I tried so hard. Never had Osama Bin Laden and I am the best President ever."
Posted on 09/26/2006 2:32:49 PM PDT by excludethis
President Bush dismissed as "finger-pointing" criticism from his predecessor Bill Clinton of his counter-terrorism efforts in the months leading up to the Sept. 11 attacks.
Clinton, angrily defending his own administration's attempts to capture or kill Osama bin Laden, had accused the Bush administration of doing far less to stop the al Qaeda leader before the 2001 hijack plane attacks.
Bush, who is trying to stave off a Democratic takeover of Congress in November, seemed to bristle when asked about Clinton, only to sidestep his assertions.
"We'll let history judge all the different finger-pointing and all that business. I don't have enough time to finger-point," he said at a news conference with Afghan President Hamid Karzai.
"I've got to do my job," he added, "and that is to protect the American people from further attacks."
Bush spoke two days after "Fox News Sunday" aired a heated interview in which Clinton defended steps he took after al Qaeda's attack on the USS Cole in 2000 and faulted criticism by "right-wingers" of his efforts to capture bin Laden.
"They had eight months to try, they did not try," Clinton said of the Bush administration response. The Sept. 11 attacks occurred almost eight months after Bush succeeded Clinton.
Clinton also said when his term ended he left the new Republican administration "battle plans" for going into Afghanistan, overthrowing the Taliban and launching a full-scale search for bin Laden.
U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice disputed Clinton's statement. "We were not left a comprehensive strategy to fight al Qaeda," she told the New York Post.
Asked about Clinton's comments, Bush said, "I've watched all the finger-pointing and namings of names and all that stuff. Our objective is to secure the country. We've had investigations. We had the 9/11 commission, we've had the look-back this, we had the look-back that."
Bush also said it was "preposterous" for opponents of his Iraq war strategy to call for a swift U.S. troop withdrawal.
He has sought to rally public support for the unpopular Iraq war by framing it as an extension of the "war on terrorism" he declared after the Sept. 11 attacks. Many Democrats say Iraq is a distraction from the broader fight.
Bush, who is trying to stave off a Democratic takeover of Congress in November
Who writes this stuff????????
Finger pointing. Democrats, Communists and Jihad all have this flaw in common - paranoia. Paranoids always project their own faults onto the opposition.
We all wish it had never happened, but Thank God it didn't happen on his watch. He'd still be waiting for the CIA and FBI to certify bin Laden was behind it, and even then he wouldn't have done anything.
I do believe at some point he actually said that out loud.
"Clinton SAID he wished 9/11'd happened on his watch. Out LOUD, on the air."
What would the lyin', draft-dodging snake have done about it?
I've got a smirk on my face for Bill Clinton.
The fact that "Suckmycigar" appears as a key word in this article says it all.
After the interview on Sunday I've concluded that Clinton is less of a liar and more of a COMPLETE LUNATIC.
I leave it up to you to decide which is worst....
I tried so hard. Never had Osama Bin Laden and I am the best President ever."
Did you smirk when you referred to the administration and the Pentagon leadership as "christofascist terrorists," you pathetic deceitful git?
Boy that was blunt. A real jab. Shame, shame, shame. If you point the finger at someone else you've still got 4 pointing back at you.
I heard on the radio that he went to another group, after "the interview" and said that reporters had escaped scrutiny so far, but if they dare to start writing about his marriage they're going to have their own dirty laundry aired.
I don't even think President Bush meant to say it. I think he had the image of Clinton's wagging in his head and it just came out.
Clinton has always been confused about the difference between efforts and results.
OLBERMANN: And very briefly, the tone of the president‘s news conference today, your assessment of that?
FINEMAN: All you got to do is look at those pursed lips and that smirk. Talk about smirks that Bill Clinton was talking about with Chris Wallace, George Bush has his own version. He was using it today. That means he‘s—he feels, he feels under, under attack right now (INAUDIBLE).
OLBERMANN: Yes, sure. There are smirks and then there are smirks.
FINEMAN: The presidential smirks, yes.
OLBERMANN: Howard Fineman of “Newsweek” and MSNBC, who never smirks with us. Many thanks, as always, sir.
FINEMAN: Thank you, Keith.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15029655/
Who was the one appearing Presidential? GWB or BJC?
We report, you decide!
Ooooh noooo ... not the smirky-smirk!!! We're doomed!!!
*smirk*
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