Fact-Checking the Blame-Bill Crowd (Pt. II)

Another issue stemming from the Clinton-Wallace interview: Wag the Dog. The National Review’s Jonah Goldberg claims that only a handful of right-wingers accused Clinton of using his 1998 missile attacks on bin Laden to draw attention away from the Lewinsky scandal. That’s simply false, as evidenced here.

Think Progress:

Rep. Jim Gibbons (R-NV):

“Look at the movie ‘Wag the Dog.’ I think this has all the elements of that movie,” Rep. Jim Gibbons, R-Nev., said. “Our reaction to the embassy bombings should be based on sound credible evidence, not a knee-jerk reaction to try to direct public attention away from his personal problems.”  [Ottawa Citizen, 8/21/98]

Sen. Arlen Specter (R-PA):

“There’s an obvious issue which will be raised internationally about the response here as to whether there is any diversionary motive involved.  I have deliberated consciously any references to Ms. Monica Lewinsky, but when you ask the question in very blunt terms, the president’s current problems have to be on the minds of many people.” [CNN, 8/20/98]

Former Sen. John Ashcroft (R-MO):

“We support the president out of a sense of duty whenever he deploys military forces, but were not sure - were these forces sent at this time because he needed to divert our attention from his personal problems?” Ashcroft said during the taping of a TV program in Manchester, N.H. [St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 8/21/98]

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