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Clinton awards Halliburton no-bid contract in Yugoslavia - good...
Bush awards Halliburton no-bid contract in Iraq - bad...
Halliburton contracts in the former Yugoslavia, were fast-tracked (Halliburton identified as one of a few firms capable of doing the job), but I don't think it was no-bid.
Clinton spends 77 billion on war in Serbia - good...
Bush spends 87 billion in Iraq - bad..
The cost to NATO (US cost was about half the amount) for the war in Kosovo was $5.4 billion. Estimates for reconstruction at the time varied (EU Investment Bank said about $34 billion, other estimates higher, but not nearly that amount of money has actually been supplied by NATO member countries, the US or the EU). Two permanent camps were built in 1999, Bondsteel and Monteith, costing about $60 million, and about $300 million to operate each year). Total cost to prosecute the war, including perhaps $5 billion in the Clinton administration for rebuilding, would be perhaps $8-10 billion. Note that this operation involved heavy bombing by US planes for about 15 days. It was a much smaller operation that was Iraq.
Next, the $87 billion cited above does not include the initial appropriation of $54 billion for continuing operations in Afghanistan and funding to stage and prosecute the Iraq invasion when the resolution to allow Bush to attack Iraq. Nor does this mention that Bush has asked for a $25 billion advance payment on next year's appropriation, due before September, even though there's been no accounting of the estimated $115 billion spent to date in Iraq.
Of note, too, is that Kosovo was a NATO operation, and the US was meeting a treaty obligation (though it may have been our idea), and the costs were shared by most of the EU. Iraq was just Dubya's idea and Tony's came scampering along.
Of note, too, is that the Republicans excoriated Clinton for supplying troops to NATO, saying it would unnecessarily endanger our troops. US combat deaths: 0. We know what the toll has been so far in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Clinton imposes regime change in Serbia - good...
Bush imposes regime change in Iraq - bad...
Again, this was a NATO operation, and was a response to ethnic cleansing charges (more complicated than that, but it was a joint operation).
Clinton bombs Christian Serbs on behalf of Muslim Albanian terrorists - good...
Bush liberates 25 million from a genocidal dictator - bad...
It's obviously more complicated than that, and there's a clear case to be made that Bush hasn't liberated anyone just quite yet. In both cases, I think, the prime consideration was economic damage to enhance chances of privatization.
Clinton bombs Chinese embassy - good....
Bush bombs terrorist camps - bad....
It's still not clear that bombing the Chinese embassy was intentional. Jury still out on that. And, this is a non-sequitur--what does one have to do with the other?
Clinton commits felonies while in office - good...
Bush lands on aircraft carrier in jumpsuit - bad...
Well, let's put it this way--it wasn't felonies--it was one instance of lying under oath about private sexual behavior, a question that shouldn't have been asked, and was the culmination of ten years' worth of legalized harassment and $60 million of the taxpayers' money to push Clinton toward impeachment. All because Clinton wouldn't withdraw from the campaign and give Bush I another four years--that's when it all began.
And, again, what does one have to do with the other? The evidence is that Bush committed at least one war crime by invading a sovereign nation in violation of international law, and may have approved many other much more serious felonies.
Clinton says mass graves in Serbia - good...
Entire world says WMD in Iraq - bad...
No mass graves found in Serbia - good...
No WMD found Iraq - bad..
The mass graves in Serbia {sic} have been verified (in fact, most of these are the results of war crimes by Serbians against Bosnians--the graves themselves were mostly found in Bosnia-Herzegovina). Most recently, they've been detailed in a book by forensic anthropologist Clea Koff, Giving Voice To The Bones.
For a fact, the "entire world" did not say Iraq had WMDs. The only two countries asserting that WMDs were present in Iraq were the UK and the US (and both of those shared the same faulty intelligence). The rest of the world generally accepted the assessment of the UNMOVIC weapons inspectors that evidence of weapons and weapons manufacturing could not be found. Maybe that's why there were so many people marching in the streets around the world against the war.
Stock market crashes in 2000 under Clinton - good...
Recession under Bush - bad...
Actually, depends on which market one is talking about. The worst drop in the DOW occurred under Bush. The worst drop in Clinton's term was a DJIA drop from a high of 11,723 on 1/14/2000 to a low of 9,928 on 3/10/2000 (about 1800 pts). By Bush's inauguration, the market had recovered to 10,587. The low under Bush was 7286, or a loss of about 3,300 pts. The NASDAQ is different--worst drop under Clinton was 2580 pts, while the worst drop under Bush was 1650 pts. Ignoring total dollar value and just looking at point spread, the combined worst drop in both major markets under Bush was 4,950, while under Clinton, 4,380. And, Bush's term is not yet complete. Markets could go down again.
And, the recession under Bush is bad--net job loss in his term will be about 1.3 million. Recent Bush administration job gain claims may be imaginary by as much as 80%, since the Bushies' BLS has revised its means of calculation. The number of discouraged workers out of the job force has grown by 4.4 million in Bush's administration. Net job creation under Clinton was 22 million.
Clinton refuses to take custody of Bin Laden - good...
World Trade Center falls under Bush - Bad...
No evidence Clinton did not refuse custody of bin Laden. This, I believe came from a book by a mid-level staffer, published by a right-wing press, and there's no evidence presented.
As for 9/11, one can clearly make the case that this was a massive screw-up on many, many fronts. And, it wasn't just the Trade Center. It was that, the hijacking and crashing of four aircraft on the same morning, and damage and loss of life at the Pentagon.
Clinton calls for regime change in Iraq - good...
Bush imposes regime change in Iraq - bad...
One big difference. Clilnton signed a resolution made by Congress, which did not specify means for regime change. Bush committed blood and treasure to the task, with continuing expenditure of same, with horribly inadequate planning, and very, very likely, with ulterior motives.
Terrorist training in Afghanistan under Clinton - good...
Bush destroys training camps in Afghanistan - bad...
Not true. Clinton delivered a massive cruise missile attack on those same training camps in 1998 as retaliation for the bombing of US embassies in Africa. Republicans in Congress charged that Clinton had done so to divert public attention from Monica Lewinsky.
Milosevic not yet convicted - good...
Saddam in custody - bad...
Who exactly is saying that Milosevic not being convicted yet is good? That's a straw man tactic. He is currently at trial. Only his supporters will be distraught if he is convicted.
And, who exactly is saying that having Hussein in custody is bad? Another straw man tactic. The argument has been that there's some evidence that his capture was staged (see Juan Cole, I believe, about the photographic evidence), and that he might have been in custody for some time and that the administration manipulated the news (as it had done with the Jessica Lynch fabrications) for poliltical purposes.
Best I can do on short notice.
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