Reply #19: Kerry did oppose Bush's push to war [View All]

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but what are you arguing? That he could have stopped Bush? I argue that his vote was designed to reign Bush in. Bush was bent on war and would have gone regardless of the concerns of some in Congress who would have been further marginalized without the resolution which required Bush to go to the U.N. Bush did go, but turned on his heel when it looked like they would reject him. The whole effort there, and in Congress, was a sham act to cover for his original intention to invade; quite apart from his public declarations.

You expect quite a lot from one senator. I argue that he was true to his own stated aim of ending the regime of Saddam with international help. The resolution vote was a reflection of that intention to remove Saddam within a responsible framework. Sen. Kerry was consistent in that. He never advocated immediate invasion and occupation. He argued for the opposite, effective he thought, with his resolution vote.

Apart from that he could have voted against the resolution, but I don't believe that 'no' vote would have stopped Bush, put inspectors on the ground, or forced Saddam into a retreat which began with him destroying missiles to forstall invasion.