To all those senators who said they were wrong about the 2002 IWR vote

[LynneSin]

I figured it would get around to this. We here at DU knew it was a mistake but I realized that the decision that many of these senators made back in 2002 was based on how everyone they represented had felt, not just a select group. I remember listening to Joe Biden talk about how he was going to make his decision and he truly felt he was torn between supporting it and turning it down.

Flash forward to 2007, democrats get the majority and some of them are growing a set of balls. Biden, along with Clinton, Edwards and several other dems who supported the IWR are now saying they regret that decision.

Well if you regret that decision the do something about it. Get this war finished and get our troops home before another life is lost.

[autorank]

1. Hey K&R Now about those rods....

Didn't we have that info from a credible sourse?
(this is a dialog;)

[Captain Hilts]

2. Many DUers don't understand that many sens voted 'for' it in order to give...

the president a stronger bargaining chip when he went to the UN. A lot of people thought it would force the UN - rather than the US - to act. It didn't. The IWR was about enforcing UN sanctions.

President Bush doctored intelligence and went far beyond the authority given in the IWR. Blaming senators for the Iraq War is another version of Blame the Victim.

The Iraq War is President Bush's fault. NOT the senate's. He would have invaded Iraq anyway. He's proven that by escalating the number of troops and not waiting/asking for congressional approval.

Don't blame the victim!

[LynneSin]

4. That I do understand although I figured Bush would take advantage of it

Ultimately in the general election I'll support the dem, but for the primaries I"m working my ass off for the candidate who helps bring this war to a close.

[Captain Hilts]

12. Yes. I was against it also. But I don't have to bargain or project an image.

They all need to come out and be angrier if they're going to play the 'he lied to us' card.

I, like DUers, want to see more anger, and I think we're getting more now that Dems are running/initiating hearings.

[autorank]

5. That's a good argument but they're forgetting ....

... that there was credible evidence that Bush was lying about WMD. Now why support a guy like that, lying and scaring the s*&t out of everybody. He's like "The CandyMan"

[tabasco]

8. Riiiight. The President of the USA needed a "bargaining chip."

LMAO. The senators who voted for the IWR suffered from moral cowardice and terrible judgment. Here are the results of BAD JUDGMENT and MORAL COWARDICE!



Most Democrats in Congress voted AGAINST the IWR.

[montanacowboy]

3. They regret their decision

because it is now politically expedient; they have no real plan to stop the war or end the funding. It's more lip service, and in their mind they have now exonerated themselves.

Don't expect anything to happen, it will just be more of the same.

[welshTerrier2]

6. another abdication of responsibility?

look, without rehashing the IWR vote, let's at least recognize that Congress said to bush "this is ALL up to you - do what you think is best".

now, most of them have said they were wrong to abdicate their responsibility by giving bush full control over whether to go to war or not.

well, we are once again at the great crossroads. either Congress will reclaim its power to decide whether funding for more war is provided or they will, regardless of their counsel and preferences, leave the whole damned thing up to bush. AGAIN.

apologies are meaningless without a change in behavior. Congress needs to step in and stop this war. If the votes aren't there, so be it, but they need to rally the American people (who seem to be more rallied than they are at this point) and do all they possibly can to end this damned war NOW.

[LynneSin]

7. In 2002 they were trying to work together in this process

I know that we knew better, but it's a world of difference for what we believed vs. what congress believed. And as a poster above stated - this resolution was given to Bush to use at the UN to help justify this war. When the UN refused to back Bush he went ahead with the war anyways

[welshTerrier2]

10. i don't want to debate the IWR

my point is that many Dems who voted for the IWR have now said giving bush "sole discretion" about whether to go to war was wrong. The vote, regardless of whether I agreed with it or not, was to transfer power from the Congress to bush to do what he thought was best. My focus is on who will make the decisions regarding the war. With the passage of the IWR, the answer was that the power was vested in bush.

Now, we have the exact same issue being raised. Who will be "the decider" - Congress or bush? Those who said their IWR votes were a mistake have a very real opportunity now to do the right thing. Congress was never meant to sit on the sidelines while a president, any president, conducted a war for as long as they damned well pleased. The Constitution clearly intended to give Congress the power to stop a war if they chose to.

The last time we had the "who will decide" question raised, Congress chose to "trust bush". Let's hope, after realizing what a mistake that was, that they don't repeat the exact same mistake now.

[mike_c]

9. one of my (dem) senators voted for the IWR DESPITE overwhelming...

...opposition. That was Diane Feinstein who, it turns out, has made millions in profits as a result of the invasion. Full disclosure, her husband's company made the war profits, but California is a community property state, and DiFi is living in a PLUSH new mansion as a result.

on edit: Barbara Boxer and my rep, Mike Thompson both listened to their constituents and voted against the IWR.

[Moderate Dem]

11. Well, there's a "We broke it, we bought it" mentality out there

that might make sense, long term. It's going to be tough to rebuild our reputation in the world after Bush trashed it so badly.