President Clinton is saying two things: First, that terror is a centuries-old tactic whose use has long-lasting implications; second, the United States is not unblemished when it comes to abuses of the human spirit and freedom. This is a far cry from acknowledging that the United States is to blame for Sept. 11.

[...]

It is not a great speech. Many of the policy recommendations he makes are flawed. And he diminishes what is good through several typically self-congratulatory points about events over which reasonable people do differ.

[...]

But President Clinton also states: "The terrorists killed people who came to America not to die, but dream, from every continent, from dozens of countries, most every religion on the face of the earth, including in large numbers Islam." This is a correct and profoundly moving statement.

While it is sensible to always parse a Bill Clinton speech down to the last comma, in this case he is getting a bum rap.


[link|http://www.washtimes.com/upi-breaking/09112001-015809-2387r.htm| source ]