Bush Breaks Silence, Goes After Obama In Speech

[updated below]

Former President George W. Bush has been remarkably reticent since Barack Obama took office, saying that the new commander in chief "deserves my silence." Apparently, that's no longer the case. At a speech in Erie, Pennsylvania Wednesday night, Bush broke his vow in all but word.

"I told you I'm not going to criticize my successor," he said. "I'll just tell you that there are people at Gitmo that will kill American people at a drop of a hat and I don't believe that persuasion isn't going to work. Therapy isn't going to cause terrorists to change their mind."

ABC News has pointed out that it was the Bush administration that sent terrorists to therapy -- a Saudi jihadi rehabilitation camp -- with "decidedly mixed success."

Bush's critique extended to Obama's domestic policy.

"Government does not create wealth," Bush said. "The major role for the government is to create an environment where people take risks to expand the job rate in the United States."

Asked during a question-and-answer session if he thought his successor's policies were "socialist," Bush began saying "depends on..." then stopped and concluded, "We'll see."

In a recent speech in Michigan, Bush defended his actions in office but did not reference the current administration's policy. I didn't like it when a former president criticized me, so therefore I am not going to criticize my successor," he said at the time. "I wish him all the best."

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In Thursday's White House briefing, Press Secretary Robert Gibbs responded to Bush's criticisms.

"We kept score last November, and we won," Gibbs said. But he did address some specific policy disagreements.

On the administration's involvement in the economy, Gibbs said Obama inherited "massive unemployment, a huge deficit, insolvent banks," and faced car companies "being handed billions of dollars" but still "coming back every few months to ask for more."

On Guantanamo, Gibbs pointed to the Bush administration's transfer of detainees to Saudi Arabia and said he didn't understand the former president's point of view.

"I'd be happy if he can clarify," Gibbs said.

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Comments

[darker]

Bush Breaks Silence?
You mean, HE FARTED? ?
Don't blame him, it's the best Bush ever could do.
Pfffffffff­ffffffft-t­-t-t !

[ElaineHe]

God bless Bush's heart. At least he shows enough wisdom to keep his mouth shut now...especially when he usually doesn't make the best sense.

[darker]

Bushes have NO heart. Mama Barb made sure of THAT.

[americanalien]

Touche.

[BambooHarvester]

VA FUGUL SFACHIM !
~

[Sedona41]

For someone who holds the record for most vacation days as President, I think it would be wise for Bush to go back to Texas and fortify Crawford in anticipation of his state being overrun with Mexican drug lords than worry about the possibility of socialism.

[watchTVgetSTUPID]

Good for nothing son, his father should have turned him over and spanked him instead of giving him Noriega's cocaine.

[touchdown]

GWB and Cheney need to be in prison.

Bush is an ignorant, stupid, worthless, spoiled nothing, and shame on the voters who elected him, the Supreme Court.

This country will never recover from what he did.

[global citizen]

"This country will never recover from what he did"

This sums up the scope of the damage pretty well..9/11 put a dagger into American phyche about how they are perceived by the world...And the Bush Administration finished off the job with a far more savage act..Completely devastated the economy, ruined the middle class, crushed the American optimism and stained American reputation and influence around the globe..His damage is truely irreparable ..

[MichaelMcKLA]

I don't care what GWB has to say about anything. This man was a dangerous ignoramus. I would love to be in a room with him and a roll of duct tape.

[MamacitaOfLove]

Youtube it!

[ebaack]

Former President George W. Bush needs to take a vacation, first to England to visit his good friend, Tony Blair. Then, he should tour the rest of Europe starting with ICC in The Hague, Netherlands, then on to Germany and Italy and back through Spain. Perhaps he could even get some speaking engagements while there.

[bertha112]

Bush said, "I told you I'm not going to criticize my successor," he said. "I'll just tell you that there are people at Gitmo that will kill American people at a drop of a hat....."

Apparently there were people in his own administration who shared the same sentiment.

[kid5rivers2]

Not only shared the same sentiment, but did the same thing. (What's the latest US-bodycount in Iraq?)

[watchTVgetSTUPID]

I bet if we used the latest MRI techniques for reading thoughts on Cheney and his CIA director we would find out who perpetrated the Anthrax attacks.

[Steve28273]

Let me get this straight. Bush is criticizing the president on his handling of Gitmo because there are people out there who "want to kill American people at the drop of a hat." Someone should tell this stupid sonuvabitch that there have always been people like this. I guess he was too busy getting drunk, dodging Vietnam, using his dad's connections and running the Texas Rangers to know this.
He and his cowardly Mephistophelian vice-president were on auto-pilot when this country was attacked, despite being warned of an imminent threat. These two chickenhawks then used the attacks to justify an illegal war. His actions and inactions have only made the situation worse. When you invade an occupy a country, kill thousands and displace more you are creating more terrorists than you can kill or pacify. I've experienced some of those attacks during my tour in Iraq. This guy needs to pick up his crayon and start working on his autobiography and leave the decisions to grownups.

[MichaelMcKLA]

Red crayon. As in blood red. Excellent post, thank you. I think I shall become a fan of you.

[Fremon]

As most know that with Bush there is no there there. Bush is responding for his stated desire to make money upon leaving office and is being paid to provide controversial insights. It is like publishers that basically want controversial and inside information prior to buypng books about celebrities or former administration personnel. It has to be something to get people interested or to buy the book. That is why many publicity comments always state "the true story about.... or "the inside story about..." etc. To listen to Bush now is tantamount to saying what he did in office was credible or good or wise. Good for Bush recognizing the "greed is good" and making money while basically being "an incompetent loser". It is the American way. God bless America and its principles.

[Bronx56]

Just another taste of W.... It reminds us of the limited intellectual capacity this man really has. It 's sad to say that he actually believes this vitriolic rhetoric, replete with veiled accusations of President Obama coddling those who would attack us... It should remind what happens when we elect Vacuous Ivy League Silver Spooners who would spend the lives of our servicemen like a drunken frat boy stuffing dollar bliis into gstrings.......Good Riddance...

[Lauralics]

Yeah, Obama is now twirling those g-strings on his fingers and putting them over his face pretending he's a bandit. Barack took up the "spending spree" and is now running with it, I guess you would have an argument if Obama had pulled up stakes and returned our servicemen home, he didn't so your point is moot.

[Theo67]

Pulling up stakes, as you say, would lead to an invasion of the militia who have been biding their time and potential future attacks on this country. As President Obama said, we have to be as careeful getting out of Iraq as we were careless getting in. Otherwise, the 5000 dead US soldiers, and countless Iraqi lives lost will have been in vain. President Obama voted against this war, but he's having to clean up the mess. If you think he wants to be there a single minute longer than necessary, then you don't undertstand the responsibility on his shoulders. There is a plan to bring those troops home - hopefully, we'll be able to stick with it.

[Lauralics]

This story still has legs? Wow, Bush's comments were pretty tame, but it certainly brings out those obsessed with him. Well that is what you get when the Democrat's whip their supporters into a hate-filled frenzy for an election, win it, then turn around and do diddly. How's all those prosecutions working for you folks? Oh that's right, there isn't any from the namby pamby Democrats, hmmm...hard to swallow isn't it? LOL

[isis]

Nice word salad but I'm just not hungry.

[MamacitaOfLove]

Laura Ingram?

[Zengeist]

What real harm can he be? The man can't speak English, and has a record of such catastrophic failure that only those with NO discrimination - what is it now; 25%? - would pay any attention.

[TantrisDerNarr]

@Zengeist:

"What real harm can he be?" ... "What REAL HARM _CAN_ he be???"

Look 'round yourself, read... survey the past (2)8 years' results.

His pseudo-folksy 3rd-grader-level wranglish got him (s)elected and then re(s)elected: the "haves" and the "have-mores" (his self-admitted "base") knew who and what they were backing. Indeed, it gave them plenty of opportunities to fleece (The United States of) America and a good portion of the rest of the World. They are not gone, nor is what he represents.

Map out the network of the individuals who profit(eer)ed in the past (2)8+ years, and correlate with their: (1) position in the government, (2) relationship with individuals in the government, and (3) refusal to divest themselves of any and all direct or indirect conflict of interest. Let the chips fall... Publication of such data could perhaps reduce the possibility of further perpetuation of the "rob 'em blind so they can't see who did it" practices.

Those who abuse the power of their government and government-related positions (increasingly many government functions have became privatized) and are working to turn the Government into a facade erode and ultimately ruin the confidence that We The People can govern ourselves. (What does "Government _is_ the problem" really mean? ...in the minds of those repeating it, regardless of what the initial intention may or may not have been; slogans pack lasting meme power...)

"Every minute, a sucker is born." -- P.T. Barnum

[BambooHarvester]

All of bush's whores and all of bush's "men" couldn't put Iraq back together again
~

[Dusty Campbell]

hmmm looks like things are all well and good in iraq now, i guess youll have to find someting else to misconstrude, misjudge, and complain about.