In a post below, I wrote about statements that Paul Bremer made in February, 2001 that the Bush administration was "paying no attention" to terrorism. I had indicated that, since the new administration had only been in place for a month, that he was more than likely speaking more about the Clinton administration that that of Bush.
Well, it appears that was the case. Today, he has stated that very fact:
In a statement Sunday, Bremer said his remarks three years ago "reflected my frustration" that none of his commission's recommendations had been implemented by Clinton or the new Bush administration.
"Criticism of the new administration, however, was unfair. President Bush had just been sworn into office and could not reasonably be held responsible for the Federal Government's inaction over the preceding 7 months," Bremer's Sunday statement said.
"I regret any suggestion to the contrary. In fact, I have since learned that President Bush had shared some of these frustrations, and had initiated a more direct and comprehensive approach to confronting terrorism consistent with the threats outlined in the National Commission report.
