September 14, 2001. Afghanistan War resolution. U.S. Senate and House. 534 to 1.

[kpete]

Link to tweet

?s=20

[no_hypocrisy]

1. My late uncle was ecstatic by Rep. Lee's solitary vote.

He was a pacifist and conscientious objector. Spent time in Danbury during WWII. (Wouldn't even agree to peel potatoes for the War Effort.)

He even sent a congratulatory telegram to Jeanette Rankin for her solitary vote against entering WWII.

[honest.abe]

2. The Democrats voting for this were not voting for 20 years of war.

They were voting to get bin Laden and eliminate terror training camps and punish the Taliban.

[gratuitous]

3. If that was true

It's mystifying to me why Democrats didn't do anything about Afghanistan for nearly 20 years if they weren't voting for 20 years of war back in 2001. I mean, I'm a busy guy, but I'd like to think I'd spend at least a little time in 20 years to try to stop an endless lethal boondoggle like the Afghanistan invasion and occupation.

America went mad after the September 11 attacks (just like we went mad in June 1950), and sanity is just beginning to reclaim the upper hand. There are shadowy, powerful forces in our society always waiting and looking for their chance to shove things over the edge, whether it's fighting the worldwide communist menace or the global war on terror. In 2001, the only Democrat in either house of Congress who can say she wasn't gulled is Barbara Lee.

[honest.abe]

4. So you really think Democrats voted for 20 years of war?

[gratuitous]

5. They surely didn't vote against it

So that leaves me to believe that whatever happened after their near-unanimous vote was exactly what they wanted. Whether they wanted it or not, that's what they got for 20 years. Until President Biden pulled the emergency brake last week, none of them put through any legislation to stop what was going on. A shameful record.

[honest.abe]

6. Absurd.

[gratuitous]

7. Isn't it?

None of those elected representatives did anything to undo that 2001 vote for 20 years. They would all like us to know now how opposed they were to that mess in Afghanistan, they just couldn't, you know, bring themselves to do anything about it.

Those are simple facts, and I believe my conclusion is warranted.

[honest.abe]

8. Still absurd.