Red-Faced White House Retreats

The Bush administration accused former President Clinton on Thursday of triggering violence in the Middle East with his failed peacemaking effort, but then withdrew the assertion as a regrettable mistake.

"No United States President, including President Clinton, is to blame for violence in the Middle East," an abashed White House press secretary Ari Fleischer said as he tried to quiet the storm he had touched off earlier by criticizing Clinton to reporters.

"It is unfortunate that the spokesman for the president, in dealing with the Middle East, is trying to pass blame," Clinton spokeswoman Julia Payne said before Fleischer's statement of regret. "They would be better off using their energies to facilitate the peace process."

Fleischer said his comments did not reflect the position of the administration and said his boss, President Bush, supported Clinton's efforts to bring about a comprehensive peace in the Middle East.

But CBS News Chief White House correspondent John Roberts reports that Fleischer's public comments echoed the opinion held privately by many people in the administration, including the President.

President Bush's national security adviser, Condoleezza Rice, and Secretary of State Colin Powell were distressed by the fallout of Fleischer's remarks.

And sources told CBS News that Sandy Berger, who was Clinton national security adviser, called Rice to complain that the accusations were "outrageous" and "way over the top."

Administration officials said Rice told Fleischer he had to retract the statement and the President agreed. At first, though, the spokesman declined to pull back.

Mr. Bush's advisers were concerned that Fleischer had mistakenly indicated the president was disinterested in peacemaking between Israel and the Arabs.

A Bush administration official, who spoke after Fleischer issued his statement and asked not to be identified, said: "We agree completely that President Clinton made tireless, energetic efforts to bring peace to the Middle East."

It all began at the daily informal exchange Fleischer holds with White House reporters.

"In an attempt to shoot at the moon and get nothing, more violence resulted," he said of Clinton's attempt to prod Israel and the Palestinians into a settlement and the violence that ensued after he failed.

Peppered for a year by critics saying the Bush administration was not playing an active peacemaking role in contrast to Clinton's hands-on approach, Fleischer noted that the 17-month Palestinian uprising broke out during Clinton's presidency.