Bush Says He Won’t Criticize Obama, Then Lays Into Him
Former President George W. Bush, appearing Friday with his predecessor, Bill Clinton, in what turned out to be a collegial conversation rather than a spirited debate, once again said he would not criticize President Obama — then proceeded to do just that.
“International pressure — diplomacy only works if there’s leverage,” Mr. Bush said. “It sounds wonderful — ‘Let’s go talk to people’ — but you better have leverage in order to make diplomacy work.”
During his presidential campaign, Mr. Obama vowed to open dialogues with rulers of rogue nations, such as Iran and Cuba. After taking office, he lifted restrictions on visits to Cuba — a significant shift in U.S. policy. He also spoke amiably with Venezualan President Hugo Chavez, a vocal critic of the United States.
Asked whether he agreed with opening a dialogue with Cuba, Mr. Bush smiled and said to laughter, “Thank you for bringing up President Obama.”
“Holding that embargo in place is important,” he said. By easing it, “you’re propping up a regime who puts people in prison based upon their political views. So my view is, if they empty out the prisons and give people a voice, then we change our strategy with Cuba — but not until then.”
But Mr. Bush sought to label his criticism as constructive. “Anything I say is not to be critical of my successor. I didn’t like it when my predecessors criticized me. He never did, by the way,” Mr. Bush said, nodding toward Mr. Clinton.
