Bush Says Clinton Is Like a Brother to Him

By Kevin Spak,  Newser Staff
Posted May 30, 2009 9:43 AM CDT
Bush Says Clinton Is Like a Brother to Him
A police officer clears the roadway as hundreds of protesters came out to rally against the arrival of former presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush in Toronto on Friday, May 29, 2009.   (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Nathan Denette)

The audience probably expected a throw-down. What they got was a sewing circle. Bill Clinton and George W. Bush sat down for a friendly chat yesterday in Toronto, emphasis on the friendly. The ex-presidents went out of their way to be agreeable, at times almost seeming like a support group, the New York Times reports. Bush even said that his mother thinks of Clinton “like a son,” then turned and said, "So, brother, good to be with you."

Clinton said he regretted not intervening in Rwanda, saying, "I have no defense." Responded Bush: “You’re being a little tough on yourself.” When Bush was asked about Darfur, Clinton returned the favor, saying, “He did about all he could.” They did manage to disagree on a few things, however: Iraq, Cuba, gay marriage, and the joys of the office. Clinton misses it. “All of a sudden, nobody plays a song” when you arrive, he lamented. Bush doesn’t. “Free at last,” he said. (More Bill Clinton stories.)

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