George W. Bush in Her Way: The Hopes and Ambitions of Hillary Rodham Clinton

On Homeland Security: 9/11: The people who attacked us will hear from us soon

After the 9/11 memorial service in Washington, Hillary went to New York, as did Bush. At Ground Zero, Bush made his iconic appearance, rallying rescue workers and telling the crowd through a bullhorn, “I can hear you. The rest of the world hears you. And the people who knocked these buildings down will hear all of us soon.” Hillary stood nearby and cheered the president’s vow. Source: Her Way, by Jeff Gerth & Don Van Natta, p.235 Jun 8, 2007

On Homeland Security: Either you are with us or you are with the terrorists

On September 20, Pres. Bush addressed a joint session of Congress. He formally identified Al Qaeda as the perpetrator of the September 11 attacks. “Either you are with us or you are with the terrorists,” Bush declared. “From this day forward, any nation that continues to harbor or support terrorism will be regarded by the US as a hostile regime.” Nearly a dozen times during the speech, cameras showed Hillary rolling her eyes, clapping without enthusiasm, or shaking her head while occasionally guffawing. Source: Her Way, by Jeff Gerth & Don Van Natta, p.235 Jun 8, 2007

On War & Peace: 2002: Clear that war vote was to strike Iraq, not diplomacy

Several days before the Iraq Resolution vote in Congress, President Bush made a speech, leaving no doubt he was prepared to strike Iraq. The president, secondarily, spoke of one last try and diplomacy. Hillary gravitated toward this option and hoped that Bush was serious when he mentioned it.

A day after the speech, she had a rare opportunity to explore whether he was. Hillary and a few other senators met privately at the White House with the president and some of his advisors. The president had “no recollection of Sen. Clinton asking a question” at the meeting.

Given the subsequent revelations regarding the Bush administration’s inaccurate statements during the run-up to eh war, it is impossible to know if the president and Rice were telling the truth about the exchange with Hillary. But both seem to agree that Hillary’s opportunity to push the president regarding diplomacy--if for no other reason to get it on the record that she had done so--was squandered.

Source: Her Way, by Jeff Gerth & Don Van Natta, p.243 Jun 8, 2007

The above quotations are from Her Way The Hopes and Ambitions of Hillary Rodham Clinton, by Jeff Gerth & Don Van Natta Jr. . Click here for main summary page. Click here for a profile of George W. Bush. Click here for George W. Bush on all issues.
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