Don't blame Kerry/Edwards for Iraq. Iraq is Bush's mess, a huge mess.

[Robin Hood]

Everyone has their panties in a bunch over what Kerry/Edwards said on 60 minutes in regards to voting for the war resolution against Iraq. This is what they're stance have been all along.

They voted for the resolution because they were assured by Bush that he would use the U.N. and build a coalition to push towards the dis-arming of Iraq. They were assured by Bush Co. that the president needed some teeth in dealing with Iraq and he(Saddam)needed to be shown that we meant business. However, actual war would be the last resort after all other options were to be completely exhausted.

They were lied to by Bush and Bush's CIA. They had no intention of dealing with the U.N., they had no intention of building a coalition unless you consider that rag-tag "Coalition of the willing" to be anything but a tragic joke. They had no intention of using war as the last resort, instead it was the first solution.

The real issue is not that people voted for the war resolution. The real issue is that Bush took us to war under false pretenses and exagerated lies. Why doesn't one of these harpie so called journalist ask Bush if he really thinks that the cost of war is worth the fact that Iraq was an unarmed nation that posed no threat to the U.S.?

Or, How about asking the dumb ass why he so obviously rushed into Iraq when he made promises to seek out every other alternative but war? Why is it costing hundreds of billions/trillions of dollars, instead of 1.7 billion? Why aren't they treating us as liberators, especially if getting rid of Saddam was such a great thing?

And last but not least, Ask Bush if he thinks that the lives of our soldiers and the lives of innocent Iraqi's was worth the Bush/Saud powergrab for Iraq's oil?

This is where the blame lies, this is who sent our soldiers into harms way based on lies. Don't blame the victims(Kerry/Edwards), blame the victimizer in chief. Let's set this record straight.

[Rose Siding]

1. Most of the Dems in Congress knew better than to trust Bush

126 in the House. 21 in the Senate.

http://www.clw.org/control/iraqvote.html

[still_one]

2. Then why didn't Kerry say what he said about a year ago:

“This was the hardest vote I have ever had to cast in my entire career,” Kerry said. “I voted for the resolution to get the inspectors in there, period. Remember, for seven and a half years we were destroying weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. In fact, we found more stuff there than we thought we would. After that came those four years when there was no intelligence available about what was happening over there. I believed we needed to get the weapons inspectors back in. I believed Bush needed this resolution in order to get the U.N. to put the inspectors back in there. The only way to get the inspectors back in was to present Bush with the ability to threaten force legitimately. That’s what I voted for.”

“The way Powell, Eagleberger, Scowcroft, and the others were talking at the time,” continued Kerry, “I felt confident that Bush would work with the international community. I took the President at his word. We were told that any course would lead through the United Nations, and that war would be an absolute last resort. Many people I am close with, both Democrats and Republicans, who are also close to Bush told me unequivocally that no decisions had been made about the course of action. Bush hadn’t yet been hijacked by Wolfowitz, Perle, Cheney and that whole crew. Did I think Bush was going to charge unilaterally into war? No. Did I think he would make such an incredible mess of the situation? No. Am I angry about it? You’re God damned right I am. I chose to believe the President of the United States. That was a terrible mistake.”

[Robin Hood]

6. Becuae the spotlight hasn't really been on him until now.

His quote is exactly what happened. Bush lied to everyone.

[lojasmo]

9. why the hell didn't kerry/edwards know

If I did, with absolute certainty that the administration was lying?

Perhaps they're both simply fools.

[Forkboy]

3. And if we're still there a year from now

it will be Kerry's mess,like it or not.

[NNN0LHI]

4. As well it should be. No one is arguing with that n/t

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

5. What he should say is, "I will immediately remove the troops."

Instead of playing handmaiden to Boobya.

[Robin Hood]

7. True, but...

As Colin Powell said. We brake it we own it. At this point the only solution is to replace the face of America and that may help to get the U.N. involved in rebuilding Iraq.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

8. And, the way to do that is..?

Kerry has said that he wants to involve NATO. NATO has said that it wants no part of the briar patch. Kerry said that he wants to involve the UN. The UN refuses to get involved unless control of the military is handed over to them. Kerry wants to send MORE troops to Iraq, which is exactly the problem there now.

If Kerry wants to "replace the face of America", he has to start showing a different face.

[pathansen]

10. Yes, if Kerry had been President, he would have listened to UN

(most likely)or at least waited longer rather than fabricate an immediate, urgent need to go to war in Iraq and we would not be in this Iraq mess.
No Senators knew about what Richard Clarke, Paul O'Neil and others have stated regarding Bush being obsessed with going to war with Iraq.
Here are some specific things I have understood Kerry to say that contrasts with what Bush has done with war on terror:
* He would focus on diplomacy with other countries;
* He would use more intelligence before taking action;
* Keeping us safe at home (homeland security) would have priority over invading other countries.
However, since we are already in this huge mess in Iraq, he realizes that he can't just immediately pull out.

[Ducks In A Row]

11. Blame assigned only in that Congress...

rolled over and played dead for Bush. They were afraid to insist on control of declaring war. They were afraid to get at the truth. Truth so many of us could see in front of our faces (and many of us were emailing our Congress people, so they can't really say they weren't warned.

I wish Kerry and Edwards would stand up and take the blame they own, the blame for not standing against the Bush machine when it count.


I'm still voting for them, but I wish they were being more honest. It would be a nice contrast.

[MercutioATC]

12. Either they were too weak or too stupid to vote correctly.

Personally, I believe they were too weak, but neither scenario thrills me. They SHOULD have stood up and voted their consciences, not followed popular opinion in an attempt to save their jobs.

If they really were fooled by Bush, they were just stupid. Who trusts an opposition President who's surrounded himself with advisors that stand just to the right of Attila the Hun? I HOPE they were just trying to save their political asses.