cheineck Loc: Hobe Sound, FL

The Iraq War: Who voted for it, why you should still care (hint: Iran)

March 19 marked the 10-year anniversary of the Iraq War. On that day the bombs started falling.
This is the war no one wants to remember, since, as the Professor says, almost everyone in media position to talk about it today, screwed up big time back then (my emphasis):
[T]here’s a very big anniversary coming up next week — the start of the Iraq war. So why does there seem to be so little coverage?
Well, it’s not hard to think of a reason: a lot of people behaved badly in the runup to that war, and many though not all people in the news media behaved especially badly. … To come out against the war, let alone to suggest that the Bush administration was deliberately misleading the nation into war, looked all too likely to be a career-ending stance. And there were all too few profiles in courage.
The war, then, was a big test — a test of your ability to cut through a fog of propaganda, but also a test of your moral and to some extent personal courage. And a lot of people in the media failed.
But if the action in the press was bad, the action in Congress was worse. After all, that war needed authorization, and it was hotly debated. In the interest of accountability, here’s the Democratic Yes vote in the Senate.
A hint in reading these votes. A vote for the winning side in a lopsided vote is generally — but not always — a sincere vote. (Some people jump on a winner after it’s won for cosmetic purposes, but most are sincere.) A vote on the losing side of a lopsided vote can be highly suspect. Many voters are clearly sincere — we find Paul Wellstone and Bernie Sanders voting No — but once the whip count is in and the outcome is predetermined, a vote for the losing side can be cosmetic only, all appearances.
That’s a general statement, not one I’m making about this vote. But do keep the point in mind. There are a lot of instances where a senator or House member will go to his or her leader and ask, “Look, this one is in the bag. Mind if I vote against? I have a tough election coming up.” The leader can then say, “Sure,” or “Sure, but you owe me.” It’s how this stuff works.
Senate Democratic votes for the Iraq War

If you remember that day, it was a day of speeches. And at least out among the Littles, the final count wasn’t known until the roll was called. Here are your brave warrior Dems, those who voted Yes, covered in testosterone (or confusion) and glory. I’ve highlighted a few names to note:
YEAs — 77
Bayh (D-IN)
Biden (D-DE)
Breaux (D-LA)
Cantwell (D-WA)
Carnahan (D-MO)
Carper (D-DE)
Cleland (D-GA)
Clinton (D-NY)
Daschle (D-SD)
Dodd (D-CT)
Dorgan (D-ND)
Edwards (D-NC)
Feinstein (D-CA)
Harkin (D-IA) Hollings (D-SC)
Johnson (D-SD)
Kerry (D-MA)
Kohl (D-WI)
Landrieu (D-LA)
Lieberman (D-CT)
Lincoln (D-AR)
Miller (D-GA)
Nelson (D-FL)
Nelson (D-NE)
Reid (D-NV)
Rockefeller (D-WV)
Schumer (D-NY)
Torricelli (D-NJ)
Dodd’s not around today, nor is Edwards, and Harkin is retiring. But the rest are still there — or in the case of Biden and Clinton, in position to do even greater damage.
Would you like to help them remember that you remember? After all, these fine people could be asked to vote on a greater disaster, the Israel-promoted war against Iran. The propaganda’s already in place, has been for over a year.
Just in case you want to remind them — “Don’t do it again!” — here are some nice phone numbers:
Joe Biden — 202-456-1111 (VP comment line)
Maria Cantwell — 202-224-3441
Hillary Clinton — personal website (according to Wikipedia)
Tom Harkin — 202-224-3254
John Kerry — 202-647-5291 (according to the U.S. Dept of State phone list; pdf)
Harry Reid — 202-224-3542
Chuck Schumer — 202-224-6542
My suspicion is that concentrating on Biden, Cantwell, Clinton, Kerry and Reid will do the most good. Kerry’s vote is especially ironic, given his place in anti-war history:
Happy calling!


I've been telling the left side this for at least a year now. Here it is in living B&W.

rgrenaderphoto Loc: Hollywood, CA

Becauuuuuuuuuuuse they were presented with dire circumstances, mushroom clouds, specters of 9/11 by an idiot savant President who was in the pocket of Cheney, Wolfowitz, and all the other war criminal neocons. All the evidence turned out to be a lie. All of it.

Oh yeah Senator Barack Obama voted no.

Bangee5 Loc: Louisiana

and see Jon Stewart of the DailyShow for details

cheineck Loc: Hobe Sound, FL

Even the Dems believed the WMD reports. No one knew for sure. I guess you're one of those who would leave a country in the hands of a madman who had already killed over 200,000 of his own people. Wait a minute! That's mass destruction. You're quite a humanitarian. Atta boy.

EngineerAl

STOP YOUR LYING. STOP LYING!

Here are your Democrats, calling for war, claiming what you said Bush "LIED" about. You are the liar.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iSwSDvgw5Uc

Twardlow Loc: Arkansas

The U N inspectors knew. They went anyplace they wanted, and they said...No WMDs.

Bush said, get atta there, we're gonna bomb...and he did. murdering hundreds of thousand innocent civilians!

And he freed up Iran and Syria.

user47602 Loc: ip 304.0.0.33.32

...so give Cheyney-Bush an academy award

EngineerAl

Wardlow, don't come in here expecting everyone to buy your liberal talking points, or rather lies.

Before the U.N. inspectors went anywhere, they had to give Hussein advance notice, which is to say, time to clear everything out. Now IF "they knew," then so did every Democrat in Washington, D.C., notwithstanding your litany of ongoing lies. Do I need to post them saying as much... .AGAIN?



Lie #2. You're two for two. Bush said Hussein could "get rid of his WMDs and provide conclusive proof thereof. Saddam did not. Bush followed up on his promise, backed by CONGRESSIONAL VOTE!


LIE #3. You're on track to be a typical liberal. You spout lies and expect everyone to believe you? Please. Stop the lying.



Obama drew red lines. Lots and lots of red lines.
That has worked so well, hasn't it.

Wait, Obama also sent 300 Americans back into Iraq. 300.
Will Obama turn his back on them as he did the 4 men in Benghazi? Valerie Jarrett will pull his strings like a puppet master again, no doubt.

user47602 Loc: ip 304.0.0.33.32

Republican Math:

300 US military advisors sent to Iraq + 4 US dead >>>>>> 5000 US soldiers dead (not defending our freedom) + 500,000 iraqis dead (that had nothing to do with 9/11) + $4,000,000,000 spent on unnecessary war.

Bangee5 Loc: Louisiana

Most of that money spend on the war was done by Obama. We don't hear reports of soldiers being killed any more from the media after Obama came into officer. Why is that?

Where you ever in the service? If so, what where you in there for, defending who? What country? For what purpose? At least we know you didn't die... that would have been a waste. But here you are disrespecting those who have giving their lives. You are still a waste.

cheineck Loc: Hobe Sound, FL

:thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup:

cheineck Loc: Hobe Sound, FL

Thanks! :thumbup:

user47602 Loc: ip 304.0.0.33.32

I believe you are completely wrong regarding the Iraq war spending http://s3.media.squarespace.com/production/976752/11367721/2011/05/war-costs.jpg

And I don't disrespect those who gave their lives and were injured. I feel sorry that they and their comrades who returned home were duped to believe that they were defending our freedoms or bringing democracy to the middle east or whatever crap line induced them to sign-up for a war that was based on lies and deceit and took advantage of a citizenry angry and scared after 9/11.

Unfortunately, they gave their all for Halliburton to make $40 billion. The last war we fought to protect freedom was the Korean War... Vietnam was fought for ideology, Iraq01, Afghanistan & Iraq02 for $$.

Bangee5 Loc: Louisiana

When you join the military you do as you are told and you go where you are told. You knew what you are there for when you joined. This isn't the Boy Scouts where you need a note from mommie to go on a camp out. Uncle Sam is your Mom and Daddy now and you do as you are told. It does not matter what ideology you are fighting for. When told too you fight, you fight. If you don't like the rules then don't join. I take it that you didn't join...

cheineck Loc: Hobe Sound, FL

$$$? And the oil prices went up after Obama was elected and I'm sure we're getting rich from the Afgan "war". It's all a bunch of crap, and now Iraq is starting up all over again. I don't think it'll stop with "advisors". Nam kinda proved that.

I do believe that the radical Middle-Easterners and Muslim crazies are the prime reason for the USA getting involved in any conflict over there. If you don't think they want to kill all of us, IMHO you are part of the problem.