September 24, 2008 | Read Time: 1 minute
Former presidents Bill Clinton and George H. W. Bush announced today the creation of a new fund to help victims of the hurricanes that recently ravaged Texas and other parts of the Gulf Coast.
“Here we are again,” Mr. Bush quipped, “the political odd couple.”
Mr. Bush, the father of the current president, solicited donations for the fund, the Bush Clinton Coastal Recovery Fund, and plugged its Web site.
He said families in Galveston, Tex., and elsewhere continue to suffer from the storms, with many homes still lacking electricity and many schools closed. “Life is anything but normal down there,” he said.
(Charities tell The Chronicle that the needs are far greater than the money raised so far.)
He said that former secretary of state James Baker will lead the program. Perhaps in a nod towards problems faced by a similar fund the former presidents created to benefit victims of Hurricane Katrina, Mr. Clinton promised that Mr. Baker would “count every dollar” and “get the money out on time.”
Mr. Bush said he appreciated the warm welcome by the participants, saying that he wasn’t sure he could get into the prestigious event. “When I told them I knew Bono, everything worked out fine.”
