our bottom line." President Clinton, Feb. 4, 1998.
"If Saddam rejects peace and we have to use force, our purpose is clear. We want to seriously diminish the threat posed by Iraq's weapons of mass destruction program." President Clinton, Feb. 17, 1998.
"Iraq is a long way from [here], but what happens there matters a great deal here. For the risks that the leaders of a rogue state will use nuclear, chemical or biological weapons against us or our allies is the greatest security threat we face." Madeline Albright, Feb 18, 1998.
"He will use those weapons of mass destruction again, as he has ten times since 1983." Sandy Berger, Clinton National Security Adviser, Feb, 18, 1998.
"[W]e urge you, after consulting with Congress, and consistent with the U.S. Constitution and laws, to take necessary actions (including, if appropriate, air and missile strikes on suspect Iraqi sites) to respond effectively to the threat posed by Iraq's refusal to end its weapons of mass destruction programs." Letter to President Clinton, signed by Sens. Carl Levin, Tom Daschle, John Kerry, and others Oct. 9, 1998.
"Saddam Hussein has been engaged in the development of weapons of mass destruction technology which is a threat to countries in the region and he has made a mockery of the weapons inspection process." Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D, CA), Dec. 16, 1998.
"Hussein has ... chosen to spend his money on building weapons of mass destruction and palaces for his cronies." Madeline Albright, Clinton Secretary of State, Nov. 10, 1999.
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