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Clinton’s criticism

19 comments on Clinton’s criticism

Clinton’s criticism
: I’m a fan of Bill Clinton’s (save your barbs; whatever they are, they’re obvious and overused) but I have to wonder what he is smoking these days. He spoke to the Conference Board:

FORMER US president Bill Clinton today blasted US foreign policy adopted in the wake of the September 11 attacks, arguing the United States cannot kill, jail or occupy all of its adversaries.

“Our paradigm now seems to be: something terrible happened to us on September 11, and that gives us the right to interpret all future events in a way that everyone else in the world must agree with us,” said Clinton, who spoke at a seminar of governance organised by Conference Board.

“And if they don’t, they can go straight to hell.” …

He said he believed Washington overreacted to German and French opposition to US plans for military action against Iraq and suggested that the current administration had trouble juggling foreign and domestic issues.

“Since September 11, it looks like we can’t hold two guns at the same time,” Clinton said. “If you fight terrorism, you can’t make America a better place to be.”

Say what? It’s not as if this is our choice, Bill. We’re playing the hand we’re dealt.

19 responses to “Clinton’s criticism”

  1. Jackie D Avatar
    Jackie D

    He actually said that? That beggars belief.

  2. Theresa Avatar
    Theresa

    Out of the mouths of dumb asses. He has a lot of nerve criticizing Mr. Bush on his foreign policy. If Mr. Clinton hadn’t been more interested in hanging out with the Hollyweird set and screwing anything in a skirt, some of the crap Mr. Bush has to deal with now would have been taken care of during his tenure. Hillary really needs to put a muzzle/leash on him or her dream of being the President will not be realized. God Bless America, our troops, and Mr. Bush.

  3. Balbulican Avatar
    Balbulican

    Clinton is simply describing the way the US appears to be acting, in the eyes of the rest of the world.
    Read the headlines, articles and comments in this Blog (which seems to be a reasonably diverse forum). The overwhelming majority of opinion in here appears to be that any country’s refusal to unilaterally support the American invasion was treason, betrayal, and cowardice. The kindest explanation is that those other countries just don’t understand: more common is the suggestion that these dissenting nations are…in Jeff’s felicitous phrase…”weasels”, with a grim undercurrent of impending economic retribution.
    The message your president has been sending is, to put it bluntly, don’t disagree with anything we choose to do, or you will pay. That’s certainly the message your ambassador to Canada has been delivering, quite explicitly.
    I think perhaps Mr. Clinton may be trying to suggest that this is not, in the long-term, a sustainable foundation for a foreign policy.

  4. Ernest Brown Avatar
    Ernest Brown

    Balbulican,
    Mr. Jarvis is commenting on the fact that Bush is actually fulfilling a stated foreign policy goal of Clinton’s, namely regime change in Iraq. The Boy President actually signed a law into effect calling for that on Halloween (31 Oct) 1998. When Clinton tried to have full intervention into Iraq, he was “blocked” by a suspiciously familiar troika in the Security Council. Bush simply had the courage to do the correct thing and be “unpopular.”
    E. Brown

  5. Alwayswrong Avatar
    Alwayswrong

    Spoken by a guy who did neither-fight terrorism or make America a better place to live.

  6. John Irving Avatar
    John Irving

    Balbulican, it’s hard to believe you are serious. You refer to the actions of France, Germany, and Russia as “dissent” when it is actually a cover-up for their violations of the UN sanctions placed against Iraq. French oil deals, German equipment and Russian military gear all illegally sold to a corrupt dictatorship. Even Canada, whose Prime Minister has familial relations with the ownership of TotalFinaElf, who stodd to gain from underhanded deals France made with Saddam, stands tainted. So yes, they are all ‘weasels’ as that is a much more polite phrase than ‘lying sacks of s**t.’ Lumping their behavior in with countries who legitimately wished to just stay out of it is disingenous at best.
    Treason? No, it serves their own purposes, short-sighted and in some cases disgusting as they may be (growing anti-Semetism in all three named members of the Axis of Weasels). Betrayal? Yes, for these are all supposed allies of the United States, who supported the United States against Saddam in Desert Storm, only to turn around and backstab us, not to mention Canada’s stated goal of refusing to extradite any Iraqi criminals that turn up in their nation. Cowardice? Most certainly, for they are talking the tough talk, but they most certainly do not wish to face the full might and wrath of the United States of America. Instead they attempt to kill the US by a thousand small cuts, and gain aid from those Americans they dupe with their honeyed words.
    Now note that this applies to those three countries in particular, plus Canada gets special mention because it relies on the United States for so much of its economy and security. Other countries who dissented or who were not considered allied with us in any case are hardly mentioned. Economic retribution? They’ve earned it, and we will be ten times more merciful that they have earned.

  7. Balbulican Avatar
    Balbulican

    Yes, well…quite, John. Thanks. A succinct summary of the US the world is seeing is these days, and I think that’s what Mr. Clinton was commenting on. It is not acceptable to disagree with the US, and you will be punished if you do.
    You can understand why that makes the rest of the world a bit uneasy?

  8. JG Avatar
    JG

    As time passes and Clinton’s presidency is seen as history rather than good economic times, his presidential prowess will continue to fall. At some time in the future, he will be regarded near the bottom of the pile. I predict Clinton

  9. Catherine Avatar
    Catherine

    I was shocked when this came over the news on my clock radio this morning. What disappoints me is how he has such a large ego, he can’t keep out of the spot light as past Presidents traditionally do and only show up for funerals and such. You never heard from GHWBush. (I am not saying he doesn’t have the right to say what he does, but I don’t agree with it or his tone)
    I had a hard time stomaching Clinton post 9/11 touring Ground Zero with Chelsea when he didn’t bother to visit in ’93 and had pardoned the Puerto Rican separatist terrorists that bombed and maimed so many New Yorkers (cops and those picking up lunch at a deli) in the 1970’s. Never mind doing nothing about the USS Cole, etc., yet he went on all of the talk shows post 9/11 to say that Osama was a priority (Hillary said the same words) and “we worked very hard” to stop Al Quaeda.
    He had eight years and he never concentrated much on foreign policy either. He is running for office again, it sounds like, on the “it’s the economy stupid” platform. He doesn’t know how to quit running for office.
    Shall we discuss his and Madeline Notsobright’s success with North Korea too? She’s all over the place too defending her mess.
    Balbulican, why does he, a former American President, need to speak on behalf of “the world.” I think “the world” is doing a fine job on it’s own. Besides Bal, he doesn’t care about you, he cares about getting invited to speak for fees in other countries. Europe loved him because he was their boy, never wanting to make a wave or upset the status quo. The man makes love to everyone. He’s a whore.
    Clintons self-serving amnesia makes me sick.

  10. Catherine Avatar
    Catherine

    Balbulican, WHY do you care so much what the world thinks? That was the problem with Clinton, he cared so much, he didn’t do a thing without a poll to determine what was the right decision. Sometimes right is not popular.
    World opinion has been known to be wrong several times before. The world loved efficient Nazi Germany (Hitler was a man we could “do business” with), didn’t want to get involved in “ethnic cleansing’ a few years ago. People in the U.S. used to believe in slavery and the inferiority of black people. I don’t think world opinion is an accurate way to determine what is right or wrong.

  11. Catherine Avatar
    Catherine

    “Since September 11, it looks like we can’t hold two guns at the same time,” Clinton said. “If you fight terrorism, you can’t make America a better place to be.”
    Read what he said again people “if you fight terrorism.” Pathetic…

  12. Balbulican Avatar
    Balbulican

    Catherine, I agree completely that world opinion (or public opinion within any given country at any given time) is no indicator of how history will judge any given action.
    I guess what I’m saying is that to dismiss every country that disagrees with America as, essentially, an enemy to be threatened or punished into compliance, pushes America further and further into a corner, decreases the likelihood of any long-term cooperation with those countries, and, in my opinion, increases rather than diminishes a climate that fosters anti-American terrorism. I believe that was the point that Mr. Clinton was trying to make (at least, that’s how I interpret the clip.) Whether or not I like Bill Clinton is beside the point, although I think he looked better with a sax than George Bush Sr. did with a fake guitar.
    So

  13. Catherine Avatar
    Catherine

    Balbulican,
    I don’t think anyone or everyone is dismissed by this administration. If that were true, we wouldn’t have made our case with the UN (as Clinton never did, BTW, avoiding votes), got a vote in our favor, but then they wanted a do-over at which Chirac said he would veto anything that meant war. Hmmm…sounds kind of like maybe they are demanding we do things their way or else doesn’t it? No talks, no compromise, just my way or the highway from France. I think the unilateral “US acting alone” argument is invalid.
    I don’t care whether or not you like Clinton.
    I also didn’t speak of world opinion as an indicator of history. I am speaking of your assertion that the US should “listen” to the world and base decisions on that. That is just stupid. (not you, the idea – nothing personal)
    It would be stupid for Bush, Clinton, or any President past or future should make decisions for the US based on the consensus of the world. This isn’t a popularity contest.

  14. Paul Dino Gaspardo Avatar
    Paul Dino Gaspardo

    Here’s an interesting interview of Clinon on the Mitch Albom Show (Real Audio, 1.2MB).
    Among many other things (listen to it all), Clinton noted: “We actively discussed a military operation in Afghanistan after the 1998 African embassy bombings, and we simply didn’t have the logistical or political support to do it. And so I was glad that we could do it and very, very sad that we had to have that kind of loss before the rest of the world acknowledged what a terrible danger the Al Quaeda is.” Indeed.

  15. vasili Avatar
    vasili

    catherine,
    you wrote that the u.n. voted in “your” favour, which i understand as “in favour of a war”. but the security council didn’t legitimate a war against iraq – if it had done, colin powell wouldn’t have had to stand in front of it to convince them with “proofs” and nice pictures that made him look like a complete fool. why did the u.s. desperately try to get another resolution by any means, if the previous would have fitted?
    the other thing is that many of you people demanded “moral support” as the least “old europe” should have delivered to back the u.s. – but at the same time you think the u.s. shouldn’t listen to what they are thinking? that doesn’t make sense, does it? you’re right, it’s no popularity contest. but it would have helped to listen to those you were of different opinion instead of calling them weasels and causing dumb hysteria on both sides.
    greetings,
    vasili

  16. John Irving Avatar
    John Irving

    vasili, they weren’t offering different opinions, they were covering up their own complicity in Saddam’s crimes.
    Balbulican, you continue to point out ‘other countries’ as if we are facing off against the entire rest of the world. I must reiterate here that the nations we are having problems with number 3, with a 4th weasel wannabe hanging on for good measure. Hardly the rest of the world. I haven’t heard any calls for boycotting Belgium waffles or the like, it is merely those who played the ‘pacifist’ card while supplying a dictator with funding, equipment, and weaponry that now face the economic wrath of the US.
    As for long-term or short-term cooperation, I cite the fact that we were in full trade relations with all three of the Axis of Weasels before the liberation of Iraq, but they chose to violate the sanctions and arm an enemy of the United States. Hardly the actions of allies or friends.

  17. vasili Avatar
    vasili

    john,
    what complicity do you mean? having written intelligence reports that blame iran for gassing the kurds in halabja? ooops, that was the u.s., so you couldn’t mean that. or having provided iraq with informations to prevent iran from winning the war against iraq? ooops, again: that’s been the u.s., so you wouldn’t mean that, i guess.
    and john: boycotting the “axis of weasel” does as much harm to the u.s.’ economy as it does to their economies. ignoring that fact might be what the u.s. nowadays regard as “being patriotic”, it’s nevertheless awfully dumb.

  18. John Irving Avatar
    John Irving

    No, I mean selling Iraq parts for Tornado fighter planes (that they never even got a chance to fly) as recently as February, 2003. Hmm, the US? Nope, France. Sold Iraq night vision goggles and ECM jamming equipment late 2002/early 2003? America? No, Russia. Provided primary construction and design for high-security bunkers? Still not the United States, this time it’s Germany! And thats just touching the surface, there is much much more that can be cited. Their actions are those of enemies too cowardly to declare themselves, not those of friends who disagree.
    As for hurting the US economy, we can survive it, and it’s well worth it not to do business with the anti-US, anti-Semetic, pro-fascist regimes that have cropped up in the Axis of Weasels. I bet the economy of none of the three named nations can stand a similar hit. I’m prepared to find out, and a huge percentage of Americans seem to agree.

  19. vasili Avatar
    vasili

    john,
    are there any proofs for these accusations? or will colin powell be going to have another presentation in front of the security council? or is it, that the proofs can’t be presented, due to security reasons? that didn’t work the last time, it won’t work now.