WP: Vietnam Shades Warner's Iraq Stand (Silent Then, Senator Won't Be This Time)

[Pirate Smile]

Vietnam Shades Warner's Iraq Stand
Silent Then, Senator Won't Be This Time

By Michael D. Shear
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, January 28, 2007; Page A01

Virginia Sen. John W. Warner's words betray the guilt he still carries about the Vietnam War and help explain why this pillar of the Republican establishment is leading a bipartisan revolt against the war plans of a president in his own party.

"I regret that I was not more outspoken" during the Vietnam War, the former Navy secretary said in an interview in his Capitol Hill office. "The Army generals would come in, 'Just send in another five or ten thousand.' You know, month after month. Another ten or fifteen thousand. They thought they could win it. We kept surging in those years. It didn't work."

Is that a lesson for what's going on in Iraq?

"Well, you don't forget something like that," he answers. There is a long pause, he closes his eyes and his voice gets softer. "No. You don't forget those things."

More than 30 years after Vietnam, Warner is once again watching as generals propose additional troops. But this time, he's not staying silent. In a rebuke to President Bush, Warner is leading an effort to have the U.S. Senate declare a lack of confidence in the administration's plans to send 21,500 additional soldiers into the Iraqi war zone.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/27/AR2007012701478.html

[rodeodance]

1. "Lesson Learned"

[teryang]

2. I don't think the generals proposed more troops

it was Kagan and Keane, a neocon and a retired general.

[FreeStateDemocrat]

3. Is this sanctimonious hypocrite up for re-election in 2008?

[jody]

4. I would be more impressed if Warner just said Kerry was right and I should have joined him. n/t

[karynnj]

6. He did on one talk show say Kerry's medals were deserved in 2004

In 2004, admitting that Kerry was right in his 1971 protest could have helped. He may have not been there then - I wonder how much Kerry's often repeated comment that half the names on the Vietnam wall were of people who died after the leaders knew the policy was wrong.

Maybe he should speak to his Democratic peer, Webb, who even last week - disputed Kerry's personal comment of speaking against VN by citing a poll that he said showed 80% of the people backed VN in 1972! (He cherry picked a question that was essentially Is it important to leave South Vietnam in good shape?)

I'm impressed that Warner is taking responsibity for NOT speaking out when he should have in 1971.

I was also impressed that he was far kinder and showed more respect to Senator Kerry when most Democrats as well as the Republicans really hit him on Kerry/Feingold.

[BleedingHeartPatriot]

5. Warner, Hagel, Lugar, Snowe...finally allowing their humanity to speak, for a change..

The forced compliance of the Frist/Delay era is gone. The R representatives must have been having nightmares as they enabled the R's in the WH to do whatever they wanted with the lives of young Americans and Iraqi citizens.

It's about time people, keep speaking up. MKJ

[Oak2004]

7. When impeachment time comes

there will be 67 votes.

[tabasco]

8. Forced compliance? More like utter moral cowardice.

Spineless politicians on the war bandwagon couldn't wait for he victory parade! Nice going assholes. They think nothing of the troops and civilians who will DIE and BE MAIMED by their failure to lead, only their goddamn poll numbers.