Contrast pre-Iraq war views of Bob Graham and the Clintons. We need to remember. [View all]

[madfloridian]

The archived Palm Beach Post is unavailable, but I saved the important pages. Here's the original link from 2004. It was a long article:

http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/content/news/epaper/2004/09/11/a6a_graham_0911.html/

Here is what I saved from it. I have posted it before, but he deserves much credit for his stance.

Graham: "frankly, my friends. ... the blood's going to be on your hands."

..."On Oct. 9, 2002, Graham — the guy everyone thought of as quiet, mild-mannered, deliberate, conflict-averse — let loose on his Senate colleagues for going along with President Bush's war against Iraq.

"We are locking down on the principle that we have one evil, Saddam Hussein. He is an enormous, gargantuan force, and that's who we're going to go after," Graham said on the floor. "That, frankly, is an erroneous reading of the world. There are many evils out there, a number of which are substantially more competent, particularly in their ability to attack Americans here at home, than Iraq is likely to be in the foreseeable future."

He told his fellow senators that if they didn't recognize that going to war with Iraq without first taking out the actual terrorists would endanger Americans, "then, frankly, my friends — to use a blunt term — the blood's going to be on your hands."

It was a watershed moment. Gone was the meticulous thinker who would talk completely around and through a problem before answering a question about it...

From CNN 2004 the words of Bill Clinton:

Clinton defends successor's push for war

"I have repeatedly defended President Bush against the left on Iraq, even though I think he should have waited until the U.N. inspections were over," Clinton said in a Time magazine interview that will hit newsstands Monday, a day before the publication of his book "My Life."

Clinton, who was interviewed Thursday, said he did not believe that Bush went to war in Iraq over oil or for imperialist reasons but out of a genuine belief that large quantities of weapons of mass destruction remained unaccounted for.

"I want it to have been worth it, even though I didn't agree with the timing of the attack," Clinton said.

It wasn't worth it.

And some powerful quotes from Hillary Clinton which make it hard to believe her apology now. From ABC news 2008:

Hillary and the Iraqi People

"Around the world we have to restore American leadership and our moral authority and that begins by ending the war in Iraq and bringing our troops home," Clinton said, per ABC News’ Eloise Harper. "I know that we can starting within 60 days have a plan to begin responsibly and safely withdrawing our young men and women.

"And I believe that at the same time that we have to make clear to the Iraqis that they have been given the greatest gift that a human being can give another human being – the gift of freedom. And it is up to them to decide how they will use that precious gift that has been paid for with the blood and sacrifice and treasure of the United States of America.

"And it is time for the Iraqis to demonstrate that they understand that there is no military solution — American troops can not stay there, contrary to my friend John McCain who is suggesting they be there 50 to 100 years. No they are going to start coming home if I am president within 60 days and they will keep coming home."

I doubt the Iraqis are feeling very enthusiastic about all that freedom now.

I remember all the posts here before the invasion about what would happen once we were there. Most of the thoughts here were that it would descend into chaos.

I think we were right on that.

I do not think President Obama has been left with good options at this time. He's damned if he does and damned if he doesn't jump in.