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."
The name of the game is selling moderate voters. It is the Centrists that provide the margin of victory in general elections. On the other hand, it is the left wing base that selects the Democratic Nominee.
Clinton fell for the Bush/Rove trap. By being nice to Clinton, Bush comes off as a non partisan nice guy with the centrist voters. So did Bill Clinton. But by being George HW Bush's friend Clinton, lost the support of the Democratic Base. Hillary has to have that base to get the nomination.
But by turning on Bush, Bill and Hillary Clinton are coming across as a couple who will turn on their friends and supporters. That is not a good place to be with moderate voters.
Centrists rarely vote for candidates they think will turn on them. In fact they never do. Bill and Hillary Clinton could have always opposed Bush and been fine with the base and the moderates. But by first supporting and then turning on Bush, the Clintons have screwed themselves with the voters they need to win a general election. But if they had continued to support Bush, they would have totally screwed themselves with the base and lost the primaries.
All this tells us is the latest Clinton polls show their support for Bush is going to cost them the Democratic nomination. The large number of vocal Democrats who support Howard Dean as Chairman are not going to nominate a Hillary and Bill who are suporters of Dubya. To get back in the good graces of the Democratic party base, Hillary and Bill have to attack Bush... at the cost of independent voters. They think it will work because they believe Bush has lost the independent voters. That is a fallacy they will discover far too late to fix. It does not matter where dubya is with moderates. What matters is the Clintons turn on their friends.
If Bill Clinton had not turned on Bush, Hillary had no issues to run on in 2008 and little support in her own party base. When Bill turns on Bush he gets tagged as no good SOB's who stabs his friends in the back. That would please the Democratic base but not the moderate voters.
Bill has taken the only possible chance to turn the tide so Hillary can at least win the nomination. They have decided to attack Bush. That might help them get the Democratic nomination but it will not help Hillary win the general election and regain the presidency.
Tons of people in politics don't understand how to win friends and influence people. Karl Rove does and he designed the way to put the Clinton's into a lose/lose situation.
It appears that when Bill and Hillary decided their current strategyl they chose win the Democratic primaries on over lose the primaries. The cost however is huge. The cost is losing the general election.
Why is ghwb traveling with Blowjob Billie to begin with? Because his son told him to?
We better wake up and see what's going on here. These people all want the same thing and they're getting it.
All I advise is keep your powder dry...we ain't seen nothing yet.
Hide your guns...because after the NOLA seizing of arms from citizens is a speck of what is to come.
Flame away...but I know what is true.
FMCDH(BITS)
Why am I a Bush supporter? Thats easy. He was the best choice of candidates both times I voted for him. I am not a person who votes for a party i vote for whom I think is the ebst candidate. More often than not the Republican party views things as I do, so I am a Republican. But I can tell you that after watching their pitiful showing in Congress, after watching Democrats attack the President time after time while Republicans stand around and scratch them selves, after watching the President put Bill Clinton back in the news by asking him to raise funds and then watching Clinton stab him in the back while he stands there and grins I am losing heart in the Republican party. How many times has the President bent over backwards to try to establish spome sort of bi-partisan rappor with Democrats only to be slapped in the face. Turning the other cheek to Democrats gets both cheeks slapped for you.The president needs to wake up and realise this.He isnt dealing with Gentlemen he is dealing with slime.
The President apologised for FEMA in New Orleans when FEMA was doing their job and needed no apoplogy , He took the black insults to heart and is now trying to buy their friendship with taxpayer money and the Dems instead of thanking him for helping blacks have Bill Clinton attacking him for it. The President needs to wake up and realise that Democrats hate him and there is nothing he can do about it and the more he tries the more he loses what little respect they do have for him. The President cannot be elected again , its time he started helping the party get the next man elected and he wont do that by being a pin cushion for the Dems to stick pins into. He needs to get up on his legs and make a stand. Maybe if he would some of those useless Republican Senators would grow some gnads.
LOL, Clinton.... what an ass clown.... through out history him and his followers will be recogninzed as the last party of communist everywhere. Loser.
Maybe Bubba should have told Nagin that.
NEVER HAPPEN!!!! FROM MY COLD DEAD HANDS!!!
NEVER HAPPEN!!!! FROM MY COLD DEAD HANDS!!!
Slick Willie wants to be next in line after Kofi steps down. He is positioning himself as a One Worlder, anti-sovereignty, pro-UN. Thank God, Tony Blair knocked him down by denying Kyoto. Clinton should never be trusted, nor any of his cronies, including his wife - The Repubs make me sick in their bi-partisan efforts.
bump
Ego can be such a sad and destructive thing......and Clinton...well...I'll just let this ride.
Comments?
This from a man responsible for burning alive 80 men women and Children. A serial abuser of women and his office. And a best pal of #41.
The real title should be:
"Clinton Throws Bush Under Bush Again, Bush too Stupid to Realize He Has Been Played."
Why don't you appoint Clinton to another high profile position to help rehabilitate his failed presidency again, Bush? Stupid, move.
Bill should run the world. /sarcasm
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