John Edwards: "The president made an enormous mistake."

[alaine]

This comment was made after the intelligence committee hearings (Tenant's martyrism) and Edwards was referring to the lack of planning for the aftermath of the war in Iraq, this was only one of his comments hammering Bush. The committee chair said there would be open hearings "probably in September" about the uranium brouhaha, and Sen. Rockefeller said that he felt other people needed to step up and take responsibility for their part in the whole Iraq/intelligence QUAGMIRE (Take that, Rummy!) These guys are getting more and more out-spoken everyday, we need to keep contacting them and letting them know how we feel.

[Erika]

1. No Rotation or Exit Plan?

But the oil fields were protected and are now flowing. Bush knew his priorities and our soldiers weren't one of them.

[alaine]

2. Succinct.

And now they are dying in droves. In a thread about the Pentagon briefing someone posted a list of every fatality since the middle of march related to the war. It was awesome of Edwards and Rockefellar to be so outspoken about this, I do believe their growing strength is coming from constituent feedback. Nice to know it's not just Byrd and Kennedy up there all alone anymore.

[opihimoimoi]

3. The Iraqis must feel like shit knowing some Their OIL goes to America

and comes back as fuel/weapons to kill them.

What would WE say/Do? if in same predictament?

[alaine]

4. How many Iraqis died in the mustard gas attack?

Bush is probably not that far away from that number as far as American casualties in Iraq go. Soon, when people say, "but he killed his own people" they'll have to specify whether they mean Sadam or Dubya.

[copithorne]

5. The oil isn't flowing

Iraq is currently importing oil from Kuwait. It isn't producing enough to meet domestic demand. From what I can tell, they don't really hope to have the oil flowing until the end of the year and they haven't proven that the oil infrastructure is defensible.

[alaine]

6. You mean they actually have plans about something?

Guess what it is.

I really got the creeps when I was watching the news yesterday and (forgive me, I was channel surfing, can't remember the station) they were interviewing a muslim woman and she said that if we don't get out soon many more Americans will die, and then she paused and smiled and said "because I know my people". Doesn't give one much hope.

[AP]

7. My prediction: intelligence investigation will go back to 9/11

This Niger thing is going to have a domino effect. It's going to be the entree the Democrats need to ask questions about the US standing down on defense in the months leading up to 9.11. And this could be bigger than Watergate. It could put the last nail in the coffin of the Republican Party before it's all over.

[chimpymustgo]

8. Good point, AP. We can't let this die. Edwards, Kennedy, Kerry, Levin

These guys are loaded for bear, and we do need to get to the bottom of all of this administration's massive intelligence and security failures.

[tomp]

17. from your keyboard to god's ear, but...

...i'll believe it when i see it.

[GreenArrow]

9. How charitable of him

I know these guys have to maintain a level of decorum, but it was NOT a "mistake." It was intentional, on purpose, with intent, and deserves to be spoken of correctly--he LIED.

[AP]

10. Characterizing it as an "enormous mistake"

probably covers some of the territory that you want to cover.

[opihimoimoi]

14. Perhaps it was a "mistake" to think an intentional wrong doing might pass

scrutiny.

That 2 old farts, Rummy the Asshole, and Dick the Prick, can influence the kid into saying these 16 words is pathetic. These two guys were not really voted in; Dick rode the coat tails of the kid.
This is scarey.

The mistake was to stonewall and now the Prez(kid) wants to set the record straight so we can move on, matter closed. Will he get away?

Of course he will try, he has blood on his hands and they must be washed in public with a record straightning press con. with Helen baby in attendence.

Come, we plan for new and better ways to get answers. These suck.

[trof]

11. MISTAKE?

No.
If I make a math error on my income tax forms, THAT'S a mistake.
If I claim $5000 in medical expenses that I did not incur, that's FRAUD, and that's a CRIME.
They're still pussy-footing around and I'm losing patience.
I want them to call a spade a spade, and not an excavation implement.

[AP]

12. "ENORMOUS mistake"

I don't think it's fair to charcterize Edward's characterization as sweeping the matter under the rug.

It's best not to go off half-cocked. Don't raise the bar too high.

If people said from day one that Watergate was the biggest threat to democracy in the history of the world, whatever came out of it would never have met the high bar, and people would probably have concluded that Nixon was innocent of all charges by the time it was over.

It's time for smart strategy, not for going off half-cocked and shooting from the hip.

[CafeToad]

13. What John Edwards should say is "I made an enormous mistake"

(In reference to his pre-war cheerleeding for Bush's Iraq attack)

[tjdee]

15. Open hearings= BIG EXPOSURE for Edwards.

Edwards has an enormous opportunity here, speaking of enormous.

He has the opportunity to get at the truth, and in the process he has the opportunity to reverse himself on the war issue by taking the people's side in the hearings, and he has the opportunity to raise his profile in the race for the presidency.I've seen him questioning people (specifically Ashcroft), and I just hope he realizes what's on the line here--and it's not just his political ambitions. This is the golden window for him to do the right thing.

He better not wreck it, on any count.

[chimpymustgo]

16. Edwards was featured on all the nightly news shows on this story.

It was a good long soundbite one, too - about the President being responsible for this.