Kerry's Vote for the WAR
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| Mon, 09-06-2004 - 3:41am |
This from the book Plan of Attack, by Bob Woodward regarding Kerry's (and Kennedy's) stance on the vote to give Bush authority to go to war:
That afternoon, after two days of debate, the House passed a resolution authorizing the president to use the U.S. armed forces in Iraq "as he deems to be necessary and appropriate." The vote was a comfortable 296-133 - 46 more than the president's father had in 1991.
In the Senate, Edward M. Kennedy the Massachusetts Democrat made an impassioned plea to reject the resolution.
"The administration has not made a convincing case that we face such an imminent threat to our national security that a unilatera, preeimptive American strike and an immediate war are necessary. Nor has the adminitration laid out the cost in blood and treasure for this operaton," Kennedy said. He later added that Bush's preemptive doctrine announded to "a call for 21st Centry American imperialism that no other nation can or should accept."
Senator John F. Kerry, a Massachusetts Democrat who would soon be running for president, said in a speech on the Senate floor he would vote for the resolution to use force in disarming Saddam because "a deadly arsenal of weapons of mass destruction in his hands is a threat, and a grave threat to our security." In announcing his support, Kerry stated that he expected the President "to fullfill the commitments he has made to the American people in recent days--to work with the United Nations Security Council to adopt a new resolution.....and to act with allies at our side if we have to disarm Saddam Hussein by force."
But no Democrat or other critic had been able to gain much traction in the face of the president's repeated declarations about the threat posed by Saddam and the CIA's estimates that Saddam posessed WMD and might be on the verge of becoming a nuclear power.
In light of what we know now it is understandable why Kerry voted to give the authority with the caveats he did. Bush had no intention of working with the UNSC to adopt a resolution. Bush was not against it so much as Cheney was. He said it would take too long and wanted to do it right away and do it without UN approval.

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(edited because I made a mistake about which report it was)
Edited 9/6/2004 10:58 am ET ET by iminnie833
I seem to recall a few months back reports coming out because of certain papers discovered in Iraq about France's hand being caught in the cookie jar in the Oil For Food scam. Personally, I think the real reason France, Germany and Russia didn't go along with the coalition is because they themselves had selfish interests in Iraq's oil and didn't want that connection to Saddam to be discovered.
http://www.washingtontimes.com/op-ed/20040321-101405-2593r.htm
http://www.heritage.org/Research/InternationalOrganizations/bg1748.cfm
http://www.washingtontimes.com/world/20040422-114353-8420r.htm
There are tons more. I just did a google search for "Oil for Food Scandal".
I read the Vanity Fair article and there was nothing about him outing his own wife. Robert Novak outed her. He was told by a Cheney office person is the common knowledge, undoubtedly Carl Rove himself.
Even if what you said WERE true ( and I doubt it), the fact is that Wilson went to Africa and reported back to the Bushees that it was a false lead and they still went to press with it, believing at that time it was false. I have read nothing, including your post that convinces me otherwise and really don't think it matters if his wife did or did not have anything to do with him going to AFrica to check on the uranium lead. It may be that SH had asked about it but the paper they had was false and no deal was ever made.
I wanted to believe our president too. But I am not immune to looking at this all with an open mind and seeing it how it really was. The thing is all the books I read by those who were there agree on their information. These people have no agenda. They for the most part are Republicans or very highly respecte journalists. They were there, they spoke with the players, and they don't disagree with each other, they add more details to the story.
Thank you for not being cowed into submission.
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