Bush says he inherited policy of "regime change" from Clinton

Associated Press ^ | Jan. 12, 2004

[Alissa]

Monterrey, Mexico-AP -- President Bush is declining to criticize former Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill, who claims in a new book that the White House planned to topple Saddam Hussein before Nine-Eleven.

Bush says he inherited a policy of "regime change" in Iraq from the Clinton administration and adopted it as his own. He says the administration was working out its policy when Nine-Eleven hit.

The president made the comments during a news conference with Mexican President Vicente Fox. Fox was an opponent of the Iraq war but congratulated the U-S for capturing Saddam.

[Howlin]

GORE: Well, when I got to be a part of the current administration it was right after I was one of the few members of my political party to support former President Bush in the Persian Gulf war resolution.

Alan Simpson loves to tell the story of just how Al Gore came to "support" that war; it seems that Gore wanted the 8 P.M. EST time slot during the debate, and he made his decision on his choice by whichever side would give him the most speaking time at that time. Dole gave it to him and now Gore claims that he supported the war, when, in fact, he sold his vote for face time.

And at the end of that war, for whatever reasons it was not finished in a way that removed Saddam Hussein from power.

Ah, Al, it was because there was NO U.N. resolution to remove Saddam Hussein from power; the resolution was ONLY to get him out of Iraq.

I know there are all kinds of circumstances and explanations.

You mean actually abiding by the U.N. resolution? I know obeying laws was foreign to you, but really, Al!

But the fact is that that's the situation that was left when I got there.

Well, you "got there" in 1993; and what did YOU do about it for the next 8 years?

[blackdog]

Maybe it's time we get a lesson on the trappings of single issue politics. War, terrorism, economy, taxes, abortion, immigration, Mars....

My God when will it end? There's a whole messa country out there. That one ant hill issue Washington's been beating on for twenty years has just plain old died.

[Howlin]

You really are too dense to realize that you can be against one of Bush's proposals and still support him, aren't you?

[Texasforever]

Wanna bet?

[Howlin]

Wonder if he was in the 65%?

BTW, I was in that 65 percent.

[Luis Gonzalez]

It isn't a factor now.

The whole thing died in the media days ago.

The only thing you can find anymore is an occasional OpEd piece.

[Howlin]

Maybe it's time we get a lesson on the trappings of single issue politics.

The 91 percent of the Republican Party who approve of the job George W. Bush is doing "get it."

[DouglasKC]

And FWIW any sitting president had better have a war plan in place for every dirt pile on the globe. That's his job and that's what our pentagon analysts get paid to do. Please remember that before the era of political correctness the Department of Defense was called the War Department.

Exactly. I would bet that there are war plans in place just in case Canada ever turns hostile...key installations to take out, military capabilities, strategies, etc.

[Texasforever]

Exactly. I would bet that there are war plans in place just in case Canada ever turns hostile...key installations to take out, military capabilities, strategies, etc

That would be on a 3 by 5 index card.

[dubyagee]

I've been reading this thread, going "What the...???"

Thanks for that clarification...and the facts. 8 * )

[cyncooper]

Thank you for adding the thing about Gore selling his vote. I think it is safe to say the Clinton administration and Gore used Iraq as a political ping pong ball. They had information that confirms Bush's assessment, but they did not take it seriously. Gore adds the "for whatever reason" knowing full well no UN authorization in order to imply GHW Bush did something wrong in leaving Saddam in place. So, Saddam should have been removed, but eight years later there he sat because THEY weren't about to use political capital on such a gamble. Just as you point out.

With that I must sign off. Good night!

[blackdog]

I like Mexican food, the water has never bothered me, and a chihuahua is a pretty cool dog. Pound for pound they've got a lot more fighy in em than a pit bull.

Fifty is a rounded enough number, but sixty is better. Those women/donkey encounters need to be checked out by /ashcroft, and they still make the VW Bug in Mexico.

Some things like countries can grow on you. Our Monarch butterflies go there every winter, so why stop at the Texas coast for us bipods?

[Howlin]

And FWIW any sitting president had better have a war plan in place for every dirt pile on the globe.

Want to see something funny?

Turn on the rerun of Brit Hume's show right now and watch Charles Krauthammer talking about plans to invade France.........LOL.

[Howlin]

I didn't mean to jump into your post. That little factoid just makes me so mad I love to post it in case anybody around here doesn't know it!

[blackdog]

Dudley Do-Right, Seventeen grounded Sea King Helicopters, a VFR only airforce, and wholesale pharmaceutical outlets catering to cash paying busloads of American Seniors.

Oh yeah.....And Nickelodean kids shows.

[Howlin]

Were you really surprised to read it was a lie?

[Happy2BMe]

Wanna bet?

It's anybody's GAME.

And I'm not one of those "screamers around here" saying anything about taking away votes from Bush either.

This subject needs to be looked at under a microscope. It will be interesting to find out what Bush has to say about it after returning from his conferences with Fox.

[DouglasKC]

Dudley Do-Right, Seventeen grounded Sea King Helicopters, a VFR only airforce, and wholesale pharmaceutical outlets catering to cash paying busloads of American Seniors.

I bet all those Canadian comics (Mike Myers, Jim Carrey, Dana Carvey et al) are REALLY leaders of Canadian sleeper cells.

Those canucks are sneaky ones they are.

[fqued]

Saddam should have been taken out in GWI.

By the way, didja notice that GWI fought GWI,
and GWII fought GWII?

[DouglasKC]

Turn on the rerun of Brit Hume's show right now and watch Charles Krauthammer talking about plans to invade France.........LOL.

That's an even easier invasion than Canada. Simply announce a possible plan to invade and BOOM, instant surrender.