AFP: "Clinton launches withering attack on Bush on Iraq, Katrina, budget "

[npincus]

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/afp/20050918/wl_afp/usweatheriraqeconomy_050918200308

Is this true? Did anyone see the interview on ABC this morning? Clinton was very milquetoast on NBC's Today show earlier this week. I can't believe he came out swinging today.. particularly since he's partnered up with Chimp's Poppa again. What were your impressions of Clinton's interview today?

I would have watched it but today we threw a party for my daughter's 3rd birthday.

WASHINGTON (AFP) - 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.

[goclark]

1. Finally Big Dawg speaks out

Maybe he read DU and realized that Poppy Kissing was not in his best interest.

Rock Big Dawg, rock!!!

[npincus]

3. he did? did you hear it?

[Mass]

2. A little bit exagerated, from what I heard

but I guess that for Clinton, it can be qualified that way.

Too bad that his intervention on MTP was a lot more polite.

[5X]

7. He said almost the exact same things on MTP n/t

[Mass]

9. Not really - it was even less a condemnation of Bush

He said that he thought Bush should send more troops in Iraq and that Katrina would probably not cost 200 b to the Federal Governement because a lot would be covered by private investors.

I've seen the two interviews and the tone was fairly different in the MTP one, even if I dont consider any of them as withering attacks against Bush.

[TallahasseeGrannie]

4. This has renewed my faith in him. n/t

[cally]

5. If that's a withering attack, then I live in a different universe

I saw the interview and Clinton did criticize the * actions. I found it very low key.

[acmavm]

6. Oh please. It was the verbal equivalent of hitting bush** with his purse.

Phooey.

[Wordie]

11. Then Big Dog has a big purse...

Just because he delivers seemingly low key statements like those below in his laid-back folksy way, doesn't mean they aren't incendiary:
<snip>
"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."

[npincus]

13. Good stuff. Link?

Is this nterview posted anywhere?

[Wordie]

14. Here's the link:

Edited to actually add the link (first time didn't work. sorry)
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x2098588

And edited a second time to add a direct link to the news article, in case people don't want to read through the earlier thread:
http://www.news24.com/News24/World/News/0,,2-10-1462_1772595,00.html

[Wordie]

15. & link to transcript of today's Meet the Press w/ additional Clinton bits:

He made some other wise and thoughtful comments, again not breathing fire at Bush, but very targeted and effective, imho.

Here's the link to the full transcript, which also includes a segment with Vice Adm. Allen and a round table discussion on

<snip>
the politics of Hurricane Katrina: deficits, Iraq, the Supreme Court, and more. Insights and analysis from Gwen Ifill, moderator of PBS' "Washington Week"; Eugene Robinson of The Washington Post; Judy Woodruff, veteran political reporter; and Byron York of the National Review.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9327333/

From the Clinton interview:
<snip>
MR. RUSSERT: So we should take FEMA out of Homeland Security and make it an independent agency again?

MR. CLINTON: Yeah. We--in my opinion, we should either do that, I have a bias for that because that's the way it worked under me. But if they want to leave it in Homeland Security, they should at least restore its disaster preparedness function, which was diverted, and have a requirement that I think should be in the law that the FEMA director should be qualified by previous experience in disasters. And then when a disaster occurs, he--if it's natural, he or she, the FEMA director, should be in charge of that.

<snip>
MR CLINTON: Now, in terms of the budget deficit--you know what I think. I mean, I think it was always a mistake for people in my income group to get tax cuts. I think before it was terrible. I think that we shouldn't be-- this--Katrina is going to force us to go back and think about three things. What are our obligations to the poor, there, and in America? What is the role of government? And who's going to pay for it?

[lancdem]

8. He was critical of Bush on Larry King, too

without being harsh.

[AJH032]

10. Criticism does not require anger and name-calling

For Bill Clinton, this is about as harsh as any criticism is going to get (and I don't think that's necessarily a bad thing). Perhaps some of you remember, back in 1996 during his re-election campaign, he insisted that he would not engage in any personal attacks against Dole, and pledged to make the campaign about the issues, not the candidates. Well, that's how Bill Clinton works. He always tries to take the moral high ground by avoiding personal attacks.

[sendero]

12. I agree..

... criticism doesn't have to be vitriolic to be effective. Vitriol is really not Mr. Clinton's style.

I'm grateful that he is speaking up with what we all know is true - and I suspect that there are large numbers of Americans who care what he has to say.