Clinton Praises Response to Crisis

WASHINGTON —  Former President Clinton, who has maintained a low-key public role since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, Saturday praised the Bush administration’s “measured” response to the crisis.

Appearing with former Republican presidential candidate Bob Dole to announce a campaign to raise $100 million for a scholarship fund for children and spouses of the victims, Clinton said he is “very impressed” with President Bush’s candor in preparing the American public for a long struggle.

Dole, the former Senate majority leader who ran against Clinton in 1996 and lost, also commended the administration’s “prudence and patience.” He said Bush did the right thing in ignoring recommendations--most notably from prominent conservatives--for an immediate, “feel-good” counterattack.

“We should not intentionally bring violence to innocent civilians living in Afghanistan, but it’s obvious that the president and the national security team are trying to avoid that,” Clinton said.

“I think I can speak for all Americans in saying that I have been very impressed by the fact that [the Bush administration] told us the truth--that these are difficult decisions; the tactical decisions are difficult,” Clinton said.

Clinton also said he “particularly appreciates” Bush’s denouncing hate crimes and discrimination against Muslims and Arab Americans in the aftermath of the attacks.

A relative newcomer to New York, Clinton has been visiting schools to help children cope with the catastrophe. He and his wife, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, (D-N.Y.), also have visited families of victims and attended memorial services for those who died.

Clinton Criticized for Missile Attack

As president, Clinton ordered cruise missile attacks in response to the 1998 bombings of U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania. The volleys hit training camps used by Osama bin Laden in Afghanistan and a factory in Sudan. The factory strike was called a case of bad target selection by critics, who said the factory was a food processing plant. But administration officials claimed they had intelligence information that it was being used to produce toxins.

Dole, a decorated veteran who was badly wounded in World War II, said, “We have no desire to harm, kill or otherwise cause any problem for innocent victims anywhere.

“There has been a demonstration of prudence and patience” by the Bush administration, Dole said. “There were some urging an immediate response--do it now, make you feel good--but that was declined, fortunately. I think now we’re on the proper path.”

Still, Dole said he believes civilian casualties are probably inevitable. “Collateral damage will probably happen--some of it you can’t avoid,” he said.

The scholarship campaign, called Families of Freedom, will be administered by the Citizens’ Scholarship Foundation of America, the country’s largest scholarship provider.

Foundation president William Nelsen said the goal is to provide at least $100 million in scholarships for college and other post-secondary studies to children and spouses of those killed in the attacks. The families of foreign citizens who died would also be able to receive the aid, which would be awarded according to financial need. More details are available at https://www.familiesoffreedom.org, or by calling 800-335-1102.

Clinton expects good things to come of the program: “I predict that there will be at least a dozen children of victims of this crisis that within 25 years will have made major contributions to the public life of America,” he said.