Obama will make room in his administration for George Bush Sr.

[jillan]

From his interview tonite on Larry King:

http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0803/20/lkl.01.html

KING: A couple of quick things, Senator. Would you, in your administration, make use of Bill Clinton?

OBAMA: Absolutely. I think that, you know, Bill Clinton is a brilliant statesman and politician, and I think that any president would want to use his skills and his relationships around the world.

By the way, I would reach out to the first George Bush. You know, one of the things that I think George H.W. Bush doesn't get enough credit for was his foreign policy team and the way that he helped negotiate the end of the Cold War and prosecuted the Gulf War. That cost us 20 billion dollars. That's all it cost. It was extremely successful. I think there were a lot of very wise people. So I want a bipartisan team that can help to provide me good advice and counsel when I'm president of the United States.

Bush, Clinton, Bush --- Bush??????:puke:

[nadinbrzezinski]

1. I've said it a couple times I DON'T GIVE A DAMN which of the two candidates

is the final candidate, there will be NO CHANGE to come.

Yes I'm that cynical any longer

[jillan]

3. If we only could go back to one year ago!

[joshcryer]

30. Your assessment is correct. And in the case of Barack "Compromise" Obama, you can expect much more..

...of the same.

[leftynyc]

33. Shhhhh - according to people

here, as soon as Sen Obama is elected, the whole world is going to come together a do a big giant hug. It's not nice to ruin their fantasy.

And one persons cynicism is another persons wisdom.

[DemBones DemBones]

55. I think we could see change for the worse from Obama.

He told Larry King he wants to reach out to GHW Bush. :wtf:

And he praised Reagan. :wtf:

Clinton gets pilloried at DU for simply stating the fact that McCain has a lot of experience.
She didn't praise him or say she wanted to reach out to him after she becomes president.

But, yes, she's GOP-lite. I think she's better than Obama, though. I think he's a stalking horse for the GOP or the BFEE, take your pick. Maybe both.

I want to move to a new planet.

[DJ13]

2. Crap

Its unforgivable he would want Bill.

He's gone too far now!

:sarcasm:

[ingac70]

4. He did not say that. n/t

[jillan]

6. Oh yes he did - those are his own words from Larry King.

[ingac70]

8. He did not say "George H. W. Bush will be in my cabinet"

You are lying... bringing up the fact Daddy Bush's team had a modicum of foreign policy sense is not inviting him to be in Obama's cabinet.

[jillan]

9. And neither did I.

He did say his administration would reach out to Bush Sr.

[ingac70]

13. He didn't say that either.

That isn't making room in the Admin for him...

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

23. parsing words? You said make room in his admin for Bush Sr

you didn't say reach out to, you said make room for.....

its quite different.

[krkaufman]

49. chuckle. "will make room in his administration for" ... seems pretty clear. n/t

[krkaufman]

48. Precisely. Let us recall how Bush Sr. surrogates NOT in Jr's Adminstration ...

... were trying to talk BushCo down from invading Iraq.

As the last year has shown, we're going to need *some* Republican support to move the country in a different direction.

[Bake]

58. Who the fuck said anything at all about "cabinet?"

Other than you, of course. No former POTUS is going to take a cabinet position, not now, not EVER.

Bake

[ingac70]

59. What former POTUS has been in anyones Admin.?

[Forkboy]

5. Well, there goes the Bush/Clinton golf team.

[TeamJordan23]

7. Misleading OP. nm

[FlyingSquirrel]

10. You have a habit of not doing the candidates you choose any big favors

in your posting style here. Just somethin' I'm noticing. You as the face of Biden... it didn't work very well.

[jillan]

12. Typical - attack the messenger.

:crazy:

[Catherina]

11. In all fairness. Bush Sr wasn't surrounded with all the neocons and neoliberals

floating around today.

I don't care if Obama has some intelligent Republicans around him. I'll take an intelligent Republican who hasn't signed on to the neocon/neolib agenda over a lot of the politicians floating around today- especially the DLC crowd.

There are a lot of good Republicans in this country who don't like what happened to their party or this country.

[leftynyc]

34. That's not true

Most of them were in his cabinet as well.

[anigbrowl]

45. I agree, and I'm a foreign policy junkie. Bush senior was/is an intelligent man

Not that great a President overall, and subject to a number of failings, but wise on many aspects of foreign policy. And before Obama opponents jump all over this, consider that he and Bill Clinton have enjoyed a cordial relationship.

[meow mix]

14. He's making GE comments. this is why he will capture us red states.

its going to be great.

[Skoods]

42. And lose the blue states..

PA and NJ will not vote for Obama.

[JI7]

15. it was great after he was asked about the criticism from the son

[leftstreet]

16. Obama's so polite to old people

[enid602]

17. dig

I think everyone's missing Obama's point. His words were really a subtle (but clear) dig at GWB. Kudos.

[FrenchieCat]

18. It's over his head.

[enid602]

19. classic

The line about GHWB successfully executing a war for $20B is classic; he's pointing out the fact that GWB couldn't get it right despite the counsel that his own father no doubt gave him.

[shimmergal]

20. Yes.

To see a Democratic successor listening to Bush Sr/'s advice when his own son refused to would really stick in DimSon's craw, wouldn't it?

[gcomeau]

21. "I would reach out to..."

"Obama will make room in his administration for George Bush Sr."

...

Hmmm, yes... I can see how you would conclude that those two statements are identical. They clearly mean exactly the same thing. Come on now, can we please be serious?

[anonymous171]

22. Bill seems to like H.W.

So why do you have such a problem with him?

[Windex]

24. wasn't Cheney and Rumsfeld

part of the George HW Bush team?!!!

[ProSense]

25. Transparently lame! Did these make you puke:

Elder Bush nixes Clinton trip idea

Bill Clinton said Monday he and former President Bush would go on a diplomatic mission if Hillary Clinton became president.

WASHINGTON (CNN) — Former President George H.W. Bush has shot down his successor Bill Clinton’s idea of a diplomatic mission under a Hillary Clinton presidency that would send him and other notables abroad to assure other nations that “America is open for business and cooperation again.”

The move came one day after Bill Clinton made the suggestion on the campaign trail in South Carolina, in response to a question from a supporter about his wife’s “number-one priority” upon reaching the White House.

In a statement sent to CNN Tuesday afternoon, former President Bush’s chief of staff Jean Becker said that he “wholeheartedly supports the President of the United States, including his foreign policy. He has never discussed an ‘around-the-world-mission’ with either former President Bill Clinton or Sen. Clinton, nor does he think such a mission is warranted since he is proud of the role America continues to play around the world as the beacon of hope for freedom and democracy.

“President Bush is excited about several of the excellent Republican candidates running for president, and looks forward to discussing their candidacy once the Republican nominee is determined.”

more

Smacked down by his travel buddy Poppy Bush!

Hillary's shame: embracing McCain

The Clintons are an embarrassment!

[mtnsnake]

56. How selectively critical can you get? If Hillary reached out to Poppy, you'd have 5000 links to it!

[SunsetDreams]

26. nice try....

he said he would "reach out too" George H.W. Bush, not put him in his administration

Geezzzzzzzzz

[ecstatic]

27. Did you forget that Bill C. was going around promising to work with Bush Sr. on diplomatic missions?

And Bush Sr. had to shoot that entire idea down?

----------

Bill Clinton: Bush Sr Will Help President Hillary
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2007/12/18/bill-clinton-bush-sr-wil_n_77243.html

[merh]

28. I hate the bushes as much as anyone - but your thread title is wrong

to reach out does not mean make him a part of his administration.

And I don't know if you know this or not, but the presidents all reach out to each other, to share and provide counsel. It's a very elite club.

I betcha he will confer with Carter and Clinton too.

[jgraz]

29. Keep trying. There are still a few more straws for you to grasp at.

It ain't gonna work, but it's entertaining to watch.

[Yes We Did]

50. Isn't it? It's so funny.

I can't help but laugh at them.

[AZBlue]

52. I know! And it's even funnier because I know they are trying to make me angry

but they have lost all hope of doing that anymore.

[boppers]

31. OH NOES!

DEMONCAT REFUSES TO DEMONIZE PRIOR DEMONCAT!

Sadly, this is your argument?

[Usrename]

32. You need to work on your reading and writing comprehension skills.

Just sayin.

[barack the house]

35. He is being diplomatic you can't repair america without building briedges.

[Adelante]

36. Presidents consult with former presidents

Historically :shrug:

[LizW]

38. Did Jimmy Carter die?

Hello?

[Adelante]

39. Do you think Obama won't consult with Jimmy Carter?

Hello?

[LizW]

41. I would hope he would, before George H. W. Bush. n/t

[robbedvoter]

37. Raygun, Bush. Gulf war was cheap - let's have more like that!

That's gonna go well with...nobody? Except maybe Baker who'd like to go back to the WH

[mmonk]

40. .

[Drachasor]

43. Lincoln had a cabinet of people that didn't see eye-to-eye -- Why wouldn't Obama?

Is there something bad about having a cabinet of people that can profoundly disagree on things?

For instance, I think McCain would be a good Secretary of Defense, but a bad President.* He wouldn't be making the large strategic calls then, but instead making sure policy was carried out effectively (and giving his thoughts and experiences in internal discussions).

Seems like a good thing to me.

*I'm not sure yet what to make of McCain after his recent gaffes though.

[Metric System]

44. "That cost us 20 billion dollars. That's all it cost." Oh dear lord.

[Straight Shooter]

46. Only 20 billion dollars. Nobody died! No one got maimed! Nobody got Gulf War Syndrome!

Oh. Wait. Nevermind.

[DemBones DemBones]

47. Hope??? Change???

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

[SoCalDem]

51. All presidents have to say stuff like that.. but they don't have to pick up the phone and call them

Smart presidents assign them to so "feel-good" PR work, praise them and then go about their own tasks..

the sad fact is this.. once a president escapes office without being indicted, he's always a revered ex-president, and congress will not waste a second investigating them once they are gone..

It's why we keep making the same mistakes over and over, but as long as we do not have term limits, congress must get on with the work at hand, and dare not spend time going after previous administrations..

They have one year to get things done, and then must start building up cash for their next election, and if they have spent more time investigating, than legislating, they are unliekley to get re-elected..

What we need is a permanent investigations unit that does nothing BUT investigate the wrongdoings of elected officials..

[pdxmom]

53. I thought his statement about Bush Sr. was freakin' brilliant. First, he turned Sr.

into the person that ended the Cold War, not the Repuke idol Reagan. Reagan is given all the credit for that and treated like a God. Obama took a snide hit at that adulation. And he also took a shot at Bush, Jr, with his statement about the Gulf War. $20B, no dead, in and out. Sr's. son screwed it up totally and that message came across.

And so what if he uses him for things like good-will ambassador? I don't see how that is a bad thing, if Sr. is successful. All presidents use past presidents for advice. It would be stupid not to.

[DemBones DemBones]

54. For a long time, I have thought that Obama

is a stalking horse for the GOP. Now I see it may be even worse, he may be a stalking horse for the BFEE.

Either McCain wins (most likely if Obama is the nominee) or maybe they set the machines to elect a Dem who will do their bidding: Obama.

Heads they win, tails we lose.

[mtnsnake]

57. OMG, that is fucking sickening. Obama might as well reach out to Karl Rove while he's at it

...if he hasn't already, that is :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke:

[yardwork]

60. That's a highly misleading interpretation. All good presidents reach out to former presidents.

One of the many problems with the chimp currently squatting in the White House is that he ignored all previous administrations. Nobody else does that. All good presidents confer with their predecessors, Republican and Democratic. It's simply stupid not to do so.