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When will the White House stop blaming President Bush?

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    Former U.S. Ambassador John Bolton reacts

  • Duration 8:19
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It's a tired old tactic we've been hearing from President Obama and his team since 2008 blame bush.

And with president not been able to run on his record it comes as no surprise that three plus years later everything is still George Bush's fault.

The White House is even pointing the finger of blame at the former president over North Korea's failed missile launch last week.

But while the president wants to blame George Bush for all the woes of the world he's also made a habit out of taking credit for his predecessor's accomplishments.

For example the 2007 troop surge which helps stabilize Iraq somehow that is now -- team Obama's win column.

Remember when Vice President Biden said this.

I am very optimistic about.

About Iraq and -- can we were one of the great achievements in this administration.

And the list of cherry picking goes on for example Osama bin Laden may have been killed under president Obama's lot.

There was a bush Cheney program of enhanced interrogations that led to intelligence that helped us find bin Laden.

Techniques by the way that Barack Obama strongly denounced joining me with reaction is Fox News contributor ambassador John Bolton.

Master Bolton good to have you on thanks for joining us this evening.

-- here you know as I as I go through that whole list I just think to myself it's sort of the audacity of audacity -- -- to the extent that there have been foreign policy successes on this president's watch.

They're built on policies the last administration and you know I'm wondering did they say thank you and I missed it somehow.

Now why I don't think you missed -- -- in fact did the killing of Osama bin Laden is it is a perfect example and indeed it's the cornerstone.

Of the Obama reelection argument that foreign policies off the table because bin Laden's dead Gaddafi is dead Anwar Al -- he's dead.

Whereas in fact be the only thing that Barack Obama did.

In connection with killing Osama bin Laden is get out of the way.

You can say that bin Laden was killed while Obama was president that's certainly true but he was not killed.

Because Obama was president all of the steps beginning with the intelligence gathering you mentioned all the preparation all the planning.

For the Navy SEALs all the rest of it was in train ever since nine elevenths.

And for Obama to take credit is a little bit like Richard Nixon in 1969.

Taking credit for Americans landing on the moon.

Let's set -- let's talk about Iran for just a second John.

You've had the former national security advisor Jim Jones say just recently that Iran in fact could be contained as we've contained other nations with nuclear weapons.

We know now that talks with the Ronnie -- have been scheduled to resume on May 23.

You've got people from the administration saying this is evidence of huge success then it looks to me like basically we've now got about five weeks for the Iraq means to continue their program unobstructed.

No I think it's been clear for some time that the Obama administration.

Doesn't really.

That put a priority on stopping Iran from getting nuclear weapons they say that's their policy.

But for three and a half years they haven't done -- thing to materially restrain Iran's ability to achieve that objective in fact if you look at the pressure that they've put on Israel not to take military action against Iran.

You'd have to say that Obama fears an Israeli strike against the Iran in program.

More than he fears in Iran in nuclear weapon and it's because of what Jim Jones and others have said the Obama people believe.

Delusional lay in my view that you can contain and deter a nuclear Iran I think that's crazy but I think that's their real plan today.

And at the same time we've got the president in South Korea whispering basically two.

President met me yet that in fact.

He's gonna have more flexibility and missile defense after the election.

I notice -- you said recently that our our missile defense cannot rely on the kind.

Misfire that the north Koreans experienced.

Asked how concerned are you when you hear the president basically saying he's want to be flexible on that critical part of -- national security.

Well you know I think that overheard conversation.

Is is just the epitome of what to worry about in an Obama second term and indeed even in the conversation with -- -- yet.

Obama said beyond missile defense there'd be flexibility is well.

This is what happens if he is reelected and never has to worry about those pesky voters anymore he has pursued.

Extraordinarily.

Dangerous -- when it comes to America's security.

Massive unbelievable budget cuts.

In the Defense Department and in the intelligence services I think he's perfectly prepared to see them happen because he's mistrustful of American power doesn't think we needed.

He has pursued policies of withdrawal from Iraq and Afghanistan.

That are gonna leave us more vulnerable to both terrorism and nuclear proliferation.

Across the board this is -- president.

Who is comfortable with American declined weakness and believe me our adversaries understand it very well.

-- we've had presidents in the past obviously you have been bad foreign policy presidents but.

In your view John that we had presidents before -- -- it's dedicated to the notion that it was important to limit American power than America's role in the world.

Ought to be constrained as opposed to encouraged.

Well I think he's the first one who's been able to.

Implemented in so many perilous -- certainly he's very close set philosophically to Michael Dukakis to Jimmy Carter.

They did -- the Dukakis never elected Carter had his own problems Obama has said because of the majority's he had in the first two years in particular was able to ram through the new start arms control treaty.

Through the senate very detrimental to American national security.

The budget cuts because of the -- -- -- sequestration deal that was cut on the hill are gonna have dramatically negative effects on our.

Military capabilities all around the world and I think in a second term Obama is multilateralism.

His affinity.

For international law international organizations will really come to the four I think he's been.

Constrained in the first term because of the fear of the political consequences.

I think it's Katy bar the door and a second term.

Yet you've -- some important work recently on on the damage that this president is doing to American sovereignty and I think that's something that people don't necessarily focus on -- understand that.

It's very -- -- he continues to embrace some of these international organizations that in fact don't put America first.

Now -- say they -- the USS sums up -- very well on the first three words of the constitution we the people so when you hear.

That's suggestions to pool -- share American sovereignty you're talking about.

Pooling -- sharing American power over decisions that affect their own lives and that is a very dangerous direction to pursue in my in my view.

In -- -- as you look at what's gonna happen hopefully we'll have a new president take office and January next year.

What are some of the first things the next secretary of state needs to do.

Well I think absolute priority has got to be to deal with the Iran and North Korean nuclear weapons programs.

-- it for three years plus unfortunately even going back into the Bush Administration I think these these programs have been allowed to proceed in a very dangerous.

Fashion if Iran gets nuclear weapons it won't stop there other countries Saudi Arabia Egypt Turkey.

Perhaps others in the region will get nuclear weapons and and the world will get progressively significantly more dangerous.

At the same time the war on terror goes on despite the presence unwilling to recognize it.

We've got have more and more assertive Russia and we've got a rising China we have no strategy to deal with them even on our border we see.

Civil society in Mexico collapsing because of the drug cartels.

The president hasn't wanted to talk about national security for the last three years.

But just because he's not talking about it doesn't mean the problems haven't been growing around the world I think.

President Romney is assuming he's elected is going to have a very full plate even while he's trying to get the domestic economy going again.

Well on it and all the more reason why we've got to make sure that next president president -- -- takes office in January next year -- not not for years from them thank you John.

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