Clinton: 'Right Wingers' Won't Let Me Help Bush

NewsMax.com ^ | 3/04/03 | Carl Limbacher and NewsMax.com Staff

[kattracks]

Ex-president Bill Clinton is claiming that the Bush White House turned to him in April 2001 to help solve the crisis prompted by China's downing of a U.S. surveillance plane over the South China Sea - and that the Bush administration would use him more except for the objections of "right wingers."

"The Administration's only asked me to do two things," Clinton tells the Atlantic Monthly for its March issue. "One is to go to East Timor, which I was happy to do. The other was to talk to Jiang Zemin. Both of us happened to be in Hong Kong, and we had that plane down in China."

At the time the Bush White House said Clinton had set up the meeting with China's leader without seeking permission. "The White House respects [Clinton's] right to go as a private citizen and expressed no objection. ... He's not representing anything," Press Secretary Ari Fleischer told reporters.

But the ex-president not only insisted to Atlantic's James Fallows that he was asked to intercede during the spy plane standoff, he also maintained that the Bush White House would ask for his help more often except that they fear angering "right wingers."

"They have to be careful about that, because they depend on all those right wingers for support and they've spent ten years saying what terrible people Hillary and I were, and they've got to preserve their credibility. If they asked me to do too much they'd wonder if they didn't mean it then or don't mean it now."

Clinton claimed that in the past the Bush White House "didn't mean it" when they criticized him and did so only because "it was in the interests of so many people to do it."

Apparently stung by complaints from Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., who said two weeks ago that he and ex-President Carter should "shut up" and stop trying to undermine the current administration with so much public criticism, Clinton defended his outspokenness.

"If and when [the Bush adminsitration does] things with which I disagree, particularly if they reverse a specific policy, as they did with the comprehensive test-ban treaty, Kyoto, international criminal court, strengthening the bioweapons convention, a number of other things — then I don't think I have to go on the attack. I just have to say, This is their view, this is my view, here's why I believe the way I do. I don't think that's being hateful or bad for the country or anything else."

Clinton continued: "Even when I give these political speeches, almost in every speech I say, I don't want you ever to treat them the way they treated me. Don't do it."

He also said that the United States has a lot to answer for in the current crisis over Iraq, since the Reagan administration backed Saddam Hussein during the Iran-Iraq war in the 1980s.

"We have a lot to answer for, and he is basically partly our creature," Clinton argued, pointing to U.S. actions under the Reagan administration, which he said "looked the other way" as Saddam built stockpiles of anthrax.

"I'm not criticizing President Bush on this because I did the same thing. I've sat there and pontificated about how [Saddam] is the only guy to use chemical weapons on his own people. Yeah he did it, and the Reagan Administration was for him when he did it. Nobody raised a peep then, because he was against Iran. We now know that he got his anthrax strain from an American company while we looked the other way."

Clinton also cited an unsubstantiated report claiming that the Reagan administration CIA director, the late William Casey, wanted to arm Saddam with U.S. munitions, saying, "We also know that, or at least a British journalist has alleged that, Casey tried to give him cluster bombs."

The ex-president then quickly added, "I don't know if that's true or not 'cause I read it in the British press and you never can tell."

Last month former Secretary of Defense Caspar Weinberger vehemently denied that the Reagan administration tried to arm Iraq during the late 1980s.

"We didn't treat them to weapons or anything of that kind," Weinberger told radio host Sean Hannity. "Some of our companies tried to do that. Some of them probably violated our export control rules. But we in the government certainly did not. And we certainly tried our best to prevent them from getting any weapons on either side."

As for the coming U.S. attack on Iraq, Clinton said he would condition his support on whether he believes the Bush administration has done everything it can to gain the support of other countries, telling Atlantic, "I will support the President if I believe he has done everything reasonably possible to build not ... not only to build a broader coalition but to do it within a framework of trying to strengthen the UN."

But Clinton urged the Bush administration to keep trying to make Iraq sanctions work rather than rushing into any military action, arguing that Saddam Hussein is "not going to live forever."

"I think we have to try to give the sanctions one more chance. He's not going to live forever, there are options for regime change short of bombing the living daylights out of them. And we know that these ... we know that the inspectors have gotten a ton of stuff out of there."

Clinton said that continuing the inspections effort "will bring us together."

Read more on this subject in related Hot Topics:
China/Taiwan
Clinton Scandals
George W. Bush
Saddam Hussein/Iraq

[weegee]

Can't mention Markie Post in a Clinton thread without including this shot of her jumping on the bed in the Lincolm bedroom at the White House:

[Area51]

He's not going to live forever..... Thank God the same applies to you, Bill Clinton! 46 posted on 03/04/2003 9:43 AM PST by varon

Yeah, and the SOB will be treated with an eternity of Golden Showers from all his (biting lower Lip) Friends.

[BoomerBob]

Putting aside, for a moment, Clinton's selfish and irresponsible comments let's examine the practice of using our former presidents for diplomatic purposes. I generally support former presidents being utilized, on occasion, to help facilitate international difficulties. For example, when Clinton sought to negotiate an arms agreement with North Korea or when trying to broker peace between Israel and the Palestinians, he was well advised to bring in a former president with strong negotiating skills coupled with a diplomatic record of success in both Far East and Middle East affairs. Clinton was right to want to bring in a former president with the political experience and skill to encourage China to bring pressure on N. Korea and work with various Arab states to put pressure on Arafat and Saddam Hussein.

Unfortunately for us, Clinton chose to use Jimmy Carter instead of the president who was a former ambassador to the U.N., a U.S. Emissary to China and who crafted the strongest international coalition in history to push Iraq out of Kuwait.

The question to ask Bill Clinton is why didn't he use George Herbert Walker Bush?

[Kryptonite]

Bush won't let you "help" Bush.

[lodwick]

STFup bentmember.

[RooRoobird14]

Hmmmmm.......and we're supposed to believe a Face-Biting Rapist who was proven to be a liar over and OVER and OVER again? That's very funny!!!

[FirstTomato]

Re: Chelsea. I feel for her. Think of what she went through with Bubba as her father, knowing that he was running around on her mother. To a child, that is a betrayal of the family that hurts to the core. At a time she most needed him, Bubba was having flings with women not much older than she.

He's a dog. He hurt his little girl, and no matter what Chelsea's political views, I will always cut her some slack.

[Miss Marple]

That's true. May she marry late in life, and live happily ever after. Without THEM.

[steve-b]

They'd need a couple of decoys -- Clinton would have to be buried at an undisclosed location, or else his grave would quickly be converted to a urinous mudhole.

[Dan from Michigan]

Billy wants to be the star. That's all he cares about.

[Miss Marple]

I wish someone in Hollywood would give him a contract, since they love him so much.

Maybe he could make those anti-VD movies they show to the troops.

[ALOHA RONNIE]

NEVER FORGET

.."BLACK is WHITE,

...WHITE is BLACK" =

...The Communist Dialectic =

...Friends of HO CHI MINH,

...HILLARY RODHAM -&- BILL CLINTON

The Enemy is now Within...
and always has been.


Signed:
ALOHA RONNIE Guyer / Vet-Battle of IA DRANG-1965 / http://www.LZXRay.com

NEVER FORGET

[chs68]

""If and when [the Bush adminsitration does] things with which I disagree, particularly if they reverse a specific policy, as they did with the comprehensive test-ban treaty, Kyoto,"

Explain something to me, Bubba

That "specific policy" that you had concerning Kyoto?

When was it, exactly, that you submitted that Treaty to the Senate for ratification???

You, Bubba, are little more that an lsos.

[maclogo]

"...not only to build a broader coalition but to do it within a framework of trying to strengthen the UN."


In other words: "Keep on pretending the UN is a good workable idea and maybe someone will pretend to be on our side."

[My2Cents]

Excellent comments. I'm going to "bump" your comments for later reference. This is good history.

[Howlin]

Is that a look or what?

[cincinnati65]

"The Administration's only asked me to do two things,"

Yeah -- Sit down, and SHUT UP!!!

[Miss Marple]

You know what else I love about that picture? Not only is W staring down that worthless POS, but Cheney is looking over and chuckling, knowing fuull well the measure of the man who defeated Gore.

I NEVER get tired of that picture!

[Pagey]

Myth #1 by Billy Jeff :"...they've spent ten years saying what terrible people Hillary and I were..."
Fact:Billy Blythe and his 'for show only spouse' Hillary Rotten, spent the last 11 years Lying,Manipulating,sitting on their A__,Only wanted to exercise Power,Tampered w/ witnesses,was convicted of Civil Contempt of Court,Intentionally Allowed Improper Exports of Sensitive Technology,Engaged in Character Defamation (think CarVILE for starters),Voter Fraud,Dropped Bombs to deflect attention,Government Theft,Squandered the Publics Trust,Received RAW FBI FILES They admitted that fact too!---Must I go on? It is their horrible actions that allowed the crisis' in the world to come to the point we live in today.His statements show him to be the Sociopath that he truly is. No one on earth could possibly make the above statement I quoted and be of sound mind.It's impossible.100% entirely impossible.

"If they asked me to do too much they'd wonder if they didn't mean it then or don't mean it now."
What did he say? Blah Blah Blah---Blah Blah Blah Blah. (Special Thanks to the Left in N.Y. for keeping the Rotten Name in Public View for 6 more damn years and allowing them any type of legitimacy in the press.)GACK!!!

[LaGrone]

More revisionist history from Chief Slimeball I'm afrain. Such an arrogant, egotistical piece of crap.