Clinton Publicly Discussed Area 51 Eight Years Before Obama Joked About It

December 9, 2013 - The media today is busy claiming that Barack Obama is the first president to publicly mention Area 51. Lazy reporters and lazy editors let this story go out, but is it true? Sort of, but technically no.

Image source: Weekly World News

Obama joked about Area 51 during a tribute to actress Shirley MacLaine at a reception last night (Sunday, Dec. 8) to honor recipients of Kennedy Center Honors. MacLaine was one of the honorees. Obama referred to Area 51 by saying that newly elected presidents are asked "what's really going on in Area 51?"

Area 51 is a secretive military facility at dry Groom Lake in Lincoln County, Nevada (map). It's been rumored for decades that the military keeps UFOs and even extraterrestrials at Area 51. Also called Homey Airport, it is officially part of Edwards Air Force Base.

"When I wanted to know, I'd call Shirley MacLaine," Obama joked. MacLaine is known for her deep interest in the paranormal, including the possibility of UFOs and extraterrestrial visitations. She writes about it on her website. "I think I just became the first President to ever publicly mention Area 51," Obama added. 

The media ran with it. Bloggers ran with it. Some treated Obama's mention of Area 51 as though a great state secret had just been revealed. PBS ran a story today with this misleading headline: "The Secret's Out: Obama Acknowledges Existence Of Area 51."

But Obama revealed no secrets at the Kennedy Center on Sunday night, and the PBS story even noted that the CIA "confirmed the existence of Area 51, officially known as the Nevada Test and Training Range and Groom Lake" this past August.

"Mr. Obama did mention Area 51 - but said not a word about the kind of work that goes on there," wrote Knoller, "It's still highly classified." He got that wrong: As noted above, CIA admits it exists. In fact, a 1992 CIA report was declassified in August, 2013. That report not only mentioned Area 51, it even said where it is.  

Obama may be the first sitting president to publicly mention Area 51, he is not the first president to do so.

Former President Bill Clinton discussed Area 51 in 2005 during a public question-and-answer session in Hong Kong, and you can watch that video here.

Mark Knoller at CBS News wrote an article titled "Is Obama really the first president to publicly mention Area 51?" Knoller wrote, "President Obama was right Sunday when he said he was likely the first U.S. president ever to make public mention of Area 51 - the off-limits military base near Groom Lake, Nev., at which top secret and sometimes mysterious and suspicious activities are carried out."

Knoller was technically incorrect to say Obama was right. But I give Knoller credit because, unlike most of the mainstream media - and far too many bloggers - he at least questioned the veracity of Obama's tongue-in-cheek claim to be the first president to publicly mention Area 51. Knoller mentioned Clinton three times in his article, he somehow missed Clinton's 2005 Hong Kong mention of Area 51. Maybe he was unaware of that, or maybe he chose to ignore because Clinton was no longer a sitting president in 2005. But the last time I checked, former US presidents retain the title of "President" after they leave office.

All in all, it was a fluffy, fun and insignificant thing that Obama said. It was, admittedly, funny. At least he didn't threaten to invade Area 51 as President Dwight Eisenhower is said to have done.

Also See:

• Obama is first president to mention Area 51, technically OpenMinds.tv
• Clinton Extends Maximum Security & Protection To Area 51 Rense.com

New Romney Video Recalls What Bill Clinton Said About Obama in 2008

Sept. 6, 2012 - A new campaign video today from the Romney campaign contrasts what Bill Clinton said about Barack Obama back in 2008 to what he just said at the Democratic National Convention. It's a hoot, really... unless you're a Democrat.

The video is called "Give Me A Break." The video's narrator says that Clinton in 2012 is "a good soldier, helping his party's president, but what did Bill Clinton say about Barack Obama in 2008?"

Cut to Bill Clinton speaking during the New Hampshire primary, 2008. "Give me a break," Clinton told a group of Hillary Clinton supporters.

Referring to Obama's economic plan Clinton said, "This whole thing is the biggest fairy tale I've ever seen." Powerful stuff, and Clinton cannot deny that he said it.

Bush and Clinton Get a Bad Lip Reading!

June 28, 2012 - Just uploaded today! The lastest video from Bad Lip Reading (BLR) spoofs Bill Clinton and George W. Bush - together!

Pres. Clinton Was Go-Between For Obama - Sestak Job Offer

Will this be Comrade Obama's Watergate? This story is developing. It is really developing... FoxNews, May 28: The White House asked former President Bill Clinton to talk to Rep. Joe Sestak about the possibility of obtaining a senior position in the Obama administration if he would drop out of the Democratic primary race against establishment-backed Sen. Arlen Specter, the Obama administration will say in a report to be released Friday morning, Fox News has confirmed. More... Senate Republicans Thursday [May 27] called on the Justice Department to investigate whether the Obama White House offered Rep. Joe Sestak (D) of Pennsylvania a high-ranking job in the administration if he would drop out of the 2010 Democratic Senate primary race – if true, a felony. CSMonitor.com... RELATED: Source: Bill Clinton asked Sestak not to run ‎FOX2now.com White House Used Bill Clinton to Ask Sestak to Drop Out of Race‎ New York Times (blog) Clinton was the one who spoke to Sestak‎ MSNBC.com White House Used Clinton to Nudge Sestak From Senate Bid‎ Wall Street Journal Obama dodges, but Sestak questions won't go away Washington Examiner Source: White House Used Clinton In Sestak Offer‎ CBS 3 Disorganized White House Can't Even Get The Friday News Dump Right Business Insider Karl Rove: Joe Sestak's lying or he's protecting a felon in Barack ... LA Times blogs Bill Clinton spoke with Sestak to drop primary challenge against ...‎Thaindian.com

Did George Bush Wipe Cooties on Bill Clinton?

This is Bush-hating at is worst - or best, depending on your sanity level. The rapid Bush bashers have allowed themselves to become so consumed with hatred that they have become, quite literally, delusional. For many, their hatred of George W. Bush has become a psychosis. The video below, of Presidents GW Bush and BJ Clinton in Haiti, has become a focal point for Bush haters far and wide. On Monday, March 22, Bush and Clinton walked past a group of friendly Haitians, shaking local people's hands. They each probably shook hundreds of hands that day. At 49 seconds into the video, Bush is seen shaking somebody's hand, then putting his hand on Clinton's right shoulder, immediately followed by a downward swipe on Clinton's shirtsleeve. Tens of thousands of Bush hating morons, like Brad Pareso at LongIslandPress.com, are viewing the BBC video of the "incident" on YouTube. Pareso, a "journalist," wrote about Bush that "When he was a little kid, mama Laura told him that girls and Haitians have cooties. That’s why, in this video from a trip to Haiti with Bill Clinton, he wipes his hand on the former president’s shirt sleeve after shaking hands with some earthquake survivors." Somehow, I doubt that Pareso really know what Bush's mother may have told, or not told him, about cooties. Pareso does not explain, of course, how he came into that knowledge, nor does he explain how he could know Bush's true reason for putting his hand on Clinton's shoulder, and then stroking his hand downward along Clinton's upper arm. Perhaps Pareso is telepathic and can use that ability to focus on a man's thoughts from hundreds of miles away. If so, he doesn't say. Was Bush wiping his hand on that sleeve? Or did he, as most of us do from time to time, simply making a friendly gesture to a friend? Even if W did wipe his hand on Clinton's sleeve, how does that compare to Clinton wiping himself on a blue dress? Leave a Comment * Conservative T-Shirts * Follow CNB on Twitter * RSS Feed

Why Did Red Eye Cover Omit Bill Clinton?

What's missing from the January 12 edition of Red Eye (Chicago)? An image of Bill Clinton, that's what. The cover shows US Senator Harry Reid and former Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich saying "Sorry" to former Illinois State Senator Barack Obama for racially insensitive remarks. Blago said he was "blacker" than Obama. Reid praised him for being light skinned and not using "negro" dialect. Bill Clinton, the nation's first Black president, said that Obama would have been serving him coffee a few years ago. While Clinton's remark is also in the news, the media is giving his remark much less coverage than they are giving to the Reid and Blago remarks. A new book, "Game Change: Obama and the Clintons, McCain and Palin, and the Race of a Lifetime," gives details an incident in which Clinton was "belittling Obama in a manner that deeply offended [Sen. Ted] Kennedy. Recounting the conversation later to a friend, Teddy fumed that Clinton had said, A few years ago, this guy would have been getting us coffee." (Emphasis added.) So, where is Bill Clinton on the Red Eye cover today, and when will he apologize? RELATED: Sharpton: Clinton 'Coffee' Remark About Obama 'Disturbing' FOXNews Clinton on Obama: From coffee boy to President Capitol Hill Blue Want something to worry about, Dems? The Guardian UK 10 Most Game-Changing Scoops in 'Game Change' Sphere Harry Reid Among The Race Hypocrites RedState Is President Obama Running from Race? ChicagoNow Leave a Comment * Conservative T-Shirts * Follow CNB on Twitter * RSS Feed

Bill Clinton Wants Obama to Bring More Coffee

Incredible, but not surprising. The nation recently learned about Sen. Harry Reid's racist remarks about Candidate Obama being light skinned and praising him for not using "negro dialect." That's gotten a lot of play in the media, as has the revelation of Rod Blagojevich having told Esquire Magazine that he considered himself to be "more black" than Obama. A third prominent Democrat has made racially offensive remarks about Obama, and his name is Bill Clinton. Clinton, you may recall, was widely called the nation's "first black president" by Democrats both Black and White. Hardee har. A new book, "Game Change: Obama and the Clintons, McCain and Palin, and the Race of a Lifetime," gives details an incident in which Clinton was "belittling Obama in a manner that deeply offended [Sen. Ted] Kennedy. Recounting the conversation later to a friend, Teddy fumed that Clinton had said, A few years ago, this guy would have been getting us coffee." (Emphasis added.) That's even worse than what Reid or Blago said. Even so, the big media are giving the Clinton remark far less play than the Reid and Blago slurs are getting. The obvious theory is that the Media are giving the First Black President a pass, but that's just a theory. Perhaps you have a better theory. If you do, you might also believe that the Democrat Party's leadership is composed entirely of pure, saintly, politically correct angels. In both cases, you're sadly mistaken. Writer Mark Whittington asks, "Recently revealed racially charged comments by a number of Democratic politicians have raised the question, how prevalent is racism among the leaders of the Democratic Party? What does this say about what was once considered the post-racial era of Obama?" More at Associated Content... RELATED: Teddy's anger field negro: The truth about Harry Our America!: Democrats and Racism Isaac Hayes Says Racist Harry Reid Must Go Blagojevich: 'I'm blacker than Obama' - NYPOST.com Bill Clinton 2008 on Obama: A few years ago, this guy would have been getting us coffee KKK Terrorist Arm of the Democratic Party - National Black Republicans The Democratic Party's Legacy of Racism by Mackubin T. Owens identity politics, racism, and democrats Jimmy Carter, Democrats and Racism Leave a Comment * Conservative T-Shirts * Follow CNB on Twitter * RSS Feed

Where is Bill Clinton's Nobel Prize?

It's nowhere. He doesn't have one, which probably bugs him just a bit. I mean, come on, every other living former Democrat president has a Nobel. Attention whore Bill Clinton must be feeling somewhat passed over today. Even Clinton's VP, Al Gore, has a Nobel prize. Friend, Chicagoan and author Carol Felsenthal applied her wicked wit (and her special insight into Bill Clinton) to ponder this today in the wake of the puzzling news that Barack Obama just won a Nobel Peace Prize. She started her column today with this: When I checked my BlackBerry this morning while stumbling to the kitchen to make coffee, I saw the headline "Obama wins Nobel Peace Prize." My first thought was, "This must be a hoax." Full Column at Huffington Post... It was no hoax, but it is certainly a bad joke. After slugging down some coffe, Felsenthal reflected on the Obama Nobel and about Bill Clinton. She's something of an expert on Clinton, having written the brilliant book "Clinton in Exile." Not even as towering an ego as Bill Clinton expected to win it while a sitting president, as Woodrow Wilson and Teddy Roosevelt had (but not even they came anywhere close to winning it before they had spent even a year in the White House). Even Yasser Arafat had to wait decades and mastermind hundreds of terrorist attacks before getting his own Nobel Peace Prize. President Obama who humiliated Clinton and his wife in the primaries, now stands on the Nobel stage not only with Jimmy Carter , who saw Obama's promise early, but also with Al Gore, who won his Nobel in 2007 and whose relations with Clinton have been frosty since 1998 when the Monica Lewinsky scandal broke, and, especially, since Gore lost the 2000 election and blamed Clinton. Be sure to read the wicked comments on Felsenthal's column, and don't hesitate to leave one of your own. RELATED: Obama wins Nobel Peace Prize--for what? - Marathon Pundit PS - The golden "Joke" Nobel graphic is from friend Warner Todd Huston, who wrote this to me on Twitter: "warnerthuston @ChiNewsBench try it again... hey steal my Obama Nobel image... http://bit.ly/12Y60x" Alrighty then, it's been stolen. Er, borrowed. Thanks, Warner. Conservative Caps, Shirt and more! Leave a Comment - Chicago News Bench RSS Feed Visit us on Twitter!

CNB POLL: Who Is the Best Black President?

Take the latest CNB Poll! (Poll closes at 9:00 a.m., August 20) Note: Barack Obama is not our first Black president. Remember that Democrats and Liberals and many Black Americans crowned Bill Clinton as "America's first black president." They did, really. So, who is the better of the two Black presidents: Bill Clinton or Barack Obama? Are YOU a citizen of the United STRAIGHTS of America? Leave a Comment... Chicago News Bench RSS Feed We're on Twitter...

Why the Clintons Want Obama to Lose

Upstart Obama has blown apart the dreams and plans of Bill and Hillary to create their own dynasty. As many have said before, Bill seems to be doing everything he can to sabotage the Obama Campaign without being too obvious about it. Chicago columnist and book author Carol Felsenthal is something of a Clinton expert. Her book, "Of Golf and Philandering: Bill Clinton in Exile," was released on May 1st. Today, Felsenthal posts a searing indictment of the Clintons in the Huffington Post: If anyone doubted something I've written repeatedly on this page--that Bill and Hillary Clinton prefer to see a McCain victory on November 4th, so that Hillary can run unencumbered in 2012--just get a load of Bill today with the ladies of "The View," and in other interviews, as he prepared to open his Clinton Global Initiative in New York. Felsenthal cites examples to support her hypothesis, such as: Regarding John McCain, Bill paid tribute to the naval aviator's years as a prisoner of war and said that McCain is the only Republican who can win. He quickly added that Obama would win and that he [Clinton] will be supporting and campaigning for Obama/Biden. In other words, Bill Clinton praised John McCain, then did a quick bow to the Obama Campaign... after he got the words of support in for McCain and not-so-subtly reminded people that McCain is a hero. "Oh yes, by the way," he might as well have said, "yeah, the wife and I are supporting McCain's opponent." Intrigue, plotting and back biting. That's politics. And speaking of politics, be sure to read Felsenthal's "Is It Fair to Call Bill Daley a Lobbyist? Well, Actually, Yes It Is" too.

Bitter Bill Clinton's Bad Year

Carol Felsenthal just can't help herself. Like a hot knife through butter, she dissects Bill Clinton. In today's Chicago Daily Observer, Felsenthal tells us about Bill's bad year and why the Obama cabal has been nervous about him - and still does. Only the second American president to be impeached—the other was Andrew Johnson, and both escaped conviction by the Senate—Bill Clinton has had an exceedingly bad year since he joined his wife on the campaign trail in July, 2007. Felsenthal goes into depth on this, of course, and continues on to give us insight into the nervousness within the Obama camp: [Bill] Clinton is likely still seething at the fact that 200,000 people turned out to see Obama in Berlin. Those kinds of crowds are supposed to be reserved for Bill Clinton. When Obama was drawing standing-room-only crowds and Bill Clinton was speaking to half-full gymnasiums, Clinton, who sometimes seemed to forget to mention Hillary as his speeches devolved into “me, me, me,” said, petulantly, that one million people had come to see him in Africa. “I’ve been told I give a pretty good speech,” he volunteered at that campaign stop in eastern Texas. FULL ARTICLE...

Felsenthal: Clinton Update, McCain Veep Choice

Who will McCain's VP choice be, and where is Bill Clinton? Acclaimed author/journalist Carol Felsenthal gives us a hint. She also updates us on the Clintons, and expertly packs a lot more into a compact post on the Huffington Post: ON JOHN MCCAIN: ....John McCain is reportedly looking seriously at Sarah Palin, governor of Alaska, and former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina... ON BILL CLINTON: Bill Clinton is in Africa working on his HIV/AIDS initiatives. ON HILLARY CLINTON: Hillary's delegates could embarrass Obama by ignoring what she says and voting for Hillary. Also: Perhaps most revealing of how little Hillary, in the end, reaped form the brutal campaign which cost her and Bill $12 million -- more than Bill made in speeches last year. If you're not reading Carol Felsenthal's posts, you're not getting a balanced daily diet of information. She's good. Book mark her. Carol Felsenthal lives in Chicago. She writes in-depth magazine articles about political and media figures and has also written several biographies, including books on Katharine Graham and Alice Roosevelt Longworth. Her recent book about Bill Clinton’s post presidency, Clinton in Exile: A President Out of the White House, was published by William Morrow/HarperCollins in May 2008.

Obama and Marc Rich (Pardon Me)

Intrigue and scandal. Chicagoan and international best selling author Carol Felsenthal knows where to find the stink. She's got a nosefull for us on the Huffington Post, which begins with this enticing paragraph: When Bill Clinton gave an out-the-White House-door pardon on January 20, 2001 to Marc Rich, the fugitive from American justice, the former president mired himself in scandal, became a pariah and a prisoner in his Chappaqua house -- Hillary quickly left for Washington and her new job in the Senate and Bill was not welcome in what's routinely called "Hillary's House" on Embassy Row because her aides did not want her soiled with Bill's latest mess. FULL POST...

Felsenthal on NPR: Bill's Role in Hillary's Campaign

Author Carol Felsenthal was a guest on All Things Considered, May 30, 2008. She discussed the Bill Clinton's effect on the campaign of his wife, Sen. Hillary Clinton as she tries to get the Democrat Party's nomination. Felsenthal, a Chicago native, says the results have been less than sterling. Carol Felsenthal's book, "Clinton in Exile," was released on May 1st. You can read my interview with her in the Chicago Journal papers by clicking here. ACTUALLY, the dickweeds at Chicago Journal deleted articles by all former staff and contributors after they sold off the News-Star for a handful of nothing in March, 2009. So, without permission, I gladly reproduce that entire article below: Bill Clinton cheats at golf Local author’s book recounts Clinton’s post-presidential life By TOM MANNIS Contributing Writer Wednesday, May 28, 2008 Bill Clinton cheats at golf. Chicago author Carol Felsenthal says so in her latest bombshell biography, "Clinton in Exile: A President Out of the White House," released this month by William Morrow/Harper Collins. But don't take Felsenthal's word for it. She says that she interviewed "about 20 people who still golf with Bill Clinton. They all said he cheats at golf." One of those golfers is Leon Panetta, who was the Clinton's chief of staff from 1994 to 1996. Panetta still swings a club now and then with Clinton, and Felsenthal recalls Panetta telling her that "Bill Clinton always ends up with a good score," no matter how well-or poorly-he actually plays. Cheating at golf is just one minor, albeit amusing, anecdote in Felsenthal's "Clinton in Exile." The unauthorized biography of the former president covers Clinton's activities since leaving the White House in January 2001. One cannot write a book about Bill Clinton without getting the requisite criticism. "Clinton in Exile" is raising a lot of eyebrows, and more than a few hackles, by candidly discussing the Monica Lewinsky affair, Clinton's impeachment, and other details that Clinton insiders are usually reluctant to discuss. One chapter, "Philanderer in Chief," is making some readers apoplectic, and some reviewers are calling the book "mean spirited" because of its rehashing of Bill Clinton's sexual proclivities. Felsenthal defends that chapter and the inclusion of such material. "I don't think it's mean spirited," she says in a no-holds-barred phone interview. "What they're upset about in a blue-nosed prissy way is the chapter 'Philanderer in Chief,' but that's part of the story. Clinton is a man who was impeached over a sex scandal. I make no apologies for that. That's one chapter out of, what, fifteen chapters, and I would have been remiss to leave it out." Not all reviews have been negative. "Two journals that review advance book copies," Felsenthal said, "are Library Journal and [the American Library Association's] Book List. Both of them loved my book." Felsenthal's web site (www.carolfelsenthal.com) describes "Clinton in Exile" as "a candid, objective look at Bill Clinton's post-White House years." She insists that the book is indeed objective, and cites the chapter "Bill Clinton Fixes Africa," which praises Clinton's work to fight disease and poverty. Surely, fans of Bill Clinton will find something to love in this chapter. Felsenthal interviewed over 160 people for the biography. Some spoke willingly, some did not want to speak with her at all. Others strung her along. Bill Clinton's former communications director, Jay Carson, is one example. Carson is currently a spokesman for Hillary Clinton. Felsenthal recalls obtaining Carson's cell phone number and contacting him. "After promises that I should call him back at certain times.... he picked up the phone and I heard Bill Clinton in the background," Felsenthal said. "They were in Africa. They were in a restaurant. 'I can't talk to you right now, the boss wants to go.'" She says Carson never did call her back. Felsenthal taught "Writing Profiles," a course that drew on her experience writing magazine profiles of luminaries ranging from Ann Landers to Don Rumsfield, at the University of Chicago in 2005 and 2006. "That was fun," she says, "The students were great. But when I took this book contract in the spring of 2006, I really had to focus on it full time. I am still in touch with my students. One is a producer at CBS in New York. Others are freelancers. I would love to teach again." The publisher, Harper Collins, originally wanted the book in July 2007. "But," says Felsenthal, "I wasn't going to do the book without fresh material, and wanted the book to be based on interviews." So she set off on her string of 160 interviews, all without an assistant. Hundreds of e-mails and uncounted phone calls went into to setting up the interviews. "The manuscript was 80,000 words longer than the finished book is," Felsenthal says. "I way overwrote it, which is my eccentricity. Cutting the manuscript was tough. The most challenging thing was that Bill Clinton was constantly in the news. He was a moving target in a way. It's easier to write about somebody who is dead or retired than somebody who is trying to establish his legacy." Despite some critics who have called the book "catty" and "salacious," Felsenthal says she tried to be fair to all of her sources, both detractors and admirers of the 42nd president. "But some people just don't understand the difference between 'off the record' and 'not for attribution,'" Felsenthal says. "You have to let the material take you where the reality is and the extreme ends of the story will fall away. Somewhere in the middle you come up with an accurate story. I want the reporting to take me to a fair assessment rather than having an agenda." "Clinton in Exile" is not Felsenthal's first effort. Her biography of Washington Post publisher Katharine Graham, "Power, Privelege and the Post: The Katharine Graham Story will be produced by HBO this year. "Filming will start in the fall," she said. "They were negotiating that for years. The director (Tom Hooper) is the same one who did the John Adams miniseries. I think I will have exceptionally little input, but my contract makes me a consultant on the script." Felsenthal recalls how Ted Turner originally picked up the rights to produce the bio. Married to Jane Fonda at the time, who was friends with one of Graham's children, Turner ended up dropping the project because of pressure from the Grahams. "Around 1994, my agent told me, 'This will get made when Kate Graham dies.' Graham died on July 17, 2001," Felsenthal says, "and by August 2001 we had a deal with HBO." Felsenthal was born and raised in West Ridge. She attended Rogers Elementary School, then Decatur Classical School "when it was first built." She graduated from Sullivan High School in 1967, and then went to the University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana. From Illinois, Felsenthal went to Boston College in Cambridge, Mass., where she earned her master's. Loyal to Chicago, she moved back with her husband, attorney Steven Felsenthal, in 1974. "I've never lived in the suburbs, never ever, ever," says Felsenthal, who resides in Old Town. "I have nothing against the suburbs, but I love being in the city. It's great for freelance, better than New York, where writers are a dime a dozen." With her full schedule of media appearances, Chicago is convenient for her. She often walks to radio or television appearances in downtown Chicago. "I love walking in Chicago. Interviewing in New York is tough, it's too dense. Chicago has a nice sense of openness. I was very fond of Boston, but I'm glad I came back to Chicago."

Bill Clinton's Colombian Connection

The Huffington Post goes after Bill Clinton. See? There is a God. Read this post before they delete it. On Sunday evening, Sen. Hillary Clinton's chief campaign strategist, Mark Penn, resigned from his post after it was revealed he was working (on the side) for the passage of a Colombia Free Trade Agreement that his candidate opposed. But within the Clinton campaign, Penn is not the highest-ranking adviser with financial ties to groups and individuals supporting the passage of the measure. Former President Bill Clinton has earned hundreds of thousands of dollars speaking on behalf of a Colombia-based group pushing the trade pact, and representatives of that organization tell The Huffington Post that the former president shared their sentiment. FULL ASTOUNDING POST...

Clinton Cocaine Capers

The description of this video is, "Discover the story behind Bill and Hillary Clinton and the Mena Arkansas cocaine smuggling operation they ran, while Bill was governor, prior to the presidency." Presented here without comment. Watch it, form your own opinion.

Bill Clinton As Ambassador to the World?

Writer Al Giordano suggests we ask Latin America, first. Giordano, writing in the current issue of counterpunch.org, suggests that Mr. Clinton is nowhere near as popular outside of the United States as he and his supporters would like to think he is. Giordano is the founder of Narco News and has lived in and reported from Latin America for the past decade. "Global distrust and resentment toward the United States did not begin with George W. Bush; Clinton, as president, fueled it, too. The true legacy of the first Clinton White House around the world precludes the former president's illusory claim that he can somehow be the magician that would "restore America's standing." While Bill Clinton remains popular inside the United States, and perhaps among white elites in Europe, he would be an albatross, not a talisman, around the neck of future US policy in the Middle East and Africa. But that's not all. His Latin America policies are remembered particularly bitterly in this hemisphere." FULL ARTICLE...

Blagojevich's Terror Connection

CBS-2 Chicago reports today that a top aide of Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich has been linked to a terror group, one of the nastier ones, really: the FALN. The aide, Steven Guerra, once refused to cooperate with an FBI investgation of the FALN back in the 1980's and was sentenced to 23 months in jail for it. The FALN is a bunch of very nasty folks, but Democrats seem to love 'em. According to the Encyclopedia of Chicago, "The FALN (Armed Forces of National Liberation) is a clandestine organization committed to the political independence of Puerto Rico from the United States. Between 1974 and 1983, the FALN claimed responsibility for more than 120 bombings of military and government buildings, financial institutions, and corporate headquarters in Chicago, New York, and Washington DC, which killed six people and injured dozens more." The fact that Gov. Blagojevich, a Democrat, has a man long known to be a terrorist sympathizer on his staff, at a high level, should really come as no great surprise to anybody. Nor should the fact Guerra is being loudly defended today by Blagojevich - and fellow Democrats. After all, former President B. J. Clinton gave clemency to 16 FALN members in 1999. This undoubtedly sent a message to young Rod Blagojevich, who apparently took it to heart: The enemy of my country is my friend. Hell, if Clinton can pardon 16 of them, what's so bad about hiring one to a top aide to a governor, right? (CBS) CHICAGO - Once again, Gov. Rod Blagojevich finds himself on the defensive – for hiring and now defending a man linked to the infamous FALN terrorist group, as CBS 2’s Rafael Romo reports.For the last four years, Steven Guerra has been a top aide for Blagojevich. But the deputy chief of staff for community services is in hot water Friday for his alleged involvement with a terrorist group more than 20 years ago. FULL STORY... RELATED: Gov's aide did time in '80s terror case Chicago Sun-Times - Sept 7, 2007 - Blagojevich's office said Guerra disclosed his felony conviction to the administration before his 2003 hiring. Blago On Defensive With Aide Linked To Terrorism - CBS2 Chicago, IL - Sept 7, 2007 - Rod Blagojevich finds himself on the defensive – for hiring and now defending a man linked to the infamous FALN terrorist group. President Clinton's Pardons, January 2001 List of pardons granted by President Clinton on January 20, 2001. State of scandal: Illinois govs seem all interlocked Chicago Sun-Times, United States - Aug 22, 2007 - After all, not only are the attorneys of Winston & Strawn still defending Ryan, they're also representing the current governor, Rod Blagojevich.