Posted on 02/28/2002 1:20:56 PM PST by BigTime
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - White House spokesman Ari Fleischer said on Thursday he regretted suggesting that former U.S. President Bill Clinton's push for a Middle East peace deal was to blame for the last 17 months of violence in the region.
Earlier on Thursday, Fleischer suggested that Clinton's ''shoot the moon'' effort to broker an Israeli-Palestinian peace deal before leaving office was responsible for the strife in which nearly 1,200 people have died since September 2000.
While he did not cite Clinton by name, Fleischer alluded to the former president's July 2000 drive at Camp David to broker a deal between Palestinian President Yasser Arafat and former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak.
``I mistakenly suggested that increasing violence in the Middle East was attributable to the peace efforts that were under way in 2000,'' Fleischer said in a rare written statement that expressed regret for his earlier remarks.
Fleischer said his earlier comments did not reflect the position of the administration and said his boss, President Bush , supported Clinton's efforts to bring about a comprehensive peace in the Middle East.
``No United States president, including President Clinton, is to blame for violence in the Middle East. The only people to blame for violence are the terrorists who engage in it,'' Fleischer said. ``I regret any implication to the contrary.''
Breaking a tradition of not criticizing former presidents, Fleischer earlier suggested that Clinton's efforts had created unrealistic expectations that then boiled over into strife.
``You can make the case that in an attempt to shoot the moon ... more violence resulted,'' Fleischer told reporters during his morning briefing. ``That as a result of an attempt to push the parties beyond where they were willing to go ... it led to expectations that were raised to such a high level that it turned into violence,''
During his afternoon briefing, Fleischer said Clinton ''tried valiantly to achieve peace in the Middle East'' but did not retract his earlier comments. Asked if he stood by his morning remarks, Fleischer said: ``Of course I stand by it.''
A Clinton spokeswoman, speaking before Fleischer issued his statement of regret at midafternoon, dismissed his comments.
``It is unfortunate that the spokesman for the president, in dealing with the Middle East, is trying to pass blame,'' Clinton spokeswoman Julia Payne said. ``They would be better off using their energies to facilitate the peace process.''
A Bush administration official, who spoke after Fleischer issued his statement and asked not to be identified, said: ``We agree completely that President Clinton made tireless, energetic efforts to bring peace to the Middle East.''
I love people that think clearly!
Instead, the Bush administration says, "wait a minute bud. You think you're going to out-panic us? We're the kings of panic! We even panic with 85% approval ratings! We'll show you what real panic looks like!" So they send Ari out to do his foolish bit and then a few hours later, sure enough he's apologizing for it. So now it's the genius Republicans who look like they played politics with the war. And moreover who look like they're quite desperate about the way things are going. Just Brilliant.
When I saw the headline on FR that Ari was going to blast Clinton at a noon news conference, I just groaned. And now, hours after the event, the sophisticated political pros in the Bush White House understand what I, Joe Sixpack, understood from the git-go. Way to go, geniuses. Way to bail Daschle and the Democrats out of their pitiful predicament.
Anyone still seeing through a glass darkly?
Mrs Kus
But, it's okay if the pigslop and his piggy spouse from Arkansas break tradition and begin bashing the new president IMMEDIATELY! (Or, when too chicken$shit to do it openly, conspire/align with the lamestream media to do it for them.) Now Ari is apologizing? The klintoons are the ones that should never stop begging forgiveness! Oh, I forgot, I hate hitlery and her little pig, Bill...
and his sodomy of America.
Because first thing yesterday morning there was a thread on FR saying that Ari was going to dis bloody bill and MSNBC was the one reporting it. This was before Ari had talked to the reporters yesterday morning and obviously before he'd had his press conference yesterday afternoon.
Look up in this thread, someone posted an url to that thread.
She is a tired old Liberal hag that needs to retire and shut up. She and clintoon are a great pair, aren't they?
ANTONY. Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears!
I come to bury Caesar, not to praise him.
The evil that men do lives after them,
The good is oft interred with their bones;
So let it be with Caesar. The noble Brutus
Hath told you Caesar was ambitious;
If it were so, it was a grievous fault,
And grievously hath Caesar answer'd it.
Here, under leave of Brutus and the rest-
For Brutus is an honorable man;
So are they all, all honorable men-
Come I to speak in Caesar's funeral.
He was my friend, faithful and just to me;
But Brutus says he was ambitious,
And Brutus is an honorable man.
T'wood seem to me that Clinton's spokespeople are honorable people and since they say he wasn't at fault, it must be so. Even though common sense (and Ari) tell you that the previous administration's interferance in Israli politics and their strong arm tactics worsened the situation, it isn't so, because so many honorable people say so.
Thats a great line, and a great point! Thanks.
And they never did. Not once. Not one time. Ever.
They didn't have to...the dammage was done, just like this "shoot the moon" comment has done the dammage. This is political strategy taken out of Klinton strategy. And it WORKS!!!
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