Bill Clinton: Government 'failed' people

[tuvor]

HOUSTON, Texas (CNN) -- Former President Bill Clinton on Monday said the government "failed" the thousands of people who lived in coastal communities devastated by Hurricane Katrina, and said a federal investigation was warranted in due time.

"Our government failed those people in the beginning, and I take it now there is no dispute about it," Clinton told CNN. "One hundred percent of the people recognize that -- that it was a failure." (See interview -- 2:32 )

He and former President George H. W. Bush have launched the Bush-Clinton Katrina Fund to help raise money for those left homeless by the storm. (Full story)

Clinton is just the latest in a long line of critics who have blasted the federal government for not moving fast enough to help people in the immediate aftermath of Katrina, which slammed into the Gulf Coast one week ago as a Category 4 hurricane.

http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/09/05/clinton.katrina/

[Cha]

1. Wow! That's just the opposite of

what clinton said the other day, no?

[Schema Thing]

2. No.

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

5. I recognize minimalism when I see it.

[skooooo]

6. he's gonna lay it out slowly

people are in too much shock right now

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

7. While he's laying it out slowly,

Kerry will sneak up behind them and expose the BFEE, right?

[Mass]

11. Except he has already said as much as Clinton Friday.

(not sure why you are attacking Kerry here, but...).

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

16. The reason I'm "attacking" Kerry.

I was assured that nobody was more familiar with the BFEE than Kerry.

Right here. In these pages.

[bitchkitty]

44. lol n/t

[Occulus]

28. I'm an adult

I CAN TAKE IT

DAMMIT!! WHY do they treat us all like fucking KIDS?!??!?

(no offense to kids. I'm angry.)

[Tinoire]

40. As slowly as he's laying out the Iraq war?

By the time Clinton lays it out, the history books will have to file it under "this day last century".

[stevedeshazer]

26. Yo.

[Catt03]

33. yes it is the opposite

He told the NYT that "now is not the time to discuss it."

[UpInArms]

4. but maybe this is DoYouEverWonder was suggesting

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x4642924

[Cha]

9. I think it was.

I hope so!

[Catt03]

34. or this

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x1755901

[lancdem]

12. Clinton was standing next to Chimpy in the Oval Office then

Kinda hard to tell the truth in that setting.

[Cha]

15. Yeah, I agree.

That's why I was so happy to see this coming from him.

[LynneSin]

43. The other day Clinton put politics aside to help raise money for the cause

I think Clinton has showed complete decorum by putting those people first and now, a week later, it's better for him to roll out the criticism!

[demo dutch]

45. No that's what he said

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

3. Land 'O Lakes.

:popcorn:

[Cha]

8. Incorrigible!

:popcorn: :beer:

[Algorem]

10. not being very specific is he?

[lancdem]

14. He said "our" government, which sounds like the federal govt.

That's obviously meant to counter the WH effort to blame state and local officials. At least that's my take on it.

[bemildred]

13. Todays "No Shit Sherlock!" Award.

But I have to give Big Dog credit for at least stating the obvious,
unlike so many that remain silent and do nothing.

[anitar1]

17. Just following the outrage--wife up ro re-election. N/T

[H5N1]

27. forgotten by next week

He better spell it out!
(he will not, this means nothing)

[bemildred]

31. First rule of Italian driving ...

"What is behind me is not important."

Yeah, it doesn't mean much.

[Hoping4Change]

18. Actually his comment makes me puke.

The govt didnt fail people, Bush did.

Clinton is spouting sheer RW bullshit.

Why doesnt the US have universal care? Because as we all know from listening to Bushbots the government can't do anything right. Why do government functions get privatized? Because as we all know from listening to Bushbots the government can't do anything right.

I think it is contemptible that Clinton is spouting RW crap. The undeniable fact is that Bush is responsible for hiring incompetents, and for being incompetent himself. The blame falls on his shoulders and on his administration.

[Zen Democrat]

23. Bush is the Chief Executive Office of the government.

When the government fails, the president fails. He's in charge.

When Clinton made the comment with Poppy this morning that the failures would be investigated in due time, old Poppy looked kinda startled.

[1932]

39. Then Paul Krugman's NYT ed. made you puke too?

Krugman said that this isn't just Bush's fault. It's the fault of an ideology of small, do-nothing government.

Clinton and Krugman are right.

[Iowa]

41. Well said Hoping4Change...

I agree completely.

[Hoping4Change]

19. Actually his comment makes me puke.

The govt didnt fail people, Bush did.

Clinton is spouting sheer RW bullshit.

Why doesnt the US have universal care? Because as we all know from listening to Bushbots the government can't do anything right. Why do government functions get privatized? Because as we all know from listening to Bushbots the government can't do anything right.

I think it is contemptible that Clinton is spouting RW crap. The undeniable fact is that Bush is responsible for hiring incompetents, and for being incompetent himself. The blame falls on his shoulders and on his administration.

[ElectroPrincess]

21. What a toad! The Big Dawg has been castrated ... Now - a fat, dumb and

happy lap dog of "Poppy and Babs." :puke:

[Boredtodeath]

20. Oh, he noticed, huh?

That's nice, Bill. You think you might mention it to your Bush Buddies the next time you have lunch with them?

[beetbox]

22. PR Bullshit

We got the Bush-Clinton Katrina Fund followed by the "bi-partisan" Katrina Commission. There's no difference between the illusory shades of the political spectrum.

But you're still supposed to be mesmerized by Bubba behind the curtain.

Clinton has always been a reliable errand boy for the uber-rich vampire class.

[KittyWampus]

24. You get the cake for the most absurd, hyperbolic post shitting on Clinton

if not of all time then at least for the week!

Not even a Freeper could outdo the bile some DU'ers insist heaping upon Bill Clinton.

"Clinton has always been a reliable errand boy for the uber-rich vampire class".

[progressivebydesign]

30. Frankly, I found that sentence to be really well written and expressed NT

[Zenlitened]

25. Shhhhh... yer harshin' the...

... "I hate Clinton as much as freepers hate Clinton in fact I sound exactly like a freeper myself" buzz.

:crazy:

[progressivebydesign]

29. Then why is he constantly kissing THE Bush family's asses??

I mean.. I dont' expect Democrats to hate republicans, but how the fuck can he justify giving the very people that have plunged America deeper into poverty legitimacy??? If I hear my republican inlaws tell me ONE MORE TIME that Clinton is now siding with the Republicans because of his heart scare (he saw the light, they say!), I'm gonna blow!

[bemildred]

32. That is Big Dog's big flaw.

Instead of sticking with his roots, he want to be one of the ruling
class, a DC insider. He seems to have finally made it too, they need
him more than he needs them.

[countmyvote4real]

38. They need him more than he needs us now. n/t

[librarycard]

36. Notice that the organization is Bush/Clinton. ABC order, I'm sure.

[Catt03]

35. Guess the Republicans have forgotten about

Monica and the "right wing conspiracy" stuff, huh?

[Dunvegan]

37. Sun Tzu in the "Art of War" said long ago:

"Keep your friends close and your enemies closer."

I'm keeping faith with Bill to remain subtle and undermine elegantly over time...in his position, that may be the most effective tact.

Having Clinton in the House of Bush is like having a deep mole...you can't have your deepest agent throwing child-like fits and shown the door.

Others can get in the Bush Crime Family face...that's even our job.

We can even write Clinton and ask as Democrats that he hold the faith...do his "Slick-Willy Style" if he must...yet remember that we still believe in him. Couldn't hurt.

Let Bill work behind the scenes as their new "son"...he's the only one that could pull off this particular behind-the-lines project. It's amazing he's achieved this double-agent role at all, considering.

(Edited to say: Oh, and just wait for the book Clinton writes, if his health holds out, on what he REALLY saw in the Bushes...found out...and truly thinks of them.)

[CreekDog]

42. Clinton helped convert me from an R to a D after the 80's

Yes, it's hard to watch, but what Clinton says IS NOT meant FOR YOU. Instead it's meant to get other people who don't agree, to VOTE FOR THINGS YOU CARE ABOUT. So which would you prefer?!

Now onto my political conversion, thanks in part to Clinton:

Think of all the nice things Clinton said about Reagan in the late 1980's. I used to watch him on C-SPAN when he was heading the National Governors Association and was on those channels a lot.

Keep reading...it's about my political conversion to your side:

As a teenager in the 1980's, I idolized Ronald Reagan, thought Bush Sr. was terrific and same for nearly every Republican in congress. My gosh, I was Saul of Tarsus. Anyway, guess what?

I saw Clinton on TV and warmed to him instantly. He got my attention in 1987 talking well about Reagan's policies (the better ones at least). He had this way of complimenting Republican policies, but explaining them in a way, sort of backhanded, that suggested there was a better way --and that he knew that way better than anyone else.

This is the Clinton gift, I think.

Later when he would run for president, I remember thinking how good he was, but this time he was lambasting Bush Sr. Of course, that was a few years later, I was in college, the economy sucked and Bush was extremely out of touch. I had soured on the Republicans by then and Clinton was the most compelling leader of the Dems and I went for him almost immediately.

Funny thing, most of my friends who were long term Dems, didn't really like Clinton, didn't vote for him in the primaries, etc.

But Clinton had me all along. But his earlier part in getting me to consider Democrats cannot be overlooked.

So don't flame too hard. The only two term Democrat since FDR should be allowed some leeway when it comes to devising political strategy.

[glitch]

47. Food for thought. Thank you Creekdog. nt

[demo dutch]

46. From the negative comments I see that many don't see the big pict at work

In order to fight the enemy, you join the enemy. Can't you people understand the strategy here!

[CreekDog]

48. Clinton's record shows he never joined the 'enemy'

That's patently obvious. The most he ever did to help the Republican agenda was that thing with Monica, but that was not part of the strategy obviously.