Salon: On the campaign trail with the un-Bush
Salon (possibly in its death throes) pulls out a terrific profile of Howard Dean, the horse I'm backing for the Democratic nomination.
I have been concerned about his foreign policy stance. He's distinguished himself as the most anti-war candidate extant. But let's see how he says he would do it:
"
s I've said about eight times today," he says, annoyed -- that Saddam must be disarmed, but with a multilateral force under the auspices of the United Nations. If the U.N. in the end chooses not to enforce its own resolutions, then the U.S. should give Saddam 30 to 60 days to disarm, and if he doesn't, unilateral action is a regrettable, but unavoidable, choice.
Easy to say at this late date, but imagine if we'd gone to the UN in September with a timetable, backed with a clear threat of unilateral action. I think things would have gone rather differently
http://www.howardsmusings.com/2003/02/20/salon_on_the_campaign_trail_with_the_unbush.htmlThis is also refereed to by a National Review article (unfotunately conservative, but not neo-con)
I would not normally cite the National Review, as they are definitely not known for fair and balanced reporting, but Jim Geraghty has the most complete list of Dean's recent statements on Iraq, and why some describe him as incoherent:
On January 31, Dean told Ron Brownstein of the Los Angeles Times that "if Bush presents what he considered to be persuasive evidence that Iraq still had weapons of mass destruction, he would support military action, even without U.N. authorization."
And then on Feb. 20, Dean told Salon.com that "if the U.N. in the end chooses not to enforce its own resolutions, then the U.S. should give Saddam 30 to 60 days to disarm, and if he doesn't, unilateral action is a regrettable, but unavoidable, choice."
But a day later, he told the Associated Press that he would not support sending U.S. troops to Iraq unless the United Nations specifically approves the move and backs it with action of its own. "They have to send troops," he said.
Four days later on PBS's News Hour with Jim Lehrer, Dean said United Nations authorization was a prerequisite for war. "We need to respect the legal rights that are involved here," Dean said. "Unless they are an imminent threat, we do not have a legal right, in my view, to attack them."
http://www.topdog04.com/000071.htmlBut Dean, even as Governor is said to have relished not being able to be pinned down on issues and as being vague on EVERYTHING, in order to avoid being criticized for any stance he may have taken.
This is recently noticable on DU for when Kucinich Brought up Deans stance on raising the Social Security age, Dean lied adn said he never said any such thing and was slammed in the media when they brought up all of the times since 1995 in which he stated he was considering the idea. On DU we saw every possible definition of the word "entertain' regarding Deans statements, but it quieted down a few days later when Dean said he was wrong anda apologized for the statements about raising the retirement age, But the real point is lost. Dean lied in from of millions when he state that he NEVER SAID that he would raise the retirement age to 70, which is exactly what he said he would entertain.
It is interesting that the Washington Post is now talking about examining Dean more closely becasue of his changing positions on EVERY issue. After he apologized to Edwards about lying about Edwards stance on Iraq, and refused to do the same for Kerry because "Kerry Waffles on the issue of Iraq" this is very very fair.
A a matter of fact, on TV today, Dean was being hammered again by an interviewer about his continuially changing stance. For the next five monthes expect that to be the tone of all of Deans interviews. Unless he pulls a George Bush and starts demanding questions in advance. Dean rose to the level he is at NOT by having any firm stance on anything, but by attacking all of the other candidates.
And it is a karminc event that could only occur in a Greek play for Dean to be the vctim of his own methods.
Kucinich today without mentioning Dean but by refering to another candidate who is a doctor, pointed out all of the probems with Deans plan. That he wants to keep the broken health system intact.
This is only LABOR DAY, when all of the serious politics start.
Dean will beb attacked day after day after day by all of the candidates and the media. I would say after his early campaign attacks on others, it is only just.
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