Two Thousand Six Hundred & Ninety-Three to Zero

One of the most intelligent men to ever lead the United States -- Bill Clinton

 

From the same Web page where the energy czar found the Clinton quote he references above comes this gem:

"Canada is the greatest nation in this country."
-- Former Toronto mayor Allan Lamport

 

Will that be a medium or large double double?

 

Interesting how every conservative invokes Bill Clinton as an excuse for the Iraq war. Some points:

Just because Clinton may have believed something does not necessarily make it true. I didn't think we needed to remind conservatives of that, but it's also something liberals believe.

In 1998 the bombing campaign, according to weapons inspectors, destroyed the basis for any possible WMD programs.

In 2002-03 we had weapons inspectors in Iraq, thanks to sabre rattling by Bush, to determine if post-1998 the capacity for any WMD had been rebuilt. They found that it hadn't, but instead of acting on that new information, the Bush administration took us to war anyway.

There is a persistent -- and false -- meme that "everyone" believed Saddam had WMD's before the war, because that's what the intelligence community said during the Clinton years. Very convenient, because it allows Bush to wriggle off the hook.

But it isn't true.

On February 24, 2001, Colin Powell said this about Saddam:

I realize that Powell sang a different tune at the UN in 2003. But he made that statement in 2001 because the intelligence supported it.

For the same reason, on July 29, 2001, Condi Rice said this:

After 9/11, Bush decided to attack Iraq and the intelligence was used selectively, and perhaps fabricated, to sell the war.

This should be a slam dunk for Democrats, because it shows the difference between the two parties.

Clinton believed Iraq had WMD and engaged in prudent, measured responses that removed Saddam as a threat and disarmed him.

Bush and his fellow dick-swingers believed Iraq had WMD and started a war that cost untold billions, 3,000 American soldier's lives, tens of thousands of Iraqi lives, increased terrorist acts and destabalized the region.

The difference is that the Democratic strategy worked well, and the Republicans changed that strategy and fucked everything up.

Oh, and as a pre-emptive strike on the right-wing talking point that will inevitably come up, anyone with a fraction of an idea how Washington works knows that Congress -- particularly the opposition party -- does not see the "same intelligence" the White House does. Not even close. (And I will never, ever, forgive John Kerry for letting Bush get away with that claim during the 2004 campaign.)

 

A large, but you should give another to the two who are in a drunken fantasy up there.

 

I wouldn't fuc

You can quote everyone who listened to Bush and believed him, I did too. I took the man at his word because I really didn't think he would lie about going to war. I honestly felt that he had information I didn't and that he was making intelligent decisions based upon facts and significant intelligence.

I WAS SOOOOOO WRONG.

 

When was the last time you heard any of us bandy Evan Bayh as a hero?

 

I must have missed the part when LBJ, Dean Rusk and Robert McNamera were brought up on charges for the 50,000 dead in Vietnam.

 

You didn't miss it because we weren't talking about it LBJ or Vietnam. But nice try.

 

Pat Buchanan was president? Did I sleep through that, or was I just drunk?

 

You were still with Jones.

 

Let me clear this up.

So you guys are saying that the POTUS deliberately lied to the American people just to get us into a war?

Sorry, call me naive, but I just don't believe anyone would do that.