Posted on 09/18/2005 2:48:44 PM PDT by wallcrawlr
Former US president Bill Clinton sharply criticised George W. Bush for the Iraq War and the handling of Hurricane Katrina, and voiced alarm at the swelling US budget deficit.
Breaking with tradition under which US presidents mute criticisms of their successors, Clinton said the Bush administration had decided to invade Iraq "virtually alone and before UN inspections were completed, with no real urgency, no evidence that there were weapons of mass destruction."
The Iraq war diverted US attention from the war on terrorism "and undermined the support that we might have had," Bush said in an interview with an ABC's "This Week" programme.
Clinton said there had been a "heroic but so far unsuccessful" effort to put together an constitution that would be universally supported in Iraq.
The US strategy of trying to develop the Iraqi military and police so that they can cope without US support "I think is the best strategy. The problem is we may not have, in the short run, enough troops to do that," said Clinton.
On Hurricane Katrina, Clinton faulted the authorities' failure to evacuate New Orleans ahead of the storm's strike on August 29.
People with cars were able to heed the evacuation order, but many of those who were poor, disabled or elderly were left behind.
"If we really wanted to do it right, we would have had lots of buses lined up to take them out," Clinton.
He agreed that some responsibility for this lay with the local and state authorities, but pointed the finger, without naming him, at the former director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
FEMA boss Michael Brown quit in response to criticism of his handling of the Katrina disaster. He was viewed as a political appointee with no experience of disaster management or dealing with government officials.
"When James Lee Witt ran FEMA, because he had been both a local official and a federal official, he was always there early, and we always thought about that," Clinton said, referring to FEMA's head during his 1993-2001 presidency.
"But both of us came out of environments with a disproportionate number of poor people."
On the US budget, Clinton warned that the federal deficit may be coming untenable, driven by foreign wars, the post-hurricane recovery programme and tax cuts that benefitted just the richest one percent of the US population, himself included.
"What Americans need to understand is that ... every single day of the year, our government goes into the market and borrows money from other countries to finance Iraq, Afghanistan, Katrina, and our tax cuts," he said.
"We have never done this before. Never in the history of our republic have we ever financed a conflict, military conflict, by borrowing money from somewhere else."
Clinton added: "We depend on Japan, China, the United Kingdom, Saudi Arabia, and Korea primarily to basically loan us money every day of the year to cover my tax cut and these conflicts and Katrina. I don't think it makes any sense."
Very well said.
There is absolutely nothing President Bush could say about/to Clinton that would change the mind of any of the Libs and/or Dims.
The "good guys" already know the truth, regardless of what Clintoon says or does.
Lieberal media likes to overlook that little tid-bit too. I wasn't happy with the comment until I heard it for myself.
Rove was probably just waiting for this headline.
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LMAO
Thanks for the laugh today.
Bush 41 is much, much to smart to become "best buddies" with Clintoon!
"He MIGHT be setting the stage for her, but he's not by her side and while we know their marriage is a sham, he's not even TRYING to make them look married."
There's a 4 page spread on the Clintons in this week's People magazine (full of very flattering photographs), exhalting Bill for his AIDS initiative (it was allegedly Chelsea's idea, and he just wants to be the best dad in the world and make her happy) and Hillary for her hard work in the Senate.
And, just so that every voter knows, the Clintons "spend 4 nights together at their New York home every week."
A lot of voters get their news from People magazine and Oprah. I'm just waiting for the Oprah special.
W nees to learn how to street fight like the Clinton's do.
He wants to fight fair. We are talking about street gang fighting; the only fighting Democrats know. They stick people in the back when they turn away!
Since you didnt read the whole post I will ignore yours.
...every day of the year to cover my tax cut...
Funny how Clinton told people before the war that he thought WMD were in Iraq. His justice department linked OBL and Iraq in OBL's indictment. Clinton is a putrid liar, an adulterer, a weak-kneed liberal who is not much of a leader when it came to handling the nation's woes. His wife will nevber get the WH so they better pack up and head back to Arkansas. The Bush family better wake up: this man is not a friend to anyone except little "willie".
We don't need 67 votes this time. Bush should fire him from the Katrina project.
He needs to shut his effing pie-hole, already.
It's all about the influence of the mom and dad on President Bush! His folks are so liberal. They believe that they can show the world how how open minded they are...yea, right! They will never change a DemocRAT! Like the DemocRATS really believe in being fair!
Just because I chose to respond to only the most absurd parts of it, doesn't mean I didn't read the whole thing.
I wouldn't call it "sharp criticism" - he merely stated his opinion. I don't think anyone isn't concerned about the budget though. But if we wait until another democrat gets into office, I am sure they will balance the budget as did Bill Clinton. However, I hope that our military isn't sacrificed in the process as it has been in the past - we are going to need a strong, progressive military force in the future.
Slick Willie is morphing into Jimmah Cahtuh right before our eyes.
Maybe Bush 41 needs to take "adopted son" to the woodshed. Nahh, he's too much of a nebbish. Barb can do it better!
I can't believe what a two-faced liar Clinton is.
Saddam Abused His Last Chance, Clinton Says
By Linda D. Kozaryn American Forces Press Service Dec 1998
"Saddam Hussein must not be allowed to threaten his neighbors or the world with nuclear arms, poison gas or biological weapons," Clinton said. The Iraqi dictator has used these weapons against his neighbors and his own people, he said, and "left unchecked, Saddam Hussein will use these terrible weapons again."
Feb. 4, 1998, Message from President Clinton to the Senate:
The PRESIDING OFFICER laid before the Senate the following message from the President of the United States...[The presidential message concluded with this assessment:]
The policies and actions of the Saddam Hussein regime continue to pose an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security and foreign policy of the United States, as well as to regional peace and security. (Signed William J. Clinton, President of the United States)
SEC. 3. POLICY OF THE UNITED STATES. It should be the policy of the United States to seek to remove the regime headed by Saddam Hussein from power in Iraq and to promote the emergence of a democratic government to replace that regime.
[ED. NOTE: This law passed overwhelmingly in 1998 and was signed into law by Clinton.
Yet in the post-9/11, post anthrax-attacks world, in 2002-03 Dem senators reversed course and opposed the invasion of Iraq to effect that very regime change policy they had placed into U.S. law. Why? There is only one answer: Because a member of their party was not in the White House. They put raw partisan politics above the national well-being and are still doing so today.
"4 nights together each week" does not make a marriage. And at their New York "home" that conveniently became "home" to them when Hillary wanted to be a Senator?
Their actions--both of theirs--for the 8 years he was in office proved to me beyond any shadow of a doubt that their marriage is a sham, People magazine or not. They'll only pretend as long as it benefits both their agendas.
And RE: Oprah . . . I know a lot of people watch her but I don't like, watch, or respect her. She's leading a lot of people astray with her "spirituality" no matter who she interviews or how much money she gives to even good causes. That said, unfortunately if they are on Oprah, a lot of people will watch and see the "act" the Clintons put on.
Oops.
Yes to the question of dementia, but I should've read more carefully.
Nevermind.
Clinton looks like he's been sitting on a roof for two weeks waiting for the Coast Guard. Is Hillary slowly poisoning his coffee so he'll be dead before 2008?
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