I wonder how easy it would have been for all those hawks if their sons and daughters had to serve and not in a rear unit but in a foward support unit. I guess we would have given inspections a chance.

Whenever I think of war I weep. I weep for my children and their children because they are the ones who are shouldering the cost of this war by the debt that we are leaving them and the anti american sentiment of their muslim peers.

I weep for the trashing of our constitution and civil liberties in the name of security. I weep for dimensihed standing in the world but most of all I weep for all my fellow soliders who won’t be coming home and their families. They deserved more from this administration.

One way or the other, we are determined to deny Iraq the capacity to develop weapons of mass destruction and the missiles to deliver them. That is our bottom line.” - President Clinton, Feb. 4, 1998

“If Saddam rejects peace and we have to use force, our purpose is clear. We want to seriously diminish the threat posed by Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction program.” - President Clinton, Feb. 17, 1998

“Iraq is a long way from [here], but what happens there matters a great deal here. For the risks that the leaders of a rogue state will use nuclear, chemical or biological weapons against us or our allies is the greatest security threat we face.” - Madeline Albright, Feb 18, 1998

“He will use those weapons of mass destruction again, as he has ten times since 1983.” - Sandy Berger, Clinton National Security Adviser, Feb, 18, 1998

“We urge you, after consulting with Congress, and consistent with the U.S. Constitution and laws, to take necessary actions (including, if appropriate, air and missile strikes on suspect Iraqi sites) to respond effectively to the threat posed by Iraq’s refusal to end its weapons of mass destruction programs.” - Letter to President Clinton, signed by Sens. Carl Levin (D-MI), Tom Daschle (D-SD), John Kerry ( D - MA), and others Oct. 9, 1998

“Saddam Hussein has been engaged in the development of weapons of mass destruction technology which is a threat to countries in the region and he has made a mockery of the weapons inspection process.” - Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D, CA), Dec. 16, 1998 “San Fran Nan”

“Hussein has … chosen to spend his money on building weapons of mass destruction and palaces for his cronies..” - Madeline Albright, Clinton Secretary of State, Nov. 10, 1999

“There is no doubt that … Saddam Hussein has invigorated his weapons programs. Reports indicate that biological, chemical and nuclear programs continue apace and may be back to pre-Gulf War status. In addition, Saddam continues to redefine delivery systems and is doubtless using the cover of a licit missile program to develop longer-range missiles that will threaten the United States and our allies.” - Letter to President Bush, Signed by Sen. Bob Graham (D, FL,) and others, December 5, 2001

“We begin with the common belief that Saddam Hussein is a tyrant and threat to the peace and stability of the region. He has ignored the mandate of the United Nations and is building weapons of mass destruction and the means of delivering them.” - Sen. Carl Levin (D, MI), Sept. 19, 2002

“We know that he has stored secret supplies of biological and chemical weapons throughout his country.” - Al Gore, Sept. 23, 2002

“Iraq’s search for weapons of mass destruction has proven impossible to deter and we should assume that it will continue for as long as Saddam is in power.” - Al Gore, Sept. 23, 2002

“We have known for many years that Saddam Hussein is seeking and developing weapons of mass destruction.” - Sen. Ted Kennedy (D, MA), Sept. 27, 2002

“The last UN weapons inspectors left Iraq in October of 1998. We are confident that Saddam Hussein retains some stockpiles of chemical and biological weapons, and that he has since embarked on a crash course to build up his chemical and biological warfare capabilities. Intelligence reports indicate that he is seeking nuclear weapons…” - Sen. Robert Byrd (D, WV), Oct. 3, 2002

“I will be voting to give the President of the United States the authority to use force– if necessary– to disarm Saddam Hussein because I believe that a deadly arsenal of weapons of mass destruction in his hands is a real and grave threat to our security.” - Sen. John F.. Kerry (D, MA), Oct. 9, 2002

“There is unmistakable evidence that Saddam Hussein is working aggressively to develop nuclear weapons and will likely have nuclear weapons within the next five years .. We also should remember we have always underestimated the progress Saddam has made in development of weapons of mass destruction.” - Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D, WV), Oct 10, 2002

“He has systematically violated, over the course of the past 11 years, every significant UN resolution that has demanded that he disarm and destroy his chemical and biological weapons, and any nuclear capacity. This he has refused to do.” - Rep. Henry Waxman (D, CA), Oct. 10, 2002

“In the four years since the inspectors left, intelligence reports show that Saddam Hussein has worked to rebuild his chemical and biological weapon stock, his missile delivery capability, and his nuclear program. He has also given aid, comfort, and sanctuary to terrorists, including al Qaeda members. It is clear, however, that if left unchecked Saddam Hussein will continue to increase his capacity to wage biological and chemical warfare, and will keep trying to develop nuclear weapons.” - Sen. Hillary Clinton (D, NY), Oct 10, 2002

“We are in possession of what I think to be compelling evidence that Saddam Hussein has, and has had for a number of years, a developing capacity for the production and storage of weapons of mass destruction.” - Sen. Bob Graham (D, FL), Dec. 8, 2002

“Without question, we need to disarm Saddam Hussein. He is a brutal, murderous dictator, leading an oppressive regime … He presents a particularly grievous threat because he is so consistently prone to miscalculation .. And now he is miscalculating America’s response to his continued deceit and his consistent grasp for weapons of mass destruction… So the threat of Saddam Hussein with weapons of mass destruction is real.” - Sen. John F. Kerry (D, MA), Jan. 23. 2003

The undisputed facts state that Saddam Hussein’s weapons programs were greatly exaggerated. That he had dismantled most of them after the Gulf War. Indeed, weapons inspectors pre and post-invasion of Iraq found no evidence of any active weapons program. The trust that I have in my own government to tell me the truth was shot to pieces by this war.

But even if Hussein had weapons, the threat to the United States was minimal at best, and far outweighed by the cost of toppling his regime. The administration paid no mind to the geopolitical consequences of creating a power vacuum in the middle east - and as a direct result of the invasion of Iraq, have increased Iran’s power in the region.

A “war on terrorism” isn’t going to be won by killing a bunch of Arabs in far away countries. It should be about making sure that we are safe at home. No terrorist network can operate without considerable amounts of money. No terrorist network is invisible. These networks exist without states, so toppling regimes will only increase their power. Our best defense is focusing our intelligence on their activities. This is something that this administration has failed to understand - instead using terrorism as an excuse to fight a war against a country that didn’t attack us, and undermine our civil liberties here at home.

Not Sure if caught the debates in S.C. or the re broadcast but the very question of whether there is a global war on terrorism was raised something to effect of how many of the candidates believed it existed. Most of the so called top tier candidates raised their hands in support of this notion all but Senator Edwards.

Just the War on Drugs the war on terror is nothing more than a bogus excuse for us to practice our on form of imperialism on the planet.
You can’t fight terrorism with more violence it is more complicated than that but this administration desn’t comprehend complicated matters.

That lie was pushed, in a concerted effort, by the President and his chief advisers… and transcribed with very little critical reasoning by an extremely complicit media establishment.

That the unified voice of the CIA, NSA, White House, Pentagon, Republicans who controlled the house and senate, and the mainstream media were able to convince a good number of people (including perhaps as many as half the dems) of some lies doesn’t prove much except that our Democracy is always in danger and that citizen media is more important now than ever.

That you are still defending their lies Tim, proves little except that there are some for whom the Strong Leader syndrome never seems to fade (read some Glenn Greenwald over at Salon if you don’t know what I’m talking about).

Did you happen to look at the dates the Dems made some of their statements? Seems to me that many precede President Bush’s term by a number of years.

Certainly you’re not suggesting the RoveCo mind control technology was already in use in ‘98, are you?

While I did not, at the time support this action, (I think the civilian loss of life was probably too great to make sense, and our attacks would only solidify Saddam’s support), I can still see the logic behind their arguments and actions.

President Clinton, along with his advisers in the Pentagon, decided to go with the strikes. I would like to add, that Saddam DID open up his weapons inspection process to us after those strikes, and that in a sense, this military action was a success.

Now, that is all completely different than the Bush White House which has been shown to have repeatedly sold allegations that they knew to be lies (such as the aluminum tubes, or the Niger uranium) with the goal of starting a large-scale war. Furthermore, they intentionally misrepresented Saddam’s ties to al-quida, played off our patriotism after 9/11, manipulated our fears and emotions with statements they knew to be false (such as the mushroom cloud scenario)… etc etc

But even if none of those things were true, it would still be worth noting, that this war needs to end now and our friends and loved ones serving in Iraq need to come home.