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."
I am sorry you find my post disgusting. I find this President using Bill Clinton and giving him a forum to be in the media disgusting.I havent removed my support for President Bush --yet. But I dont feel its shallow to remove that support when I no longer support his agenda. I support the Iraq war, I support Social security reform, I support Judge Roberts for Supreme Court justice and Pro-life and I still think Bush is the better of the choices offered in 2004. When I place Bush on a scale, so far it tips to his side, When it tips to the other side I will stop that support. No matter what Bush does I will always support the office of the President of the United States, no matter who sits in it , I am an American, I will vote for whom I think is best for America, and at this point in time it is George Bush. George Bush isnt God and when he is screwing up he needs to be told, and friend ,he is doing a lot of screwing up. This promise of 200 billion dollars to rebuild New Orleans which was a craphole before Katrina is plain nuts.
Let's post what you said again To sgtbono2002.
" Would you still consider yourself a Bush supporter. Doesn't sound like you agree with him at all. Nor do I any more. Bush has two chances left to impress me -- his second choice for the Supreme Court, and how he supports conservative candidates in 2006 and 2008. If he lets me down on those things, then I will feel that I was totally abadoned by the man, and sold a bill of goods when I voted for him. But I still think he's an honorable man. Maybe playing politics just wasn't his game, and he got elected once on a fluke, and second because Kerry was really that bad. I'm frustrated with Bush. There's a part of me that kind of wishes he would step down and hand the reigns over to Cheney for the next three years. I think Cheney has a better idea on how to fight to win, rather than fighting not to lose."
The Clintons.. they're like toothache that never goes away. limelight hogs
" I bash Bush because he's not conservative enough, you moron."
Liar
He's not a racist and everyone in the country knows that..........even the ones screaming that he is.
To defend himself against such idiocy would be a waste of his precious time and energy, and was completely unnecessary.
Did it ever occur to you that the President cares about people no matter what their skin color? Did it ever occur to you that he wants to help........through conservative principles of entrepeneurship and hard work......to finally improve their lives which have been destroyed by liberalism (and, yes, racism)?
I'm sorry, whizeup..........I've never said anyone who is upset with the President about Katrina is not conservative........but anyone who is surprised by anything he's said or done, didn't know much about him to begin with.
And if you claim to support him, you shouldn't be surprised, nor aggravated by the way he's dealt with this crisis.
(And don't forget that there are a whole lot of DU trolls who have jumped on the bashing bandwagon here, and don't sound any different than the hostile freepers who hate his guts, and have from day one, because he's not 'pure' enough for them....)
If you support the War in Iraq, as part of the greater war on terror, and the importance of getting conservative judges, you should be supporting him for another 3 1/2 years, because he's not going to back down on either of those things one bit. If you support him because he's pro-life, then you will never have cause to remove your support, because he IS pro-life and will remain so. And if you support him because you are an American, you should be resounding in your praise for him because he has led America from despair to hope and promise, just like Ronald Reagan did.
In other words, your making noise about taking away your support IF (fill in the blank)..........is nothing but an idle threat and counter productive.
And if his being nicer to xlinton than xlinton is to him makes you do it. Your support was never real in the first place.
Well, I hate to break it to you, bir, but it isn't the President's job to 'impress you.'
You're not that important....even though you obviously THINK you are.
(And you seem to be missing the fact that Bush PICKED Cheney, and that he looks to the President as his boss. You're apparently missing a few facts here, thus leading to the vacuousness of your posts).
NO conservative would say that President Bush won in 2000 by a 'fluke.' Not a one. All of us know he won fair and square by the electoral college. Only Dems would call the legitimate Constitutional process a 'fluke.'
You nailed him, rep.
I can only tell you what I will do by using the pronoun I.
I have never said that my vote was all powerful only that it is mine. He doesnt need my support anyway he will be President for another 3 years. I just hope he leaves us something we can get another Republican elected on. As long as that republican isnt Mccain.
He will. A stronger, tougher military, a winning war on terror, a move toward a pro-life and pro-morality culture, and IMO, most importantly, a Supreme Court that is far more conservative than when he took office, and the reigning in of the runaway activist judiciary.
I know I'm an optimist, and I have a fundamental trust in President Bush's character, but he's got a whole lot to his credit already, and he's got over 3 years to do even more......and I'd stake my reputation on the fact that he's going to get a whole lot more done before he's resting comfortably back at the ranch in 2009.
What is a DU since I am new here...since u seem to know everything what better person to ask?
By the way of course he is not a racist...never inplied nor thought that, U have no idea how many fights I have got into over Bush, so before u think only u know Bush there are other people who are getting AGGRAVATED by his non-response on matters.
You can never find anyone more conservative than I am!
My sentiments exactly Ohio.
DITTO!!!!! THANK-YOU!!!! Cheney would kick Butt!! Help would "Be ON The Way"!!!
By the way what is a DU, as Ohio seemed to imply I was?
First of all, since you only joined FR a coule of weeks ago, you should be careful about making assumptions based on two weeks of observation. You might very well be wrong about a whole lot of what you think you've seen.
And just in case you are legit (no way to know at this point), DU is the Democratic Underground..........a forum filled with sleazy, disgusting, filthy, Bush bashing leftist nutcases. They frequently 'visit' us pretending to be conservatives...........and they are always found out eventually and sent packing by our very astute Mods. If you're not legit, you'll soon join them.....
btw, I don't know everything. Never said it. Never thought it.........but thanks for the compliment, son. ;)
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