Bush Administration Catches Friendly Fire From Republican Darrell Issa

Republican Congressman Darrell Issa is still not taking Former Bush speechwriter David Frum seriously. He went on CNN’s Rick’s List earlier today to clarify comments he made to the Huffington Post yesterday suggesting that Frum’s advice to Republicans– that they have tried to negotiate more on the health care reform bill– should be completely disregarded because of his former employer. And by clarify, we mean reinforce: “When he says we should have done something, he forgets the man he worked for should have done something.”

Rick Sanchez gave Issa some time to explain his grief with Frum, but the Bush White House got the worst of the attack. “This was an administration that didn’t watch the pennies… [George W. Bush] really didn’t put any emphasis into dealing with the spiraling up costs of health care… that administration is certainly pretty absent on cost control.”

Sanchez then followed up asking the obviously question of whether Issa’s opinion extended to all members of the Bush administration. Issa defended “some Cabinet officers,” Bush, and Dick Cheney, and, on whether his public attacks were appropriate, responded: “as a Republican, you don’t throw them under the bus, but you also don’t sugarcoat the fact that they weren’t perfect.”

Watch Issa’s appearance on Rick’s List below:

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