Posted on 07/26/2004 5:07:49 PM PDT by NormsRevenge
BOSTON, United States (AFP) - Former president Bill Clinton (news - web sites) urged Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry (news - web sites) not to copy the Bush-bashing tactics of some of his supporters.
"The most important thing is that he not fall into that," Clinton told NBC television in an interview aired a few hours before Clinton was to speak at the opening of the Democratic Party convention here.
The two-term president said there was nothing Kerry could do about the tactics used by some of his supporters against the Republican incumbent George W. Bush.
"I don't think there's anything we can do about it. And the bitterness is really rooted in the reaction to the 2000 election, where every Democrat who didn't support the Homeland Security bill, just as it was written, was a supporter of Saddam Hussein (news - web sites)."
Clinton said Kerry had to use the convention, where he will be officially named Thursday as the party candidate for the November 2 election, to show the US nation who he is.
Many analysts have highlighted how Kerry is still a largely unknown figure in his home country.
"He needs to close the deal with the American people," said Clinton. "I would say this is likely to be a fairly close election, but on today's facts, he has the advantage. And we need to use this convention to close the deal."
According to Clinton said the domestic policies of the Bush administration and ways to improve national security and combat terrorism after the official report into the September 11, 2001 attacks on New York and Washington were likely to dominate the election.
Clinton's administration was criticised in the report alongside that of his successor.
But the ex-president said "I think we didn't have all the tools we needed to fight.
"We had intelligence, law enforcement, and military. But what we needed was a different sort of intelligence, that is, the ability to permeate their cells.
"We prevented a lot of attacks. But the problem with terror, you don't get credit for saves. It's not baseball. We prevented attacks on the Holland and Lincoln tunnels, the LA Airport, other attacks."
Clinton also said US forces should not be hastily withdrawn from Iraq (news - web sites).
"If we can make this work, we would all be better off," he said.
"I would hate to see, having lost over 900 American lives, 70 percent of them after the mission was declared accomplished (by President Bush (news - web sites)), I'd hate to see us walk away from it, if there's a reasonable chance to make it work."
Kerry Criticizes Bush on Terror War
Space Commander Candidate Kerry has left the launch pad
Democrats cannot help being what they are. They will continue to offer unsolicitated criticism, totally lacking in any constructive nature. It is as natural to them as breathing is to terrestrial creatures.
Seems to me Bubba is doing two things:
1) building expectations, so that when Kerry flops, he can lay it all in Kerry's lap for blowing a good thing (no pun intended); and
2) building expectations so that when Kerry flops, the Democrats will be even more hungry for victory with Hil in 2008.
another victim of WMD - weapon of mutt dyspepsia
Hey now - there's still the "Cheney is an alien from Area 51" gambit.
I'm a sufferer of dyspepsia, acid reflux disease, and a myriad of other intestinal maladies all of which are inherent with owning one’s own business in the business-unfreindly state of California.
Wonder why he was not asked "What he knew and When he knew about Sandy the Burglar, the timing was perfect for this question?
I know, I know, it was NBC doing the interview.
Huh? What does the 2000 election have to do with the Homeland Security bill?
via drudge
"The two-term president said there was nothing Kerry could do about the tactics used by some of his supporters against the Republican incumbent George W. Bush."
As usual the dims will have it both ways - their surrogates will bash GWB/Cheney 24/7 while Kerry who needs to stay out of sight anyway remains above the fray.
Good luck, with this advice Bubba, Kerry can't even keep Tuh-ray-za quiet.
What!
These clowns don't know how to LEAD and CONTROL, and they expected to be elected to lead a nation....
If Kerry was serious - he would inform his staff and "hired guns" that he would FIRE THEM if they violate his "strategy" to avoid bashing.
He could also "inform" the leaders of every State Delegation that there will be CONSEQUENCES for non-compliance with his wishes..
Semper Fi
Somebody who was watching the convention told me that Clinton talked over the Pledge or the National Anthem, and that they were offended by his action. Anybody hear anything?
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