This should have been said long ago about Saddam...popular or not.

[madfloridian]

This statement today took courage, and it should have said long ago. It does not show sympathy to Saddam, but it paints the type of picture we were seeing here at DU. This was a very important statement.

SNIP..."DR. DEAN: That was ridiculous. This is a pathetic old man who we'd been containing for 12 years by overflights. We had sanctions on him that were paralyzing him. It turned out that there were no weapons of mass destruction, as the administration--although the administration said otherwise. It turned out that there was no relationship between Saddam Hussein and al-Qaeda or the killing of the 3,000 Americans at the World Trade Center, even though the administration tried to lead us in an opposite direction. The administration simply did not tell the truth about Iraq. The debate is not about whether we should fight terrorism. I supported the war in Afghanistan because I think we did the right thing in Afghanistan, although I think the conduct of the war is not being very well-managed, after the fact. But fighting Iraq had nothing to do with terrorism.

Paul O'Neill had said, according to the book "The Price of Loyalty," that was out a couple of months ago, that President Bush always intended to go into Iraq long before 9/11. He did. He didn't tell the truth to the American people about why. Whether he was misled by his own people or whether he deliberately didn't tell the truth, we don't know. We need to find that out. He needs to spend a lot more than an hour before the commission that's trying to figure out who knew what and when did they know it......"END SNIP
www.blogforamerica.com

[pinto]

1. concise, realistic assessment, imho....thanks for the post..n/t

[Fight_n_back]

2. Iraq shouldn't have surprised anyone

Toppling Hussein as the number one priority in US foreign policy was in the Republican platform.

[madfloridian]

13. Yes, you are right about that.

It was known before the war but ignored by the media. I am glad Dean mentioned Paul O'Neill's book yesterday. It brings that out clearly, that war was decided early on.

[acmavm]

3. I didn't want Dean to get the democratic nomination, but having said that

I also have to say that I've always been impressed and amazed by the things that he says. They are always thought provoking and sometimes shocking. And they are things that the public needs to think about. He was not my candidate, but I have always admired his courageousness. He's quite the pistol, as my Great-Grandmother would have said.

[KissMyAsscroft]

4. Its a Sad day for America...

when stating the obvious truth makes you a "pistol"

[TheFarseer]

5. Dr Dean doesn't mess around

He says what's on his mind and he was right on the money here. He's the only candidate been right on the money the whole time. Too bad the media sabotaged him.

[madfloridian]

6. That could be why they sabotaged him.

He said some pretty blunt things about regulating their ownership.
:hi:
Yes, he says things with a clarity that others just do not have.

[KoKo]

7. I saw him say it this a.m. We need Dean to be the Gingrich of the right..

the person who will lead the "opposition" while Kerry works on gaining the Presidency. They could be a "tag team." Hopefully Kucinich will get some airtime also on this.

He was Excellent this a.m. Relaxed and made his points one after the other.

What a contrast with that witch Condi who is like a robot giving the same speech over and over: Evil, Terrorists, Kill, Dangerous, WMD, Chemical and Biological Stockpiles, Terrorists everywhere coming to get us, yadda, yadda, yadda.

Dean was refreshing and I hope the average American saw the contrast and are looking for something more hopeful than death and destruction everywhere which is all the Bushies know to preach!

[madfloridian]

8. A big ditto to what you just said.

With that statement I risk being called a dittohead.

:7 :7

[kentuck]

9. Dr Dean summed it up fairly well...

IMHO...

[glarius]

10. Dean was terrific...very effective on MTP!

[madfloridian]

14. I agree.

The bluntness that many did not like during the campaign was what my hubby and I needed after two years of media lying.

The bluntness works very well in interviews like that. It it very effective for that.

[madfloridian]

11. MTP repeats at 10 on CNBC.

At least it looks that way on the schedule.

[madfloridian]

12. I have only seen a couple of mentions of this in the press.

Maybe none of the media watched it.(joke) Strange. I figured Dean would be beat over the head by the media over these very true comments.