Clinton Congratulates Bush

Former president Bill Clinton has congratulated President Bush on Saddam Hussein's capture.

In a statement issued by his office Sunday afternoon, Clinton said: "Saddam Hussein's capture is a tribute to the skill and bravery of our troops and the good work of our intelligence officers. I know President Bush is very proud of our troops today. I congratulate him and them."

Clinton said he was glad Hussein was captured alive "so he can be brought before the bar of justice."

"I hope his capture will speed Iraq's transformation to a secure and self-governing nation and increase international support for and involvement in meeting the big challenges ahead," he added.

The 42nd president and his wife, New York Sen. Hillary Clinton, have been sharply critical of Bush's handling of the Iraq war.

Last week Sen. Clinton complained that Bush was "obsessed" with Hussein, suggesting that his obsession drove him to take military action prematurely.

She also criticized the Bush administration for trying "to make do with as few troops as possible, as light a footprint as they could get away with."

"Now we're playing catch-up," Mrs. Clinton groused to reporters. "Unfortunately, I don't think [the Bush administration] fully appreciated the conditions we would encounter."

Sen. Clinton, who is scheduled to deliver what her office is calling "a major foreign policy address" at the Council on Foreign Relations on Monday, told reporters that Saddam's capture offers the "potential" to bring peace to Iraq, adding that she hoped his interrogation would lead to more information about Iraq's weapons of mass destruction.

Asked last week whether she thought the U.S. needed to capture Osama bin Laden, Mrs. Clinton emphatically told NBC's "Meet the Press": "We'd better. We'd better."

On the eve of his impeachment nearly five years ago to the day, President Clinton ordered air strikes on Iraq in what many believe was an attempt to derail congressional proceedings against him.

After he was impeached, Mr. Clinton ordered an end to military action.

Editor's Note: Saddam Hussein – "The Ace of Spades" – has been captured. Get your set of the official Pentagon playing cards – first offered to the public on NewsMax. You can celebrate America and George Bush with these cards – soon to be a collector's item. Also check out our FREE offer for these cards – Click Here Now.

Read more on this subject in related Hot Topics:
George W. Bush
Impeachment
Saddam Hussein/Iraq
Sen. Hillary Clinton