I think the events that you referenced have been a long time in the making -- the political stalemate which followed the flawed 2000 ... elections was central to the crisis. But at the most basic level, recent events were rooted in [the president's] choices as a leader, in the way he exercised the power of his office. And so that's why we pointed out over the weekend that this was a long-simmering crisis, largely of [the president's] making. He failed to adhere to democratic principles, which contributed to the deep polarization ... in [the country], and his own actions called into question his fitness and ability to continue to govern [the country].

White House spokesperson Scott McClellan on the Haiti situation.

http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2004/03/20040301-4.html