A handful of politicians have publicly repented for their 2002 vote to authorize the Iraq War, but few as forcefully as Rep. Walter Jones (R-NC) did last week.
“I did not do what I should have done to read and find out whether Bush was telling us the truth about Saddam being responsible for 9/11 and having weapons of mass destruction,” Jones said during an interview on The Tyler Cralle Show.
“Because I did not do my job then,” Jones continued, “I helped kill 4,000 Americans, and I will go to my grave regretting that.”
Damn! That is perhaps the most honest confession about a politician's role in voting to give Bush the authorization to use military force in Iraq that I have ever heard.
By the way it is actually 4,492 Americans who died fighting in the war that George Bush and his administration lied us into.
Personally I would like each and every politician who voted in favor of the Iraq war to answer whether or not they agree with this statement by Rep. Jones.
And if not, why not?
And I would especially like to hear a response from Jeb Bush.
Unfortunately, with Jebbie, you will get 3 or 4 responses.
ReplyDeleteThe horrible catastrophic consequences of Bush-Chaney's War for Oil is the THE elephant in the room for Bush III.
ReplyDeleteJeb blames faulty intelligence. No, it wasn't faulty intel. It was the Bush's deliberate manipulation of the public through lies and propaganda.
You own it Bush III. What about that elephant?
Good for Rep Jones.
“The policy was set,” he said in the interview. “The war in Iraq was coming and they were looking for intelligence to fit into the policy.”
Delete“The agency is not blameless and no president on my watch has had a spotless record when it comes to the C.I.A.,” he said. “But never before have I seen the manipulation of intelligence that has played out since Bush took office. As chief of Europe, I had a front-row seat from which to observe the unprecedented drive for intelligence justifying the Iraq war.”
Tyler S. Drumheller, a former senior American intelligence official
What about the deaths and maiming of all the Iraqi citizens? Don't they count too?
ReplyDeleteNot to conservatives.
DeleteBaby steps, guys.
DeleteAnd the on-going instability in the region is continuing to kill people and ruin livelihoods. The region already had problems, and will continue to have problems, all of which is not entirely the result of our invasion of Iraq, but we sure didn't improve the situation.
DeleteWhat about the ones who were maimed, emotionally wounded, divorced, lost their homes....
Delete22-23 everyday taking themselves out. They feel the shame and can not live with it. FUCK Dick the Prick Cheney. Until he hangs by his balls and neck for a week in The Hague none of us can begin to be true to this countries principles.
DeleteRecently I've been wondering what it is that Congresspeople do every day. Now I have the answer: anything except their job.
ReplyDeleteThanks, guy. But too little, too late.
Howev, if you really want us to believe you, resign. Give up your perks and lifetime benefits. And live like the rest of us. I expect voting for the war isn't the only "oops" on your Congressional CV.
And Jeb Bush thinks it's a good idea to try and blame the Iraq war on Hillary and Obama. The man is as big an idiot as his brother.
ReplyDeleteRep Jones did the right thing admitting that.
ReplyDeleteYes, he did. But public mea culpas when one is 72, and surely nearing the end of a 'public service' life will never be of the same worth as political bravery when it counts. "Courage is not merely one of the virtues but the form of every virtue at the testing point."
DeleteJebbie did not have a vote on the war.
ReplyDeleteHillary did though.
Jeb???! was a signatory of the PNAC, the PLAN to invade and destroy Iraq first followed by the destruction of the other Middle Eastern countries.
DeleteOpinions are nothing. Votes are everything.
DeleteJebbie did not have a vote on the war.
Hillary did.
I'm not a fan of Hillary Clinton. But I hate, loathe and despise the Bushes. I would crawl over burning coals to vote for her over Jeb Bush. Or any other Republican.
Delete5:08 you got it. Supporting his daddy dirty deeds, then his bro, fuck the Bush Clan all....
DeleteI disagree. He is one of the kind we need more of. At least he is owning it, showing regret and remorse. Why would you exile the only one who has come forward?
ReplyDeleteDon't forget, Hillary voted us into that mess too. And she doesn't regret it. Another reason not to vote for her.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.cnn.com/2004/ALLPOLITICS/04/21/iraq.hillary/
She isn't perfect, but Her views align more with mine than anyone else. I'll vote for her.
DeleteAnd you're lying:
DeleteHillary Clinton says her Iraq war vote was a 'mistake'
“I made it very clear that I made a mistake, plain and simple.
http://www.politico.com/story/2015/05/hillary-clinton-iraq-war-vote-mistake-iowa-118109.html
Clinton continues, "I thought I had acted in good faith and made the best decision I could with the information I had. And I wasn't alone in getting it wrong. But I still got it wrong. Plain and simple."
http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-politics/wp/2014/06/05/hillary-clinton-on-iraq-vote-i-still-got-it-wrong-plain-and-simple/
So if you decide not to vote for her, do it because of something real, not something you're lying about, asshat.
Seems "one of us" shows up on all the threads to further educate us about Hillary.
DeleteYet she made that vote 3:52. She made that vote.
Delete# 1 reason that I voted for Obama
DeleteDear 3:52, If you have read the article I linked above, you have seen that A year into the Iraq war Hillary was still defending her vote. That is because it was POPULAR. She changed her mind in your link because now that view ISN'T POPULAR anymore and it won't get her votes in a run for President.
DeleteAnd not only was she not sorry, she was being an apologist for Bush a year into the war, and not only that, but she also admitted that the Clinton had the same intelligence as Bush and the Clinton administration believed it too. So she can't blame Bush for railroading her if her husband and her already knew of and believed the information.
Here is the Quote from above linked article......
"The lack of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq contradicts years of intelligence indicating Saddam had such weapons, which also was the conclusion of officials in the Clinton administration.
"The consensus was the same, from the Clinton administration to the Bush administration," she said. "It was the same intelligence belief that our allies and friends around the world shared.
"But I think that in the case of the [Bush] administration, they really believed it. They really thought they were right, but they didn't let enough sunlight into their thinking process to really have the kind of debate that needs to take place when a serious decision occurs like that."
So she agreed with the Bush administration, but also wanted to have some distance from them if they were wrong. That is called having it both ways. Having your cake and eating it too.
You can apologize for her all day, I don't care. No more Bushes and no more Clintons. Right now Bernie Sanders has my vote. Hillary might as well be a member of the Republican clown car of Presidential candidates.
Sincerely,
3:29
Hoping to see this man declare his candidacy for Pres. After the clown car wrecks...
ReplyDeleteGod, I hope not! That would make the entire "regret" nothing more than a publicity stunt. Fuck, no!
DeleteThe up-coming President in addtition to direct impacts will select Supreme Court justices that affect this country for the next 4 decades or so.
DeleteA Republican President can not be trusted with this vial court selections.
"vial" should be "vital"
DeleteWow, a politician with a conscience! All politicians run using poetry, once in, they rule using prose. I'm glad he said it, a bit too late, but he's cleared his conscience.
ReplyDeleteJeb! actually "went there" saying Obama and Hillary Clinton pulled out of Iraq too soon and caused Isis to form. Apparently, he doesn't like the Bush name OR his brother, President George W. Bush either.
Trump said we should go back and take all the oil. What a brilliant idea! Let's re start the war and see how the GOP will handle it again. They did such a great job the last time.
Wish to venture a guess how many wars the U.S. has won since World War II? You might be surprised how busy we've been. The number is 11. Worth visiting Wikipedia for a look at our successes and our less impressive efforts.
ReplyDeleteIf Jeb wins, I want to see if this senator is going to pay attention this time when Jebbie decides to invade Syria.
ReplyDelete