Former President George W. Bush speaks at the Manufacturers & Business Association's 104th annual event in Erie, Pa. , Wednesday, June 17, 2009.
Posted on 06/18/2009 9:16:43 AM PDT by Starman417
Reminding Americans what they are missing when an adult was in charge!
Bush takes swipes at Obama policies Defends interrogations By Joseph Curl Washington Times Thursday, June 18, 2009ERIE, Pa. Former President George W. Bush fired a salvo at President Obama on Wednesday, asserting his administration's interrogation policies were within the law, declaring the private sector not government will fix the economy and rejecting the nationalization of health care.
"I know it's going to be the private sector that leads this country out of the current economic times we're in," the former president said to applause from members of a local business group. "You can spend your money better than the government can spend your money."
~~~"Government does not create wealth. The major role for the government is to create an environment where people take risks to expand the job rate in the United States," he said to huge cheers.
~~~Mr. Bush weighed in on some of the most pressing issues of the day: the election in Iran, the closing of the Guantanamo Bay detention center in Cuba, and his administration's interrogation policies of terrorists held there and elsewhere.
"The way I decided to address the problem was twofold: One, use every technique and tool within the law to bring terrorists to justice before they strike again," he said, adding that the country needs to stay on offense, not defense. On Guantanamo, which while in office Mr. Bush said he wanted to close, the former president was diplomatic.
"I told you I'm not going to criticize my successor," he said. "I'll just tell you that there are people at Gitmo that will kill American people at a drop of a hat and I don't believe that persuasion isn't going to work. Therapy isn't going to cause terrorists to change their mind."
~~~Mr. Bush did not directly address Mr. Obama's response to the election in Iran, which some critics have called tepid, but he did make clear that the outcome is very much in dispute.
~~~But he was less than convinced about Mr. Obama's move to overhaul the health care system.
"There are a lot of ways to remedy the situation without nationalizing health care," Mr. Bush said. "I worry about encouraging the government to replace the private sector when it comes to providing insurance for health care."
Asked by the evening emcee at the 104th annual Manufacturer and Business Association meeting if he finds the new president's policies "socialist," Mr. Bush started then stopped.... During a question-and-answer session, Mr. Bush recounted tough decisions he made in office. Still steely, the former president said he left Washington with the same moral resolve. "When I look in the mirror, I say, 'He did not sell his soul for short-term politics.'"
"I hear a lot of those words, but it depends on..,"he said, breaking off. He later offered a more diplomatic assessment: "We'll see."
Speaking of those enhanced interrogations. We STILL haven't seen any sign that the Obama Administration intends to declassify the memos which show what we learned in the THREE cases were terrorist monsters like Khalid Sheik Mohammed were waterboarded. I wonder why?
(Excerpt) Read more at floppingaces.net ...
:-D.
bravo President Bush bravo, history will kind to you after this mess we are in now. Thank you for your service to this Country!
Better late than never?
Sob!
Well, I firmly believe that persuasion isn't going to work, and I don't see why you don't, George.
I'll agree with the therapy part, though.
I miss the guy.
PRICELESS!!!!!!!
Better late than never?
Get over it already, Sob!
If only he’d started speaking out 8½ years ago!
Perhaps he did and you weren’t listening.
I'm starting to miss Jimmy Carter.
“If only he’d started speaking out 8½ years ago!
Perhaps he did and you weren’t listening.”
I was. All I heard was some nonsense about “a religion of peace.” And how “we’re not at war with Islam” Pfft
bravo President Bush bravo, history will kind to you after this mess we are in now. Thank you for your service to this Country!
In a couple of years if not sooner, people will be begging for GW back in which case if I were him would give them the HI sign (if you know what I mean). The liberals tried to destroy him - Pelosi is still trying to. I was/am sick at the way he was treated. Now, the masses are getting the “change” they wanted - socialism. Enjoy the change lunkheads!
All I heard...
Therein lies the problem!
I miss Andrew Jackson.
“Bush Speaks Out At Last!”
Sorry Mr.Bush, too little too late. Harry Truman answered his critics, but you didn’t and “Bush brought on Obama”.
If only he’d started speaking out 8½ years ago!
LOL! So true.
Actually, that’s when I stopped listening.
Once someone refers to Islam as a ‘religion of peace’ it’s time to tune-out. What can be learned from someone that disconnected from reality.
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