Punch: Obama Calls on George W. Bush to Assist in Haiti Recovery

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January 14, 2010 5:04 PM

DeNies ABC News’ Yunji de Nies reports:

President Barack Obama is enlisting the help of former presidents George W. Bush and Bill Clinton to help organize the relief effort Haiti. Mr. Obama spoke with Mr. Bush last night, and the former president agreed to help in an organizing role, much like those he created for his father and former president Clinton after the 2004 Tsunami and Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005.

“The President believed that the partnership that President George W. Bush created between his dad and former President Clinton was obviously a highly effective way of ensuring that after this phase of the operation, the search-and-rescue phase of this operation, after that concludes, obviously there is still going to be a tremendous need, and there will probably be a tremendous need for many, many months to come, that that’s the best vehicle and the most effective vehicle for setting that up,” White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said.

Mr. Obama’s choice may strike some as curious, given his prolific criticism of Mr. Bush’s handling of the response to Hurricane Katrina. On the 2008 campaign trail, Mr. Obama often cited Bush’s “Brownie Moment” as an example of what he would not do if elected.

“If catastrophe comes, the American people must be able to call on a competent government. When I am President, the days of dysfunction and cronyism in Washington will be over. No more Brownie. No more heads of the Arabian horse assn – in FEMA,” Mr. Obama told a crowd in New Orleans in February of 2008, “Across this city, we see the evidence that George Bush’s promises were empty.”

A month later in Billings, MO, candidate Obama said, “When we hand over Katrina contracts to more of George Bush’s FEMA friends, it doesn’t just violate the American people’s trust, it takes away the tax dollars they’ve earned and the valuable services they need. It’s wrong, and when I am President, it will end.”

On September 11th of that year, Mr. Obama declared that Washington was broken.

“The loss of a civic culture in Washington among public service has led to not only well-known disasters, like the mismanagement of the Katrina situation, but quiet disasters, where you’ve got entire agencies that have been hollowed out and you’ve got political appointees who aren’t concerned with the mission of those organizations,” he said.

When asked why the President now believes Mr. Bush is the right person to help manage relief for Haiti, Gibbs responded, “I guess the answer would probably be contained in why Bill Clinton worked with the guy he beat to come to the White House.”

“I think if you asked George Bush whether the government acted up to its ability in responding to Katrina, I think the answer to that would be no. The actions that were taken to deal with the humanitarian crisis from the tsunami, on the other hand, I think worked quite well,” Gibbs said, “Look, if everything — if I — if everything I criticized precluded me from ever doing something with them on an issue that we agreed on, we’d all be walking around as 300 million people unable to communicate or deal with anybody else.”

January 14, 2010 | Permalink | Share | User Comments (9)

User Comments

Having former Presidents, especially bi-partisan, involved in emergency foreign aid is a great thing for the US. Why spend most of your article focusing on the negative, rather than on the positive gesture of President Obama asking former President George W to assist our country in providing humanitarian aid, desperately needed by another country. Presidents Clinton and George H Bush did a great job in this type of work, especially after the Asian tsunami.

Posted by: Tom | Jan 14, 2010 6:00:31 PM

He only did it because he doesn’t know how to do it himself.

Posted by: jonny | Jan 14, 2010 5:52:39 PM

Since I do not want Obamacare to pass, I went to Scot Brown’s website and made a small donation.

Posted by: deanbob | Jan 14, 2010 5:51:29 PM

This is the first competent action I have seen from the Obama regime. Like a broken clock that’s correct at least twice a day, Obama et al cannot ALWAYS be wrong. Now if he would simply admit his own incompetence and resign (oh nothat would mean Biden!)… All that aside, we all surely want the best for the Haitains and for what’s left of our own country.

Posted by: Honest John | Jan 14, 2010 5:48:55 PM

GWB does charitable work on his own–he does not need Obama to tell him to–the Bushes are Huge contributers to charity–Obama does not get credit for this one–also, Bushes and B Clinton have been friends for years–lay off, libs….

Posted by: sifto77 | Jan 14, 2010 5:36:23 PM

Did you mean Billings, Montana? If so, the abbreviation should be MT. MO refers to Missouri.

Posted by: Scott | Jan 14, 2010 5:35:35 PM

Obama ,the great ego flip flopper!

Posted by: Jack | Jan 14, 2010 5:30:22 PM

It’s a very kind gesture on Obama’s partto invite the pariah back in.

Posted by: tierra | Jan 14, 2010 5:29:06 PM

Wonder who Obama will blame if anything goes wrong? Not Clinton

Posted by: ollie | Jan 14, 2010 5:12:53 PM

More source:

Obama Calls on George W. Bush to Assist in Haiti Recovery ...
Obama Calls on George W. Bush to Assist in Haiti Recovery
FOXNews.com - White House Taps Bush, Clinton to Help Lead Haiti Relief
GEORGE W. BUSH - The Caucus Blog - NYTimes.com

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Submited at Thursday, January 14th, 2010 at 11:01 pm on Politics by fenny
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