Bush or Clinton: Stronger President?

Annie

Diamond Member
Nov 22, 2003
50,848
4,828
1,790
No surprise to most here, however it's interesting when those associated with Clinton and Gore conclude that Bush has been stronger:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/08/01/AR2005080101546.html
Privilege at Stake With Nominees
Bush Aims to Reassert Presidential Power in Debate Over Roberts, Bolton

By Peter Baker
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, August 2, 2005; A06

At the heart of battles over President Bush's nominations to the Supreme Court and United Nations is a broader -- and largely successful -- campaign to reassert executive prerogatives lost under his predecessor and limit public access to the internal workings of government.

In the case of both nominations, Democratic senators demanded certain documents from executive branch deliberations to help them evaluate Bush's choices, and he refused. The president got around Democratic opposition to John R. Bolton yesterday by giving him a 17-month recess appointment as ambassador to the United Nations. Now the two sides face a weeks-long stare-down over John G. Roberts Jr. heading into confirmation hearings after Labor Day.

The principle at stake is one that has been a source of friction over the limits of presidential power since George Washington. Under President Bill Clinton, multiple clashes with Congress, the judiciary and independent counsel Kenneth W. Starr chipped away at attorney-client and executive privileges on sensitive documents and conversations. But since coming to power, Bush has doggedly reclaimed turf that eroded under Clinton, asserting the power of his office to shield everything from energy policy deliberations to the papers of past presidents.

"For better or worse, the Bush administration has done a much more effective job than we did of protecting privileges," said Ronald A. Klain, a lawyer who served as chief of staff to Vice President Al Gore.

Clinton waged many battles over privileges but lost some of them in court and surrendered others in the interest of damage control. In a showdown with the Senate opposition over something like the Roberts papers, Klain recalled, a politically and legally weakened Clinton White House often would find a compromise to end the dispute.

"I have no doubt that if that had been us, we would have turned over the papers," Klain said. "I'm not saying that's a good thing; I'm not saying that's a bad thing. But whenever we walked up to the brink, we blinked. And these guys don't, and they're prepared to pay the price for it."

The fights over the Roberts and Bolton papers have demonstrated that the merits of presidential privileges often hinge as much on political interest as legal principle. Some of those who argued most vociferously against the use of privilege to withhold documents during the Clinton administration now find themselves on the opposite side, and vice versa.

Starr, for instance, regularly rejected privilege claims during the Whitewater and Monica S. Lewinsky investigations. But in the Roberts case, the White House cites a letter signed by all living former solicitors general opposing disclosure of internal working papers from that office -- including Starr, who held that post under President George H.W. Bush and was Roberts's supervisor....
 
he and his "wife". Bush has built up a wall of integrity that allows him to resist calls for documents that might be withheld due to "Executive Privilege". Ultimately this, of course, is bound up with "Watergate" and Nixons' fight against Congress. It's a pity. Congress is, once again, attempting to assert its' power over the executive without the Constitutional authority to so act.
 
Creating a "stronger" executive branch, in this article, seems to be directly correlated to what is known as "stonewalling".

So Bush is willing to run the most secretive administration since Nixon; so he's willing to give the littlest information and offer the fewest press conferences of any president since the color t.v.; so he's willing to bypass the Geneva convention "just because he's the president"; so he exerts toe-the-line control over his party's legislative members, and never has to clash with them, because when he says jump they're already on their way down.

"Power", in the context of the article, seems to be a positive thing. I'd calling it secrecy, stonewalling, pigheaded stubborness, and jingoism. Semantics.
 
nakedemperor said:
Creating a "stronger" executive branch, in this article, seems to be directly correlated to what is known as "stonewalling".

So Bush is willing to run the most secretive administration since Nixon; so he's willing to give the littlest information and offer the fewest press conferences of any president since the color t.v.; so he's willing to bypass the Geneva convention "just because he's the president"; so he exerts toe-the-line control over his party's legislative members, and never has to clash with them, because when he says jump they're already on their way down.

"Power", in the context of the article, seems to be a positive thing. I'd calling it secrecy, stonewalling, pigheaded stubborness, and jingoism. Semantics.

Good analysis. The reason he does not deal with the press is that he can not speak English properly. He probably also doesn't like to have his statements scrutinized by objective people.
 
nakedemperor said:
Creating a "stronger" executive branch, in this article, seems to be directly correlated to what is known as "stonewalling".

So Bush is willing to run the most secretive administration since Nixon; so he's willing to give the littlest information and offer the fewest press conferences of any president since the color t.v.; so he's willing to bypass the Geneva convention "just because he's the president"; so he exerts toe-the-line control over his party's legislative members, and never has to clash with them, because when he says jump they're already on their way down.

"Power", in the context of the article, seems to be a positive thing. I'd calling it secrecy, stonewalling, pigheaded stubborness, and jingoism. Semantics.
I didn't realize Bush was that great until you built him up and put it in perspective. I knew he was the greatest President the USA has ever had, but wow, you make him sound that much better. Its about time we had someone that would bypass the Geneva convention. Why should we be the only country in the world that even knows what it is, much less go by it?
 
Without dispute Clinton.

This week Clinton was cheered by thousands as he spoke to the national black caucus. He was greeted by thousands as he visited the tsunami victims. Most polls, during the last election suggested that If they had a choice between him, GW or John Kerry, the people would had chosen Clinton.

Face it, he's hot!!! He can do no wrong and it burns you conservatives up!!!

If Bill Clinton had decalre war on Iraq, as President of the United States, no country would had objected because Bill had Global Political Capital, something GW never had.

Everyone in California wants Swartzy to be eligible for the presidency. While we're at it, why not allow Clinton to run again for president, as an independent?
 
manu1959 said:
my president could kick your presidents ass

Once he saw a pretty lady walk by, he'd trip on his tongue, and knock himself out, and you'd win with a tko. :rotflmao:
 
hylandrdet said:
Without dispute Clinton.

This week Clinton was cheered by thousands as he spoke to the national black caucus. He was greeted by thousands as he visited the tsunami victims. Most polls, during the last election suggested that If they had a choice between him, GW or John Kerry, the people would had chosen Clinton.

Face it, he's hot!!! He can do no wrong and it burns you conservatives up!!!

If Bill Clinton had decalre war on Iraq, as President of the United States, no country would had objected because Bill had Global Political Capital, something GW never had.

Everyone in California wants Swartzy to be eligible for the presidency. While we're at it, why not allow Clinton to run again for president, as an independent?

There isn't one single thing to be jeolous of an adulterer, shady business deals, let's talk about liers(right smack to the faces of his people, I DID NOT HAVE SEX WITH THAT WOMEN), what do you consider sex, is, is what you mean is, is or what I mean what is, is?? But of course it's no surprise you all find this man to be a perfect individual...... :ssex:
 
Stephanie said:
There isn't one single thing to be jeolous of an adulterer, shady business deals, let's talk about liers(right smack to the faces of his people, I DID NOT HAVE SEX WITH THAT WOMEN), what do you consider sex, is, is what you mean is, is or what I mean what is, is?? But of course it's no surprise you all find this man to be a perfect individual...... :ssex:

Further explains why they call Bush a liar. He tells the truth and they believe its a lie. In their warped mind it is because it depends on what their meaning of truth is.
 
hylandrdet said:
Without dispute Clinton.

This week Clinton was cheered by thousands as he spoke to the national black caucus. He was greeted by thousands as he visited the tsunami victims. Most polls, during the last election suggested that If they had a choice between him, GW or John Kerry, the people would had chosen Clinton.

Face it, he's hot!!! He can do no wrong and it burns you conservatives up!!!

If Bill Clinton had decalre war on Iraq, as President of the United States, no country would had objected because Bill had Global Political Capital, something GW never had.

Everyone in California wants Swartzy to be eligible for the presidency. While we're at it, why not allow Clinton to run again for president, as an independent?


his wanger in his pants while the young intern.....
 
nakedemperor said:
Creating a "stronger" executive branch, in this article, seems to be directly correlated to what is known as "stonewalling".

So Bush is willing to run the most secretive administration since Nixon; so he's willing to give the littlest information and offer the fewest press conferences of any president since the color t.v.; so he's willing to bypass the Geneva convention "just because he's the president"; so he exerts toe-the-line control over his party's legislative members, and never has to clash with them, because when he says jump they're already on their way down.

"Power", in the context of the article, seems to be a positive thing. I'd calling it secrecy, stonewalling, pigheaded stubborness, and jingoism. Semantics.

Dubbyuh's administration leaves me pining for the good old days of the Nixon Administration. Nixon was a cheap piker compared to the rat-bastards now occupying the White House. The only thing they tried to cover up was a bit of political skull-duggery. Dubbyuh and his merry band are trying to cover up a war based on false pretenses.
 
Stephanie said:
There isn't one single thing to be jeolous of an adulterer, shady business deals, let's talk about liers(right smack to the faces of his people, I DID NOT HAVE SEX WITH THAT WOMEN), what do you consider sex, is, is what you mean is, is or what I mean what is, is?? But of course it's no surprise you all find this man to be a perfect individual...... :ssex:

Clinton lied about a blow-job in the Oval Office. Dubbyuh lied to take this nation into a war.
 
Bullypulpit said:
Dubbyuh's administration leaves me pining for the good old days of the Nixon Administration. Nixon was a cheap piker compared to the rat-bastards now occupying the White House. The only thing they tried to cover up was a bit of political skull-duggery. Dubbyuh and his merry band are trying to cover up a war based on false pretenses.



George Bush Sr...George Bush Jr...Bill Clinton....Powell...all members of the "Tri Lateral" the list goes on and on....they all are guilty of deceiving us all...from the mouth of babes comes the truth forward....learn before you speak...things are not always as they seem...Globalization is the name of the game...we all suffer the consequences....get a grip rather than the so called party lines..they all sleep in the same bed! :blowup:
 
Bullypulpit said:
Clinton lied about a blow-job in the Oval Office. Dubbyuh lied to take this nation into a war.

Well..........if they are both liars..........it's pretty clear what the nation wants to believe, and who they want to be their leader.
 
kurtsprincess said:
Well..........if they are both liars..........it's pretty clear what the nation wants to believe, and who they want to be their leader.

Judging from recent poll numbers, it ain't Dubbyuh. :D
 
Stephanie said:
There isn't one single thing to be jeolous of an adulterer, shady business deals, let's talk about liers(right smack to the faces of his people, I DID NOT HAVE SEX WITH THAT WOMEN), what do you consider sex, is, is what you mean is, is or what I mean what is, is?? But of course it's no surprise you all find this man to be a perfect individual...... :ssex:

Steph, Bill understood that there are a multitude of religions that refuse to acknowledge oral sex as legitimate sex. He's an attorney and he's quite smart; well, smarter than Dub-ya.

"Slick" is not a negative term. If someone calls you slick, they're saying that you are very good at dodging things. "slick willy" would had the UN begging to go to war against Iraq; our troops would had began its withdrawl by now.

Love him or hate him, Bill Clinton IS THE MAN!!! The world will listen to him before they ever listen to GW!!! That's the bottom line...Deal!!!

By the way, are you Kathy's apprentice?
 
kurtsprincess said:
Polls don't impress me much.....the silent majority is what impresses me and they have a tendency to speak up when it's important.

Yeah, but the White House is paying attention to the polls. And you better believe they're trying to reverse the trend. But with several scandals brewing and an increasingly unpopular war in Iraq, it ain't gonna happen...Barring another major terrorist attack on US soil. Hmmm...
 
hylandrdet said:
. "slick willy" would had the UN begging to go to war against Iraq; our troops would had began its withdrawl by now.

Really? You think he would have built up a colation prior to invading Iraq? Read this little interesting compilation of information and see what you think.

Wag the Dog
 

Forum List

Back
Top