Chuck Hagel on Iraq...bravo, honesty.

[Manedwolf]

From Chuck Hagel, (R) Nebraska

"The Iraq war should not be debated in the United States on a partisan political platform," the Nebraska senator remarked. "This debases our country, trivializes the seriousness of war and cheapens the service and sacrifices of our men and women in uniform. War is not a Republican or Democrat issue. The casualties of war are from both parties. The Bush Administration must understand that each American has a right to question our policies in Iraq and should not be demonized for disagreeing with them. Suggesting that to challenge or criticize policy is undermining and hurting our troops is not democracy nor what this country has stood for, for over 200 years. The Democrats have an obligation to challenge in a serious and responsible manner, offering solutions and alternatives to the Administration’s policies."


Damn right.

The full text of his speech on his own site, here.

 

[ArmedBear]

Bush's statement on Veteran's Day 2005:

"When I made the decision to remove Saddam Hussein from power, Congress approved it with strong bipartisan support. I also recognize that some of our fellow citizens and elected officials didn't support the liberation of Iraq, and that is their right, and I respect it. As president and commander in chief, I accept the responsibilities and the criticisms and the consequences that come with such a solemn decision. While it's perfectly legitimate to criticize my decisions or the conduct of the war, it is deeply irresponsible to rewrite the history of how that war began."

I have had little occasion to speak up for W lately, but this is one.

The Democrats also have the responsibility to the American people to criticize with the truth, not lies, and in the Internet Age, they are being ripped a new one right now. This helps no one, in the end, because any legitimate criticism and better ideas are being drowned out. This will remain so as long as the Democrats deny their own words and their own voting records.

 

[walking arsenal]

I agree.

War is not a republican Democrat thing.

Although it has become that.

Gov is also not a Dem Repub thing.

WE are supposed to work together, instead we spend most of our time blaming and fighting each other instead of those on the outside.

 

[ArmedBear]

I agree.

War is not a republican Democrat thing.

Although it has become that.

Gov is also not a Dem Repub thing.

WE are supposed to work together, instead we spend most of our time blaming and fighting each other instead of those on the outside.

Actually, it's a damn good thing the R's and D's don't work together more often. The result is inevitably a loss of freedom and a gain in government power.

 

[backphil]

Chuck Hagel is a TOOL of the democratic party. He is clueless.

 

[longhorngunman]

War shouldn't be partisan but the Democrats turn it that way. I think the saying is exactly correct for the current political climate "A liberal would walk across the corpses of a hundred dead soldiers to slap a Republican in the face".

 

[GoRon]

Chuck Hagel on Iraq...bravo, honesty.

If Chuck Hagel was honest he would have a "D" next to his name. He is a RINO.

 

[SIGarmed]

Bush's statement on Veteran's Day 2005:

"When I made the decision to remove Saddam Hussein from power, Congress approved it with strong bipartisan support. I also recognize that some of our fellow citizens and elected officials didn't support the liberation of Iraq, and that is their right, and I respect it. As president and commander in chief, I accept the responsibilities and the criticisms and the consequences that come with such a solemn decision. While it's perfectly legitimate to criticize my decisions or the conduct of the war, it is deeply irresponsible to rewrite the history of how that war began."

I have had little occasion to speak up for W lately, but this is one.

The Democrats also have the responsibility to the American people to criticize with the truth, not lies, and in the Internet Age, they are being ripped a new one right now. This helps no one, in the end, because any legitimate criticism and better ideas are being drowned out. This will remain so as long as the Democrats deny their own words and their own voting records.

Very well said.

 

[Moondoggie]

I agree that Hagel is a RINO...also got his eye on GW's job.

I will vote for/contribute to another Republican in the primary. Anybody but Hagel.

Although Ben Nelson (My other Senator) is a Democrat, I prefer him to Hagel.

 

[javafiend]

Bush:

"When I made the decision to remove Saddam Hussein from power, Congress approved it with strong bipartisan support."

There's nothing in the Congressional Resolution on Iraq (Passed by House and Senate October 2002) authorizing the removal of of Saddam from power.

This is just another Bush lie. Nothing more.

 

[Headless Thompson Gunner]

Bush:

There's nothing in the Congressional Resolution on Iraq (Passed by House and Senate October 2002) authorizing the removal of of Saddam from power.

This is just another Bush lie. Nothing more.

Sorry, no.

A major part of the Resolution involves enforcing the cease fire that ended the first Gulf war. The cease fire permitted Saddam to remain in power only if he met certain requirements (no-fly zones, weapons inspectors, UN involvement, etc). His existence as the leader of Iraq was a violation of the cease fire, by virtue of his noncompliance.

Removing Saddam from power (i.e. enforcing the cease fire) is EXACTLY what the Resolution authorized.

To say this is another Bush lie is wishful thinking.

 

[beerslurpy]

No one would be having problems with justifying their previous votes if any of them had principles and stuck to them for more than a minute. If the war was right to start, then the only question is how to fight it. If the war was wrong to start, then it should have been opposed in the first place.

The "anti-war" politicians seem to feel that although there is no solution to the problem, bush should be blamed for not fixing it regardless. And that the war was inherently unjust but a flimsy pretense upon which to start it was sufficient to satisfy their moral scruples.

We need to elect more ron pauls.

 

[KC&97TA]

The war in Iraq is takeing longer than expected, and with over 2,000 dead US service members, and the monetary cost's building, the stresses of deployments to service personel and thier familys, the controversy of what is and isn't a violation of ROE's ... it's just getting old.

My father is a highly conservitave Republican; told me on the phone a few nights ago, haveing a Marine as a son in a combat zone again, (spent about 4 of my 6 years deployed now), in Iraq for the 2nd, it gets alittle stressful, expecialy after I was WIA just over a year ago, on my first tour in Iraq.

My opinion on the situation is we need to pack out some of the non essential personel out here, when I see personel PT'ing through out the day, and 2 hour lunch breaks, working hours of 0730-1630, it means there's way to many personel in country that don't need to be here. I don't know what the Army is doing with the National Guard, I saw a guy (specialist) that looked like he 60 years old, hobbling in the PX. There still is no exit strategy for leaveing Iraq that has been announced... that's what alot of people are haveing troubles with.

 

[Gun Geezer]

What?!

The war in Iraq is takeing longer than expected, and with over 2,000 dead US service members, and the monetary cost's building, the stresses of deployments to service personel and thier familys, the controversy of what is and isn't a violation of ROE's ... it's just getting old.

My father is a highly conservitave Republican; told me on the phone a few nights ago, haveing a Marine as a son in a combat zone again, (spent about 4 of my 6 years deployed now), in Iraq for the 2nd, it gets alittle stressful, expecialy after I was WIA just over a year ago, on my first tour in Iraq.

My opinion on the situation is we need to pack out some of the non essential personel out here, when I see personel PT'ing through out the day, and 2 hour lunch breaks, working hours of 0730-1630, it means there's way to many personel in country that don't need to be here. I don't know what the Army is doing with the National Guard, I saw a guy (specialist) that looked like he 60 years old, hobbling in the PX. There still is no exit strategy for leaveing Iraq that has been announced... that's what alot of people are haveing troubles with.

We don't need fewer troops. We need more troops to seal the border and keep the bad guys from pouring in. If we had a bigger force I think we would have won this war aleady.

There is no exit strategy because the stategy is to have a base or bases in Iraq from which to take out Iran and Syria. At least I hope so. Either way it will not be long before Iran forces either us or Israel to do the job.

 

[CAS700850]

I don't always care for the politics of Chuck Hagel, but you've got to respect one thing about him. Ilearned this from his brother, who is a law professor at the University of Dayton. The two Hagel brothers signed up together to enter the Army during the Viet Nam era. Both went to and graduated from Special Forces school. Both went to war, and served together in the same unit. Both earned their purple hearts, and other decorations.

Unlike too many of these politicians who have never put on a uniform, stood a watch, or layed in on the line for their country, Hagel has shed his blood for this country. While it doesn't make me agree with him, it will at least make me respect him.

 

[sarge83]

If 2000 dead is wearing on us as a country then God help us if we get into a major shooting war like Korea or with China-which is coming sometime this century. 80K died in one week during the Battle of the Bulge in WWII. I sure am glad the so-called American media is on our side I would hate to think they were against us--gag me!

Any soldier dying is a terrible thing but if we are to the point where we are unwilling to pay the cost of freedom we are finished and it is just a matter of time before we are gone from the map. 200+ years and then consigned to the pages of history. Except when we lose the WOT and Iraq is a part of this war, the world will see a new Dark Age unlike any seen in the past.

If Bush lied then Clinton and all the other members of Congress lied as well. The simple fact is Bush looked at the intelligence presented to him and made a decision based on the best information he had at the time. US intelligence along with most of the entire worlds intelligence agencies ALL got it wrong.
If you think this is a lie then you have some moral issues to sort out about right and wrong and what constitutes a lie, within yourself. I suspect that WMD's probably are in Syria, moved before the war. Bush didn't lie, the lie going on here is that being pedaled by the Democrats and the leftist media.

This tripe is making about it's third or fourth pass in the last two years. A bi-partisan senate panel looked at all the information on pre-war intelligence and determined it was not sexed up or dumbed down, nor was political pressure brough to bear on the intelligence agencies to tow the Administration line either. By the way it also found the Joe Wilson lied and did it quite a bit.

Regime change in Iraq had been US policy back in to the Clinton administration so this was no surprise to the Democrats.

Senator Self-Serving Hagel knows better and is worse than the leftist Democrats. I expect it from them

 

[ArmedBear]

Bush:

There's nothing in the Congressional Resolution on Iraq (Passed by House and Senate October 2002) authorizing the removal of of Saddam from power.

This is just another Bush lie. Nothing more.

The previous resolution, passed unanimously in 1998, addressed the removal of Saddam, but not what force could be used.

Anyone in the Senate or the House who claims that he/she did not recognize that the 2002 resolution addressed the means to accomplish what had already been resolved in 1998 is the one who is lying.

The words should have been in there, in 2002. But the claim that people make that they somehow thought that we would attack Iraq (again) with the plan to leave Hussein in power (for a third time) is silly on its face.

This is not a Bush lie. Sorry.