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."
You ARE Pat Buchanan, aren't you.
All you wrote is so true. You recovered real good, Ex-hippie.
Agree.
Must be some poll numbers for GW are coming UP otherwise why would Clinton attack now when he's at an all time low?
Pretty Much.
Here's what the Bush family knows, that Clinton does not...that some Freepers do not. By refraining from savaging Clinton, the Bush family is a level above the partisans in image. Rather than distinguishing himself apart from the common riff raff in his own party, these infantile insults only make him 'one of many' rather than 'one of the privledged few'. Which, by natural rights, a United States President is.
In essence, the Former President has lowered himself to the lkes of Maxine Waters. He's indistinguishable from any run of the mill Democrat and THIS does not help his search for a Legacy.
I have never looked at a cigar the same way since, LOL.
the leftist Dem's Love Clinton no matter what Bush says.
The leftist Dem's are then left with a new title.
Leftist fools.
The 2006 Congressional election is officially underway! If Bill is here can Hillary be far behind? This assault will segue seamlessly into her 2008 campaign.
who better than to send Bill out bring out the southern charm first black president to do hillary's dirty work. SHE IS RUNNING IN 2008. I am afraid if the GOP doesn't get their act together and start fighting back we will are doomed with President Hillary
Pray for W and Our Freedom Fighters
Either the President of the United States and his family are embarrassingly stupid, or, they're part of the act...
"Turning the other cheek is getting old real quick!!"
The only thing accomplished by turning the other cheek is getting another black eye. I wish W. would put this turd in his place.
"Good evening. Earlier today, I ordered America's armed forces to strike military and security targets in Iraq. They are joined by British forces. Their mission is to attack Iraq's nuclear, chemical and biological weapons programs and its military capacity to threaten its neighbors."
"Their purpose is to protect the national interest of the United States, and indeed the interests of people throughout the Middle East and around the world."
"Saddam Hussein must not be allowed to threaten his neighbors or the world with nuclear arms, poison gas or biological weapons."
"I want to explain why I have decided, with the unanimous recommendation of my national security team, to use force in Iraq; why we have acted now; and what we aim to accomplish."
That's sure what it sounds like, and all that stuff about FEMA under his administration is revisionist buffalo flop. I seem to remember people in Florida sitting in the ruins, guarding their property and waiting a week or more for FEMA to show up. Willie is as usual depending on the "short attention span generation" to swallow his line w/o question.
Regards,
GtG
unfortunately, ditto...I am getting tired of some responses by Bush, who I really like, but becoming more and more dissatified. I wish he would just once be more assertive. I think sometimes he waits for things to come out eventually in the press, instead of him saying anything, sometimes it does, but he never seems to know when to grab hold of perfect timing with situations that happen to get people to see things his way i.e. drilling in Anwar and all over the U.S. and the dem's holding this up with enviro's for 30 years in congress has a perfect time to press this now! Instead silence...could go on and on,the connection with al Queda in Iraq and 9-11...silence. It is getting old.
I am a Bush supporter, I didnt say he walks on water.
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