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| Clinton says gains made under him being erased |
| 2003-06-25 |
| Gaaaaaag OK now that that's out of the way I can Post this piece of Americana: Politicalus CoverAssus Former President Bill Clinton on Tuesday pointed his finger at the Bush administration, saying it is erasing accomplishments that he worked hard to achieve. Clinton said the United States cannot be strong abroad, a reference to the war on terrorism, and weak or divided at home over social issues. "Terror cannot defeat us," he said at the 32nd annual Rainbow/PUSH Coalition Convention. "We can hurt ourselves by responding to the threat of terror in a way that compromises the character of this country and the future of our children." Although Clinton began several sentences with the phrase, "When I was president," he did praise the Bush administration for continuing to fight AIDS and giving assistance to poor countries to grow their way out of poverty. Clinton has been a supporter of affirmative action. So it was no surprise that a day after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled universities can continue to use race as a factor when admitting students, but said a point-based system giving extra points to minorities went too far, he voiced his views on the matter. "Minority students, especially African Americans and Latinos, are disproportionately less likely to have a level playing field in public schools in the years running up to college," Clinton said. "If we had equal spending and educational quality in every single public school in this country, we wouldn't need affirmative action for college admissions anymore," he said. While the former president said he hopes affirmative action will not always be necessary, he said he was uncertain Monday's decision will hasten that outcome. Clinton also spoke about President Bush's tax cut plan that, for him, will equal an estimated $80,000 windfall. He said he'd rather not get a check if it means cutting education, health care, after-school programs and raising the cost of student loans. He encouraged the mostly black audience to vote for leaders who have their best interests at heart. Some audience members marveled at Clinton's support for issues that matter to them. "He gave insight to things that we overlook," said Ryan Fields, 20, a Morehouse College student from the Beverly neighborhood. "It's like the Trojan horse. The [enemy] warriors are coming out at night, and that could mean slavery, if we allow it." |
| Posted by:Frank G |