Al Qaeda successful and "thwarted"attacks. Still think we're winning?

[Brotherjohn]

More people need to see this, so I'm re-posting it (thanks to rpannier for calling it to my attention with this thread: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x1408558).

Scroll down to the Flash graphic on this MSNBC page (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4738424/). It details a timeline of Al Qaeda and Al Qaeda-related terrorists attacks, broken down as "attacks" (red) and "thwarted" attacks (yellow).

One look at this graphic gives lie to the Bush administration claim that we're winning the "War on Terror" or that the Clinton administration (and not their own) was "asleep at the wheel".

Here's a breakdown: (note that the "thwarting" of the LAX Millenium plot is mistakenly listed in red)

The death rate from Al Qaeda has more than doubled, NOT EVEN adding in the 2750 deaths caused by the 9-11 attacks:
606 deaths on Clinton's anti-terror watch (8yrs; 76/yr).
528 non-9/11 deaths on Bush's anti-terror watch (3yrs, 2mos; 165/yr); +2750 on 9/11

The rate of attacks has also more than doubled under Bush (or more than tripled if you only count successful attacks), and the success rate at stopping terrorist attacks was MUCH higher under Clinton.

1993-2000: 13 of 25 attempts foiled (leaving 1.5 successful attacks/yr)
2001-2004: 2 of 19 folied (leaving 5.3 successful attacks/yr)

And those two plots "thwarted" during Bush's term were:
1) Richard Reid's failed shoe-bomb plot ("thwarted" on the plane by crew and passengers).
2) Failed assassination attempt on Hamid Karzai ("thwarted" b/c the guy didn't get Karzai).

So essentially, Bush is batting 0.000 at stopping terrorist attacks.

Looking at the graphic, one sees an intense period of Al Qaeda-related terror late in Bush I's term and early in Clinton's term, with most being thwarted. THESE INCLUDE THWARTING MAJOR (9/11-SCALE) PLANNED ATTACKS SUCH AS:
- The plot to bomb NY monuments in 1993
- The plot to explode 11 jumbo jets over the Pacific in 1994
- Multiple busts breaking up Millenium-related terror plots

Terrorist activity trickled to become relatively rare in the second half of Clinton's term, with the notable exceptions of the bombings of the Khobar Towers, U.S. Embassies in Africa, and the U.S.S. Cole.

I'm not saying Clinton was perfect at stopping terror, just trying to draw an objective comparison based on this data. I also realize that these are not all the responsibility of Clinton or Bush themselves, and many are overseas and not even attacking U.S. interests. Also, several were failed assasination attempts, likely mostly "thwarted" while the terrorist was in the act. But if these data are an indicator of how Bush's "War on Terror" is going, it doesn't bode well.